Tag: Mike Pettine

Falcons hire Saints DL coach Ryan Nielsen to be defensive coordinator

The Vikings are now down to three candidates for the defensive coordinator position

The Minnesota Vikings are currently searching for their next defensive coordinator and have interviewed four candidates for the position. That list is now down to three as New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen has accepted the defensive coordinator position for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Vikings had brought in Nielsen on Monday for an official interview and he was the first of the candidates that they had brought in for an interview.

The hiring of Nielsen by the Falcons brings the Vikings candidates down to three.

  • Pittsburgh Steelers LB coach Brian Flores
  • Seattle Seahawks defensive assistant/associate head coach Sean Desai
  • Minnesota Vikings defensive assistant Mike Pettine

Vikings are interviewing assistant Mike Pettine for defensive coordinator

The Vikings chose to interview internally, as well as externally for the defensive coordinator position

The Minnesota Vikings are in full swing with defensive coordinator interviews and they added one to the list. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings are interviewing defensive assistant Mike Pettine for their defensive coordinator position on Wednesday. They will also be interviewing Pittsburgh Steelers defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores on Thursday.

Of all the assistants that were on Ed Donatell’s staff, Pettine was the one that made sense to get promoted. He served as Rex Ryan’s defensive coordinator in New York as well as in Green Bay for three seasons. Before joining the Vikings staff in 2022, Pettine spent a season as an assistant to fellow defensive coordinator candidate Sean Desai.

Flores has been getting head coaching job interviews so it is a good sign that he will still be interviewing for the job. He was the Dolphins head coach for three seasons compiling a 24-25 record with ownership actively wanting to tank. He was also the New England Patriots’ de facto defensive coordinator without the title.

With the Vikings projected to have four interviews completed by Thursday, we should expect a decision relatively soon.

10 candidates to replace Ed Donatell as Vikings defensive coordinator

After the Vikings and Ed Donatell parted ways, there are many options Kevin O’Connell can go to fill the position

The season is over and the Minnesota Vikings’ defense is in shambles. A lot of that has to do with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. On Thursday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell released a statement that the Vikings would be moving in a different direction.

His unit ranked 31st in total defense along with being 26th in scoring. They didn’t do nearly enough to maximize the players on the roster but instead tried to pigeonhole the personnel into spots they weren’t meant for.

With Donatell on his way out, here are 10 candidates to be the next defensive coordinator of the Vikings.

Packers free agent CB Chandon Sullivan to visit Vikings

Chandon Sullivan, who started 20 games as a slot corner for the Packers over the last two seasons, will go to Minnesota to visit the Vikings.

Another member of the Green Bay Packers defense could be landing in Minnesota with former assistant coaches Mike Pettine and Mike Smith.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, free agent cornerback Chandon Sullivan – the Packers’ starting slot cornerback the last two seasons – will visit the Vikings.

The Packers re-signed Rasul Douglas and have Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes returning at cornerback, lessening the need to bring back Sullivan, who started 20 games and was on the field for almost 1,600 total defensive snaps in Green Bay over the last two seasons.

The Packers signed Sullivan as a street free agent in 2019. He went on to become a valuable backup cornerback that season before taking on a bigger role in the slot each of the last two seasons.

Pettine, now an assistant coach for the Vikings, used Sullivan in the secondary during both the 2019 and 2020 seasons, so there’s plenty of familiarity between player and coach.

Sullivan produced four interceptions (including a career-high three in 2021) and 10 pass breakups as a starter over the last two years. He’s allowed six passing touchdowns and a completion percentage of roughly 66.0 against his coverage since 2019.

With Douglas re-signed and Alexander returning from injury, the Packers were always likely to have a new starter in the slot in 2022. Sullivan leaving would guarantee the change.

If signed, Sullivan could be the second Packers free agent to join the Vikings. Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith signed with the Vikings earlier this week.

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Former Packers coach Mike Smith rejoins Mike Pettine on Vikings new coaching staff

Mike Smith, who coached OLBs for the Packers for 3 seasons, is joining Mike Pettine on the Vikings new coaching staff.

Former Green Bay Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith is rejoining former Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine in the NFC North.

The Minnesota Vikings hired Smith to be the team’s new outside linebackers coach and pass-rushing specialist.

Smith left Green Bay this offseason after three seasons coaching outside linebackers. He spent his first two seasons with the Packers working under Pettine, who is now the assistant head coach under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota.

While with the Packers, Smith helped maximize the production of veterans Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith while also developing first-round pick Rashan Gary into a pass-rushing star.

Now, Matt LaFleur’s team will face pass-rushers coached by Smith twice a season.

The Packers replaced Smith on the coaching staff with Jason Rebrovich last week.

An interesting subplot of Smith landing in Minnesota: Would Za’Darius Smith follow him and sign with the Vikings if he’s released by the Packers?

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Vikings add former Browns HC Mike Pettine as assistant head coach

Might have to start calling them the Minnesota Browns as the Vikings hire their fourth former Cleveland employee of the offseason:

The Cleveland Browns coaching tree is growing. We’ve covered the many moves so far this offseason but they need to be repeated to show just how many former Browns employees got new coaching and front office jobs in the NFL this offseason:

Three former Cleveland employees hired by Minnesota has now become four with former head coach Mike Pettine joining the team as their assistant head coach under O’Connell:

Pettine was rumored to possibly step in as defensive coordinator but Ed Donatell got that job. Pettine was the Browns head coach in O’Connell’s first-ever coaching job following his playing career. After his time in Cleveland, Pettine spent time with Seattle, Green Bay and Chicago.

Pettine was the defensive coordinator with the Packers for three seasons before not having his contract renewed for the fourth. He spent last year as an assistant for the Bears.

Vikings name Mike Pettine as assistant head coach

Vikings adding a former head coach to assist Kevin O’Connell

It’s been a busy Thursday for the Minnesota Vikings ahead of their anticipated introductory press conference for head coach Kevin O’Connell. Multiple assistant coaches are being confirmed to O’Connell’s coaching staff, including Mike Pettine as the new assistant head coach.

The news was confirmed by the team on social media.

After spending three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, Pettine served as a senior defensive assistant for the Chicago Bears in 2021. He’ll come to the Vikings with previous head coaching experience after a two-year stint with the Cleveland Browns.

That kind of experience will be an invaluable source of information for a first-time NFL head coach like O’Connell to lean on early in his tenure.

It strikes an even greater balance considering Pettine can approach things from more of a defensive perspective, while O’Connell is coming in with more of an offensive mindset.

Along with the hiring of Pettine, the Vikings also confirmed Ed Donatell as the team’s new defensive coordinator. The longtime coach spent the last three seasons serving as the defensive coordinator for the widely underrated Denver Broncos defense.

He’ll have his hands full in Minnesota attempting to turn around one of the worst defensive units in the league last season.

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Former Browns coaches could join Kevin O’Connell’s staff

Browns and Vikings already have three top-level connections, could O’Connell bring in coaches from the 2015 Browns staff, his first year as a coach?

The Cleveland Browns already have three high-level direct connections to the Minnesota Vikings going into the 2022 NFL season.

  • Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski spent over a decade with the Vikings before taking the job in Cleveland.
  • Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah just spent two seasons with the Browns before being hired by the Vikings for their top job.
  • Finally, former Browns QB coach Kevin O’Connell is expected to be announced as the team’s head coach following the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl appearance.

That may not be the end of the two team’s connections. Adofo-Mensah could look to raid the Cleveland front office but those moves generally happen after the NFL draft.

O’Connell could look to his past with the Browns to find some of his coaching staff. During his one season with the team in 2015, O’Connell was under offensive coordinator John DeFilippo who had just replaced Kyle Shanahan.

DeFilippo has bounced around the league quite a bit since his one year in Cleveland, last as the Chicago Bears QB coach under Matt Nagy. He has already spent time with the Vikings where he was replaced in-season as offensive coordinator by Stefanski. A return to Minnesota might be a tough fit but possible under a new regime.

Joker Phillips was also on that 2015 Browns staff but returned to the college ranks, where he spent a majority of his career, after not being retained.

O’Connell’s head coach Mike Pettine could be the most likely reunion in Minnesota. The former defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers has been linked to the Vikings defensive coordinator position:

Pettine spent three seasons with the Packers before being let go and spent last year helping Nagy with the Bears.

Here’s what happens if Bears coordinators can’t coach Monday night vs. Vikings

Bears HC Matt Nagy said there was a plan in place assuming that OC Bill Lazor, DC Sean Desai and STC Chris Tabor aren’t able to coach.

The Chicago Bears have been ravaged by COVID-19 this week, which has left a slew of players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, as well as all three coordinators, putting their status for Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in jeopardy.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy said there was a plan in place assuming that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, defensive coordinator Sean Desai and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor won’t be able to coach Monday night.

If that’s the case, quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator John DeFilippo will serve as the offensive coordinator, senior defensive assistant Mike Pettine will be the defensive coordinator and assistant special teams coach Brian Ginn will handle special teams.

If DeFilippo is indeed assuming Lazor’s duties, that could indicate that DeFilippo might get a chance to call plays, which is something he did in the past with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2019) and Vikings (2018). But it also wouldn’t be a surprise if Nagy takes over play-calling duties.

Pettine spent the last three years as a defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. He’s also been the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets (2009-12) and Buffalo Bills (2013).

Ginn, in his fourth year with the Bears, previously served as offensive quality control coach in 2018-19 before being promoted to assistant special teams coordinator.

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Bears hire former Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine

The former Packers defensive coordinator wasn’t out of a job for long.

Mike Pettine wasn’t out of a job for long.

The former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator has been hired as a senior defensive assistant for the Chicago Bears, a rival of his previous team in the NFC North.

Pettine served three years (2018-20) as the Packers defensive coordinator. His contract expired after the 2020 season and wasn’t renewed. The Packers recently announced Joe Barry as his replacement.

In Chicago, Pettine will work under new Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who was promoted from safeties coach to coordinator after Chuck Pagano retired following the 2020 season.

Under Pettine last season, the Packers defense ranked ninth in yards allowed, 13th in points allowed and 25th in takeaways. They were 18th in yards, ninth in points and seventh in takeaways in 2019.

The Packers were 5-1 against the Bears during Pettine’s tenure as defensive coordinator, including four straight wins between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Pettine’s defense gave up just 57 points to the Bears over the last two seasons, with nine takeaways in the four games.

The Bears defense gave up 76 points to the division champion Packers over two games in 2020.