Is It Time the Vikings Say Goodbye to Ed Donatell?
Mitchel Massman
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There is a lot of talk about if the Vikings should fire Ed Donatell. We all need to take a minute, go for a walk, and relax. The Vikings should not be firing Donatell.
Yes, the Vikings’ defense has been bad (like really bad). However, prior to this season, we knew that was going to be the case. The Vikings’ new regime took over a defense that was historically bad in 2020 and 2021, specifically in the final 2-minutes of halves.
The number of holes on this defense was glaring coming into free agency and the draft in 2022. On top of that, the salary cap was extremely tight. To completely fix this defense in one season was always asking a lot.
Add to this that the Vikings installed a new defensive scheme this year. The team was asking the veteran players, who had been in the Zimmer scheme for 8 years, to learn a completely new system. Yes, they are professionals, but this still takes time.
All of that said, this Vikings’ defense has been gashed, especially over the last 5 games. In fact, they have given up 400 or more yards in 5 straight games, which is the worst streak in franchise history. That trend, if it continues, could certainly get a guy fired.
However, we need to look at how this team can improve in the final month of the season. After all, the Vikings still have a 99% chance of making the playoffs.
How to Improve the Vikings’ Defense
First and foremost, defense in the NFL today is about marrying rush and coverage. Well, the rush has just not been getting home over the last few games. According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings have generated little pressure on QBs recently.
- Mike White – pressured on 13.6% of dropbacks
- Mac Jones – pressured on 14.3% of dropbacks
- Dak Prescott – pressured on 3.7% of dropbacks (no, not a mistake, 3.7%!)
Pro Football Reference updates advanced stats like pressures on Wednesdays. From what I could see, Jared Goff was pressured about as much as Mike White (based on my live view of the game).
To put it simply, you cannot allow an NFL quarterback to have all day to sit in the pocket. These guys are all capable of throwing a football. If they have the time to throw, they will make the throw.
How do the Vikings create more pressure? The simplest thing to do would be to stop dropping Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith into coverage.
Yes, the Vikings like to drop them back into coverage from time to time to create confusion in the coverage. However, this has also resulted in tight ends or slot receivers leaking out behind them for big gains. It shows up that Hunter is not meant to be a cover guy.
Donatell needs to let Danielle Hunter put his hand in the dirt and rush the passer every play. Then get Za’Darius Smith over a guard and let him feast. By doing so, the Vikings would likely create more pressure on QBs and reduce the responsibility of our banged-up secondary to cover receivers for longer than 2.5 seconds.
There are numerous other things that could be fixed, such as blitzing more and better communication in coverage. However, simply letting our best pass rushers rush the passer every time could go a long way.
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