‘Son of a Bum’ Sounds like He Wants a Piece of the New Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are set to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell soon after the Super Bowl. The news leaked mere minutes after the Vikings opted not to extend a job offer to Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan, a candidate who snatched the attention of the fan base for five days.
As O’Connell gradually arrives in Minnesota, existing coaches from Mike Zimmer’s staff are departing. Klint Kubiak, Andrew Janocko, and Ryan Ficken found news jobs this week, emptying the cabinet from the previous regime. This is how it goes.
Unexpectedly, on Thursday, veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips tweeted Vikings defensive statistics from 2021, implying he might be the right man for defensive coordinator under O’Connell.
Son of the folklorish Bum Phillips [who coached the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints in the 1970s and 1980s], the son-Phillips has been around the block. He’s served as head coach for the Broncos, Cowboys, Falcons, Saints, and Texans. And Phillps defensively coordinated the Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Rams, and Texans. His NFL journey began in 1975.
The keyword from the aforementioned list of teams – there are a bunch – is Rams. The connection is weird, but Wade Phillips’ son, named Wes – this would be Bum’s grandson, for those keeping score – is the Passing Game Coordinator on O’Connell’s current Rams staff. So, family ties are present. Put plainly, Wade’s son works directly with Kevin.
Strangely, these things matter in NFL coaching circles. It’s why Klint Kubiak, Adam Zimmer, and A.C. Patterson coached on the Vikings staff in 2021. Relationships – some call it nepotism – are widespread in coaching trees.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”928532″ player=”26279″ title=”4%20ideal%20offseason%20Kirk%20Cousins%20trade%20destinations” duration=”81″ description=”It’s time for the Minnesota Vikings to start making plans for the future, one that includes a 2022 offseason with a Kirk Cousins trade and an organizational reset after another disappointing season.Cousins will enter 2022 in a contract year, a position he and the Vikings are very familiar with. While the 33-year-old quarterback is playing at a high level, it’s evident he and the Vikings aren’t close to competing for the NFC North title or a Super Bowl.With that in mind, we examine the best Kirk Cousins trades that would benefit both the star quarterback and his teams.” uploaddate=”2021-12-22″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/928494_s_1640136316410.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/928494/928494.m3u8″]
Plus, for the Wade Phillips to Vikings idea, he tweeted the stats with the heavy implication Minnesota needs a defensive rescue. Betting money suggests Phillips could turn the Vikings defense around after two lousy years with Zimmer at the helm. Minnesota’s defense went from tops in the business from 2014 to 2019 to the bottom 10 in 2020-2021.
In his long career, Phillips created Top 10 defenses via points allowed in the following places:
1982 Saints
1989 Broncos
1991 Broncos
1993 Broncos
1996 Bills
1999 Bills
2002 Falcons
2006 Chargers
2009 Cowboys
2011 Texans
2012 Texans
2015 Broncos
2016 Broncos
He fosters upper-echelon defenses virtually everywhere.
Therefore, Phillips is a name to monitor amid O’Connell’s staff-hiring process. O’Connell isn’t linked to defense or anything of the sort, so auditioning an absolutely seasoned veteran like Phillips checks out.
Otherwise, coaches like Vic Fangio and Wink Martindale could be available, too. Son of a Bum makes the most sense, though, in the immediacy of the O’Connell hire.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
Vikings Territory: Explained: Predictions and Analysis for Vikings-Lions
You must be logged in to post a comment.