Ed Donatell favorite for Vikings DC
Ed Donatell has emerged as the favorite or the Vikings defensive coordinator position, sources tell @DanGrazianoESPN and me. Seattle - which was hiring him as a defensive assistant - is now bracing to lose him. New coach Kevin O’Connell getting plenty of experience on defense.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 9, 2022
@"JustinTime18™" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"StickyBun" said:@"JimmyinSD" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"JustinTime18™" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"JustinTime18™" said: Basically every single candidate to date for DC has been a 3-4 guy.Anyone still think we aren't moving to a 3-4?
#3 in points allowed last year...traded Von for a 2 and a 4...
If we do switch to a 3-4, we'll obviously add players that fit it, but given our current players (under contract), what might that look like?Tomlinson - Pierce -Watts
Hunter - Kendricks - ?? - Wonnum/Jones IISeems an awkward fit for our current defense. I'm sure Hunter would be good in whatever defense you put him in, but in my mind, he's a prototype 4-3 DE. Does this foretell a trade?
I think if you can get a slightly richer deal than the Broncos got for Miller, you pull the trigger. Sorry @Nichelle. But, 8 games out of the last 33 and looking for a payday isn't a good look.I think we could run a 3-4 with Pierce playing shade, Tomlinson as 3T, Watts as 5i. Wonnum and Hunter on the edges. JRob or Jones III if Hunter moves on. Kendricks and Lynch inside. Sarratt over Jabril Cox looks worse and worse.
I know you didn't like the Surratt pick, but I still have high hopes for him. That pick was 100% project. You like to get boom or bust projects like that a little later than the 3rd round, but there was a big buzz about him after dominating at LB for UNC. Don't know if any player was on more sleeper lists. He'll have to show it this year though.
for a team that was supposedly super bowl ready, but really void of talent at a lot of depth positions, IMO taking sleepers in the third with no second round pick was a huge mistake. time may prove me wrong, but we could have used a contributor last year from that pick instead of a player with high potential, but nothing today.
I tend to agree with this. The book isn't closed on Surratt but they'll need to see strides taken into Year 2 with him. He's not playing to his athleticism, thinking too much and that's because he's fairly green at LB in general. Its more cerebral in the NFL and that's what makes or breaks these guys.
Maybe I am missing the back-story, but why don't we like Surratt? He never was going to play last year. Long-term he actually has a decent chance to get on the field and I tend to like what he did in college quite a bit. He's a good example of a guy the media was low on but NFL teams were high on. So on the outside it "feels" like a reach but really he would have gone within the next 5-10 picks.
Passed on a more ready Jabril Cox is a big part. Best part of his game was coverage, which would have served us well.Surratt would be the 1st LB to start in the NFL with arms shorter than ~30".
Not a fan.
I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.
@"Hawkvike25" said:Not familiar with Cox, looks like he had 2 tackles this year before going out for the year after the game against us, so doesn't seem like it is definitive that he was a slam dunk or better pick at this point.I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.
@"JR44" said:@"Hawkvike25" said:Not familiar with Cox, looks like he had 2 tackles this year before going out for the year after the game against us, so doesn't seem like it is definitive that he was a slam dunk or better pick at this point.I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.Cox was dominating for NDSU then transferred to LSU his senior season. I think he did well there too, but didn't really make the impact for Dallas that some Fargo people thought/hoped he would.
@"JR44" said:So, you're not familiar with him, but you can draw a conclusion on him.@"Hawkvike25" said:Not familiar with Cox, looks like he had 2 tackles this year before going out for the year after the game against us, so doesn't seem like it is definitive that he was a slam dunk or better pick at this point.I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.Sound reasoning.
@"JustinTime18™" said:@"JR44" said:So, you're not familiar with him, but you can draw a conclusion on him.@"Hawkvike25" said:Not familiar with Cox, looks like he had 2 tackles this year before going out for the year after the game against us, so doesn't seem like it is definitive that he was a slam dunk or better pick at this point.I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.Sound reasoning.
Well 2 tackles last year isnt exactly eye popping
So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?
KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?
SHAME!
@"JustinTime18™" said:@"JR44" said:So, you're not familiar with him, but you can draw a conclusion on him.@"Hawkvike25" said:Not familiar with Cox, looks like he had 2 tackles this year before going out for the year after the game against us, so doesn't seem like it is definitive that he was a slam dunk or better pick at this point.I wanted Jabril Cox as well. Surratt made no sense when we all knew it was make or break for Zimmer and we also had a sense that it was make or break for Spielman. Hindsight is always 2020 and we don't know how they ranked their big board but the Surratt pick was a giant head scratcher for me.Sound reasoning.
Who is drawing a conclusion, seems like you are the one making all of the assumptions here. I said I was not familiar with him, from your remarks it sounded like he must have been a pro bowler so I looked him up and saw he only had 2 tackles, so the facts are that he is not a proven player and we do not know who the better player will be at this point.
@"savannahskol" said: So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
lol, yep... And honestly, you see the hypocrisy with the media in these instances. But the Vikings will get a free pass because of hiring the KAMster.
But lets not also act like their isn't something rotten in the state of Denmark with some white billionaires and their hiring practices.
@"savannahskol" said: So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
@"StickyBun" said:
@"savannahskol" said:
So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
lol, yep... And honestly, you see the hypocrisy with the media in these instances. But the Vikings will get a free pass because of hiring the KAMster.But lets not also act like their isn't something rotten in the state of Denmark with some white billionaires and their hiring practices.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph...You both got it all very wrong...
Donatell has got to be a paisano, no?
@"StickyBun" said:@"savannahskol" said: So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
lol, yep... And honestly, you see the hypocrisy with the media in these instances. But the Vikings will get a free pass because of hiring the KAMster.But lets not also act like their isn't something rotten in the state of Denmark with some white billionaires and their hiring practices.
Words from wise Minneapolis coach need to be heard across NFL as Rooney Rule falters
Larry McKenzie's voice trembled on the phone. The Minneapolis North boys' basketball coach was angry and sad, and he was worried about how his players were processing the death of George Floyd in the chaotic, traumatizing aftermath in late May 2020.
McKenzie scheduled a Zoom call with his players. I asked in our phone conversation what he planned to tell them. He said he wanted them to know that change will happen when they have "an entree into the rooms where decisions are made."
That quote has been on my mind a lot the past week in reflecting on a lawsuit brought by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores against the NFL alleging discriminatory hiring practices.
The league's woeful record on hiring Black head coaches remains a problem despite rules put into place to support advancement. The NFL currently has only one Black head coach while players make up 70% of rosters. That's embarrassing. In a memo to teams Saturday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly said "the results have been unacceptable" in hiring head coaches of color.
The discussion taking place around the league must acknowledge that the Rooney Rule isn't having its intended effect. The rule requires teams to interview candidates of color for head coach and general manager openings. The concept is certainly well-intentioned and has allowed more Black coaches to gain access to the interview process, but the numbers don't show progress in clearing the final hurdle.
What Flores said publicly — and other Black coaches attest to privately — is that the Rooney Rule too often gives the feeling that they are participating in sham interviews that mean nothing more than teams checking a box.
N. Jeremi Duru is an expert on the Rooney Rule as former counsel for the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an advocacy organization that monitors NFL diversity. Duru calls the Rooney Rule "a good rule," but notes that many teams blatantly "ignore" it by not interviewing Black candidates in good faith.
"Listen, you don't have to hire the person," said Duru, a professor of law at American University. "But can you tell me that you've got the best person for the job if you've zeroed in on that person from the beginning?"
The standard pushback — "Just hire the best candidate" — is too convenient and dismissive. It does nothing to dig deep on a complicated, emotional issue.
I won't pretend to have all this figured out, but I believe McKenzie's message is one way necessary change can happen: Get Black leaders and leaders of color into the room where decisions are made. That's where progress happens. If teams show more inclusion in hiring executives and key decisionmakers, other barriers will begin to crumble.
Duru said the mission in hiring head coaches should be fairness and keeping an open mind, not shaming a team into hiring someone based on skin color.
"As long as you give meaningful opportunity for all candidates, nobody is complaining," he said. "If you go to the assistant coaches in the league who are Black, to a person they're going to tell you, 'I don't want to be given a job just because I'm Black. This is supposed to be a meritocracy. Darn it, I want to show you my merits. Just give me chance.'
"They don't want a handout. They just want an opportunity. When a full meaningful opportunity does not appear to be granted, it can be very demoralizing."
The Vikings hired a head coach inside the vortex of a lawsuit that torched the NFL. A search committee led by new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who is Black, chose a white coach, Kevin O'Connell. Based on what I've heard and what I saw in the past week, the process that led them to that decision was fair.
Full transparency: I rooted for the Vikings to hire Jim Harbaugh, which feels hypocritical in the context of this discussion. I thought he was the most proven candidate among a group that included two Black finalists.
The Vikings cast a wide net and seemingly gave candidates an equal opportunity. Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who is Black, interviewed at the facility for nine hours Tuesday, the day after the team interviewed O'Connell and Raheem Morris and the day before Harbaugh arrived.
While many of us wrongly assumed that Harbaugh's interview was a formality, the Vikings treated him like every other candidate. His interview here fell flat, and the Vikings chose O'Connell, who stood out to them above the rest.
The number of Black NFL head coaches did not change, but I can't fault the Vikings because their search process appeared thorough, fair and conducted with an open mind. This also is a franchise ownership group with a track record of inclusive hiring, including their decision to select Adofo-Mensah.
Former player Troy Vincent, now a high-ranking NFL executive, called the league's hiring process "broken." The Rooney Rule alone won't fix it. NFL owners could learn a lot from Larry McKenzie's message.
https://www.startribune.com/nfl-vikings-rooney-rule-kwesi-adofo-mensah-minneapolis-chip-scoggins/600143505/
@"purplefaithful" said:@"savannahskol" said: So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
@"StickyBun" said:
@"savannahskol" said:
So if Kwesi’s first two hires are lilly-white Irish KOC and lilly-white Donatell, when do we dub Kwesi “uncle tom adofo-mensah”?KOC & Donatell?
while Flores and Caldwell languish?SHAME!
lol, yep... And honestly, you see the hypocrisy with the media in these instances. But the Vikings will get a free pass because of hiring the KAMster.But lets not also act like their isn't something rotten in the state of Denmark with some white billionaires and their hiring practices.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph...You both got it all very wrong...
Donatell has got to be a paisano, no?
The Vikings cast a wide net and seemingly gave candidates an equal opportunity. Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who is Black, interviewed at the facility for nine hours Tuesday, the day after the team interviewed O'Connell and Raheem Morris and the day before Harbaugh arrived.
but he doesnt count, his name is about as white as they come. :p I actually assumed he was white because of his name, didnt know until now that he was not pigment challenged.
@"JustinTime18™" said: Basically every single candidate to date for DC has been a 3-4 guy.Anyone still think we aren't moving to a 3-4?
Didn't Kendricks play in a 3-4 back in college, with Barr? Maybe the transition won't be so drastic with him. He could still have Pierce & Tomlinson (both who came from 3-4 defenses from their previous stops) in front of him eating up some space. He could fill that Roquan Smith role, although tailored to his strengths.
Plus, from what I've read the defense would be spending most of its time in nickel as a 4-2 so that the base formation won't really matter.
@"JustinTime18™" said:Hugest?Minnesota native, former Broncos player and current Denver radio analyst Ryan Harris on soon to be #Vikings DC Ed Donatell: "Donatell is loved by players on both sides of the football. He's a teacher and encourages his players by believing in their hugest ability."
@"MaroonBells" said:@"JustinTime18™" said:Hugest?Minnesota native, former Broncos player and current Denver radio analyst Ryan Harris on soon to be #Vikings DC Ed Donatell: "Donatell is loved by players on both sides of the football. He's a teacher and encourages his players by believing in their hugest ability."Harris went with "hugest ability" because he felt "Ginormous Capability" was too long and a little over the top.
I guess I am having an Irish day:
The first name Edward/Ed is also a very Irish name and even though Donatell could have been changed when they came over on the boat it is most likely from Ireland.
I think O'Connell Speaks for itself.
So yes, it does seem like Kwesi isn't just Irish on St. Paddy's Day :)
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