Sports

Minnesota Vikings Fans Can’t Contain Their Excitement After The Team Fires Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell

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The Minnesota Vikings went 13-5 in the 2022 season and cruised to an NFC North Division title.

But the entire time, something just didn’t feel right. The Vikes went an astonishing 11-0 in one-score games and were blown out in three of their four loses.

The chickens eventually came home to root in the postseason when the New York Giants came into into Minneapolis the knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs with a 31-24 victory.

While the the shaky play of polarizing quarterback Kirk Cousins was part of the issue, it was far from the biggest one. That label belonged to Minnesota’s often porous defense.

The Vikings were in the bottom three in a numbers of major defensive categories. They ranked 31st in yards allowed, 31st in passing yards allowed, and 30th in points per game.

The advanced metrics weren’t much better. Minnesota ranked 27th in the NFL in DVOA (Defense-adjusted value over average).

A change needed to be made. And that change came on Thursday.

Minnesota Fires First-Year Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell

When Kevin O’Connell was named the Vikings head coach prior to the 2022, he looked to bring in an experienced staff of assistants.

One of those assistants was defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. Donatell had three decades of NFL experience, including multiple defensive coordinator stints across the league.

But Donatell’s defense never quite answered the bell, and Minnesota parted ways with him on Thursday.

“Today I informed Ed Donatell we will be going in a different direction at defensive coordinator in 2023,” O’Connell’s said in a statement . “While this was a difficult decision because of the tremendous respect I have for Ed as a person and a coach, I believe it is the right move for the future of our football team. I want to thank Ed for his commitment to the Vikings this past season, for the positive impact he had on our players and coaches and for his role in helping me as a first-year head coach lay this foundation. We all wish Ed and his wife, Shari, only the best in the future.”

Vikings fans couldn’t help but to celebrate the move.

But others realize there’s more work to be done.

Now Minnesota can address the next order of business, finding players who can actually slow down opposing offenses.