PurplePTSD: Which Coaches Should The Vikings Keep?

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Henrique Gucciardi

2022-01-09

The Minnesota Vikings are on the verge of a new regime. The Wilf brothers will have a meeting before the Bears game to assess the future of Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman, and the team. If the rumors are true, Sunday will be the last game with Zimmer as the head coach. Although I don’t like the job Zimmer and Kubiak are doing this season, there are good position coaches in Minnesota.

A new head coach also means new coordinators and coaches. However, it’s smart to keep some people as they already know the players. With that in mind, here are some coaches that, in my opinion, can be valuable for a new head coach.

I’m a big fan of what McCardell has done in 2021. Aside from coaching the position since 2010, he also played in the league for 17 years. He brings a lot of experience to the table and you can see how much he has helped KJ Osborn going from “please cut this guy” to “he is the best WR3 we’ve had in years”.

For a first-time coordinator, Ficken did a really good job. The entire special teams unit improved in 2021, from coverages to returns. No doubt that the players had a big role in this improvement, but we know that talent alone doesn’t give you much. Kene Nwangwu can develop to be a special and dangerous player, Jordan Berry is a good punter, Greg Joseph had some ups and downs, but, at the end of the day was an improvement. Kris Boyd also was a good player under Ficken’s tutelage, almost always being the first to get to the returner in punts. Ryan will get even better with more experience and there’s no reason to replace him.

This is a no-brainer. Patterson is one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL. There are countless players I could point out as examples of his work in the trenches, going from John Randle in the 90s to Danielle Hunter. However, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to keep him as defensive coordinator. Although the playcaller right now is Mike Zimmer, keeping Patterson as the DC will take his attention away from the DL, where I think he helps the most. There’s also the fact that he was never a full DC in the NFL, only smaller colleges. I don’t know if he’ll follow Zimmer wherever he goes or if he’ll retire. But, if he wants to stay, I don’t think a new coaching staff would get rid of him.

I know what you’re thinking. “Why keep the coach of one of the worst units in the league?” It is indeed a weird thought, but when you take into consideration the context in which he got the job and the work he has done with some of the players, he did good. He was an assistant to Bill Callahan in Washington, one of the most respected OL coaches in the league. The Vikings then signed him in 2020 to help Rick Dennison. Only a month before the season opening, Rauscher was promoted to OL coach when Dennison got reassigned due to a lack of vaccination. So, with only a couple of weeks to prepare, he helped Ezra Cleveland develop into a solid left guard, O’Neill to have probably the best season of his career, and Darrisaw showing part of his potential as a left tackle. That’s a win to me.

There are also other names that could stay, like Andrew Janocko or Kennedy Polamalu, but these four should stick around.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.