Fire Donatell tonight

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That defense has a chance to eclipse the worst Vikings D season in history (2013). 

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@Purpleblooded said:
The article fails to mention an important piece of information highlighting just how stupid the Cook pass call was -- the situation.  It was first and goal at the 3 with 1:06 on the clock.  The Lions had just taken their 2nd timeout.  The play progression is easy -- power run to your strong side.  If you score, great.  If you don't, you force the Lions to use their last timeout.  You have two goals -- score a touchdown and leave the Lions no time on the clock to come back and score.  There are two things you do not do on that 1st and goal play -- pass the ball or run a play that risks negative yardage.  Worst case you end up kicking a FG with no time left in the half and you are down 14-10 and receiving the 2nd half kickoff.  I can't stress enough how monumentally stupid a play call that has Dalvin Cook tip toeing up to the line of scrimmage looking to pass the ball on 1st down was.  Even if it works, you give the Lions over a minute with a timeout to comeback and likely get 3 of those points back, if not more.

^This^

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@Purpleblooded said:
The article fails to mention an important piece of information highlighting just how stupid the Cook pass call was -- the situation.  It was first and goal at the 3 with 1:06 on the clock.  The Lions had just taken their 2nd timeout.  The play progression is easy -- power run to your strong side.  If you score, great.  If you don't, you force the Lions to use their last timeout.  You have two goals -- score a touchdown and leave the Lions no time on the clock to come back and score.  There are two things you do not do on that 1st and goal play -- pass the ball or run a play that risks negative yardage.  Worst case you end up kicking a FG with no time left in the half and you are down 14-10 and receiving the 2nd half kickoff.  I can't stress enough how monumentally stupid a play call that has Dalvin Cook tip toeing up to the line of scrimmage looking to pass the ball on 1st down was.  Even if it works, you give the Lions over a minute with a timeout to comeback and likely get 3 of those points back, if not more.

Agree. KOC hasn't made many bad situational decisions this year, but this was one of them. He was probably trying to catch them off guard. I'm sure Detroit, too, was expecting a Dalvin run. But too much can go wrong with this kind of play, and even if it's successful you give Detroit a possession before the half. 

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Kevin O'Connell irked with Ed Donatell's defense. But he's not handling it like Mike Zimmer — for nowOn the NFL: Don't be fooled. Kevin O'Connell isn't happy with his defensive coordinator, but he's expressing his displeasure in a different way than when Mike Zimmer went after his offensive coordinators.

Even the Vikings' woodshed for wayward coordinators sounds like a kinder, gentler place to be admonished by young Kevin O'Connell as opposed to old Mike Zimmer.
In 2016, Zim's team started 5-0 but wasn't doing a great job protecting Sam Bradford. Zim, whose interpersonal communication was a bit more shall we say old-school than O'Connell's new-school vernacular, visited Norv Turner's offensive meeting room.
The defensive-minded Zim told Norv in no uncertain terms that he was to change his protection schemes because they were stale and predictable. Norv, however, was equal to Zim in stubbornness. The Vikings gave up six sacks in a loss to the Eagles and five more in another loss to the Bears at Chicago on Monday Night Football.
Norv quit the next morning with the Vikings atop the NFC North at 5-2.
Two years later, Zim gruffly scolded first-year offensive coordinator John DeFilippo repeatedly in public for not running the ball enough. DeFilippo ignored it right up to the moment Zim fired him after a 21-7 loss at Seattle. The Vikings were 6-6-1 and still in the playoff race.
"Dude, that Seahawks game on Monday night, there was tension between Zim and Flip," former Viking and then-Browns defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo told the Star Tribune last year. "I know the play that got him fired. What could have been an easy run, Coach Flip said, 'Screw it' and went for the play-action bomb. Incomplete. It was a complete debacle. Those two were like oil and vinegar," although Ifeadi surely meant oil and water.
Those days, apparently, are gone. For now, at least.
For the first time in his 13-game head coaching career, O'Connell has felt the need to remind everyone publicly that while the culture of collaboration is fine and dandy, he's still da boss. And don't let the boyish looks and softspoken nature fool you. This boss isn't happy with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and a soft unit that's dead last in yards allowed, just set a franchise record by giving up 400-plus yards in five straight games, and is seemingly content to sit back while even middling quarterbacks hand out explosive plays and touchdowns like they're at a Toys for Tots event.
Monday, a day after Jared Goff torched the Vikings in Detroit's 34-23 win, O'Connell said schematic changes were needed. More blitz packages were needed. As for Donatell keeping his job as play-caller, O'Connell said that's not something he's considering "right now."
Tuesday, O'Connell said: "My role as the head coach is one where I'm ultimately responsible for everything we do as a football team. I tend to look at things from the background that I have from the opposite lens. 'This is what they're seeing. This is what they might attack.' This is where we may have some looks where we've got to make some adjustments, some changes, a different picture for the offense. I think all those things have been good conversations, good dialogue."
O'Connell went on for a few more minutes, but, basically, it was a very long way of saying the same thing Zim used to snort out with a few terse words and a scowl when the other side of the ball was coming up woefully short.
Like Zimmer had with Pat Shurmur in 2016 and Kevin Stefanski in 2018, O'Connell does have a Plan B play-caller to turn to in mentor, friend and assistant head coach Mike Pettine. Of course, O'Connell doesn't think it will come to that. Not now, at least.
"There are times and moments when [collaboration] has to actually be put into action," he said. "That's where the relationships matter. We got to be honest with each other. … Have the ability to communicate with people in an honest manner, respectful, but make sure that, ultimately, I'm responsible for everything we do as a football team."
We'll find out relatively soon where this kinder, gentler public paddling goes from here. Next up is a Saturday meeting with a Colts team that's 4-8-1, more interested in next year's draft and coming off a bye after being nipped 33-0 in the fourth quarter of a 54-19 loss to the Cowboys.
On paper, it promises to be a feel-good game. We just don't know which guy will be feeling better about his future come Saturday night: Donatell or Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, a 37-year-old who looks 47, leads the league in interceptions (13) and turnovers (18), ranks fourth in sacks (35), and no doubt is looking forward to taking his cuts at Ed Donatell's defense.
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-kevin-oconnell-unhappy-with-ed-donatells-defense-mike-zimmer/600235587/

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I think the league has a bead on Donatell's D strategy. I'm quite sure KOC isn't happy about it, but why go red ass on it publicly? Nothing to be done this year anyway. I'd be surprised if there isn't some kind of offseason change on that side of the ball.

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@kmillard said:
That defense has a chance to eclipse the worst Vikings D season in history (2013). 

Man NO kidding.   Good grief that team should have been at MINIMUM 10-5-1.   Found a way to lose games in the last minute every single week.

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Joe Barry will probably be available…  :p  

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Anybody who thought Donatell was a good hire in the first place is an idiot and that includes KOC. Donatell is a turd, and has always been a turd. He was rewarded for hanging on to Fangio's coat tales in Denver last year while not calling the defense. I told everybody he was a shitty hire and this 3-4 switch was a bad idea based on our roster strengths. You CAN NOT play "bend but don't break" in today's NFL. Teams and QB's are too good and will carve defenses up, which is exactly what has happened with us. If we get bounced in the playoffs because the defense falters, then KOC has nobody to blame but himself for making this ridiculous hire for his DC.

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@supafreak84 said:
Anybody who thought Donatell was a good hire in the first place is an idiot and that includes KOC. Donatell is a turd, and has always been a turd. He was rewarded for hanging on to Fangio's coat tales in Denver last year while not calling the defense. I told everybody he was a shitty hire and this 3-4 switch was a bad idea based on our roster strengths. You CAN NOT play "bend but don't break" in today's NFL. Teams and QB's are too good and will carve defenses up, which is exactly what has happened with us. If we get bounced in the playoffs because the defense falters, then KOC has nobody to blame but himself for making this ridiculous hire for his DC.

The roster wasn't there for the 34,  but 8n fairness nobody expected this team to be in this position so a retooling year was no big deal....well a couple lucky bounces and a string of back up QBs and we are #2 seed with no defense and no running game.  In the grand scheme of things we are not likely to be looking back at this year thinking what could have been if donatell hadn't been the DC as our O still has a long way to go to compete for the only real prize in pro football.

Whats gonna suck is an offseason with very few decent draft picks and the only way to create cap space is to potentially lose our veterans who are still performing at a high level.  Imagine if Harry and AT say FO when the team comes asking for a pay cut for next year?  More than likely I see a major  can kicking offseason to try and fund a major all in effort, and a hard hard rebuilding period starting in about 3 years.

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https://twitter.com/SeifertESPN/status/1...GF-yoYO9Pg&s=19