Tag: wes phillips

Highlights and notes from Week 2 Vikings OTAs

Another week in the books for the Vikings

Another week is in the books for the Minnesota Vikings’ organized team activities.

Last week was all about integrating the rookies and veterans on the field together in helmets and shorts. This week consisted of more drills and an attempt towards putting a pretty bow on everything by seeing new concepts in action.

You still have to be careful to not overreact to some of the things emanating out of OTAs since it’s still so early in the process. We’ll have a real sense of where players are at once they’ve actually had time to digest things and the pads come on.

But the buzz in Minnesota right now is undeniable. There’s a different level of excitement surrounding this Vikings team—and for good reason. The hope is that big things are ahead under the guidance of head coach Kevin O’Connell, who knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl. And it all begins with preparation.

Here are some highlights and notes from Week 2 of OTAs.

Vikings OC Wes Phillips says Kellen Mond has been ‘very sharp’ at OTAs

Mond continues to make an impression on his new coaches

The praise for Minnesota Vikings second-year quarterback Kellen Mond continued to come in on Tuesday with offensive coordinator Wes Phillips being the recent coach talking up his improvements.

“Kellen is very sharp. He has really picked up the offense very well,” Phillips told media members. “I don’t know if you guys have seen him out here every day working with Jerrod Johnson—extra drill work, really working on his fundamentals.

“He’s done a really nice job getting up to speed with our offense, our terminology. He’s calling the plays really well in the huddle, and his eyes are in the right place.”

This news should excite Vikings fans, especially after the arrow appeared to be pointing down on Mond after his rookie season.

Nearly a week ago, coach Kevin O’Connell also talked about how impressed he was with the 22-year-old quarterback in the spring practices. If anything, it shows why it’s never a good idea to jump the gun on a player’s development.

There might still be a long-term future for Mond in the Vikings organization, depending on how his development tracks. It was always going to be an uphill battle for him to avoid being the odd man out for a regime that didn’t draft him.

And yet, the third-round pick out of Texas A&M is turning the right heads and giving renewed hope that the Vikings have a legitimate quarterback prospect on their roster.

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Johnny Mundt is signing with Vikings, reuniting with Kevin O’Connell

Johnny Mundt is leaving the Rams in free agency, agreeing to terms with the Vikings and reuniting with Kevin O’Connell

The Los Angeles Rams have had a few notable players depart in free agency already and they’ll be losing another member of their offense. After losing Austin Corbett to the Carolina Panthers, Johnny Mundt has agreed to terms with the Minnesota Vikings.

Mundt spent five seasons with the Rams, signing with the team as an undrafted tight end out of Oregon in 2017, which was Sean McVay’s first year at the helm. Throughout his tenure with Los Angeles, Mundt spent most of his time as a backup tight end and a special teams contributor, totaling 10 receptions for 93 yards in his career.

 

Upon joining the Vikings, Mundt will be reuniting with Kevin O’Connell, the former offensive coordinator of the Rams and the new head coach of the Vikings. Wes Phillips, the former tight ends coach of the Rams, is also the new offensive coordinator of the Vikings, so this signing makes a ton of sense.

Ahead of the 2021 season, O’Connell spoke highly of Mundt, saying that he could be a ‘vertical threat’ in the offense despite his lack of usage in the passing game in previous years. Sadly, Mundt would suffer a torn ACL in Week 6 versus the New York Giants this past season.

Seeing that Minnesota is inking a deal with Mundt, they’re confident that he’ll be healthy for the 2022 season. And while the Rams lose one of their backups to Tyler Higbee at the tight end position, Mundt figures to compete for a reserve role behind Irv Smith Jr. on the Vikings.

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According to Wes Phillips, the Vikings have one thing the Rams don’t

There’s something different about Minnesota

The Los Angeles Rams assembled a phenomenal roster and even went on to win Super Bowl LVI, but according to former Rams tight ends coach and pass game coordinator Wes Phillips, the Minnesota Vikings have one thing they didn’t have during their historic run.

And no, it isn’t endless feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures.

“I’m excited to be in a football town, a football state, a football region,” Vikings offensive coordinator Phillips said at an introductory press conference on Thursday. “Even in just being here a few days, I had to get a haircut because they told me I had a press conference. Sitting there waiting for a haircut [with] people getting haircuts and people cutting the hair, all they’re talking about is the Minnesota Vikings. You don’t get as much of that in LA. There’s a lot of things to do there.”

Not only is there a lot to do, there’s also sunshine, warm weather, palm trees and a Super Bowl LVI banner that will be hanging up at SoFi Stadium.

But a place like Minnesota eats, sleeps and breathes football.

There were times during the playoffs, including the Super Bowl, where the Rams were actually booed at home. That obviously won’t be the case for Phillips and the Vikings when they take the field at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The fans will turn up in droves donning purple and horned helmets. Phillips and company will have the support of a patient fan-base that has waited years to be a serious contender.

That may or may not be next season, but there’s certainly a different kind of enthusiasm that can’t be denied.

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Vikings hiring Wes Phillips as offensive coordinator on Kevin O’Connell’s staff

Kevin O’Connell is taking Wes Phillips from the Rams’ coaching staff, hiring him as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator.

Another coach is leaving Los Angeles for a coaching opportunity elsewhere. Tight ends coach and pass game coordinator Wes Phillips is following Kevin O’Connell to the Minnesota Vikings, becoming the team’s offensive coordinator.

Aaron Wilson originally reported that this hiring was expected, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed that Phillips will indeed be heading to the Vikings as O’Connell’s offensive coordinator.

Phillips was hired as the Rams’ tight ends coach in 2019, holding that role for two seasons. He remained the TEs coach in 2021, but he added the responsibility of being the pass game coordinator this past season.

It’s still unclear who will call the offensive plays in Minnesota, but it seems likely that O’Connell will handle those duties.

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Report: Vikings hiring Wes Phillips as new offensive coordinator

Kevin O’Connell has his guy at offensive coordinator

The biggest vacancy left on the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff has reportedly been filled with Wes Phillips being named as the team’s next offensive coordinator.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the news on Sunday after Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson announced the expected hire earlier in the evening.

Phillips was serving as the tight ends coach and pass game coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams before he got the opportunity to interview for the Vikings job. The fact that O’Connell made him a top target says a lot considering the two worked closely together within the Rams offense all of last season.

This is a big step up in responsibilities for Phillips, who continues to follow in the footsteps of his father Wade Phillips, a former longtime NFL head coach and defensive coordinator.

O’Connell confirmed during his introductory press conference that he would be handling all of the offensive play-calling. So that’s one worry off Wes Phillips’ mind as he works to get acclimated to his new position.

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Report: Vikings expected to hire Rams’ Wes Phillips as next offensive coordinator

The Rams are losing another assistant with Wes Phillips expected to be named the next offensive coordinator of the Vikings.

Losing assistant coaches has become a common theme for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in recent years. Kevin O’Connell was announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings after spending two years with the Rams, and with him making the move to Minnesota, he’s looking to hire a familiar face as his offensive coordinator.

Just a few days after making O’Connell’s hire official, the Vikings are expected to hire Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.

While it’s not official that Phillips will be headed to Minnesota, it appears that it’s trending toward him getting a promotion. Phillips, the son of Wade Phillips, has been with the Rams since 2019, spending time as the franchise’s tight ends coach and pass-game coordinator.

It’s extremely common for new head coaches to hire someone from their previous coaching staff to be an assistant on their new coaching staff. Besides Phillips, the Vikings expressed interest in Thomas Brown to be their next offensive coordinator, who is the current running backs coach of the Rams.

With Phillips expected to join the Vikings, the Rams will now need to find a new tight ends coach, along with a new offensive coordinator. Considering that Brown isn’t expected to join O’Connell’s coaching staff, he should remain a candidate to replace O’Connell as Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator.

Aside from Brown, Liam Coen and Charles London are considered candidates to replace O’Connell. Amid the Rams saying they want to ‘run it back’ next season, McVay will certainly have to replace quite a few of his assistants this offseason.

 

Wes Phillips reportedly emerging as offensive coordinator candidate for Vikings

Will Wes Phillips, son of former coach Wade Phillips, be the Vikings next offensive coordinator?

The Minnesota Vikings could be zeroing in on Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.

Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported the news on Tuesday.

“I’m told a name to keep an eye on for #Vikings offensive coordinator is indeed Rams passing game coor/TE coach Wes Phillips,” Tomasson posted on Twitter.

Wes is the son of former longtime NFL defensive coach Wade Phillips.

He has spent many years working alongside soon-to-be hired Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell with the Rams and Washington Commanders. His path also crossed with quarterback Kirk Cousins in Washington for the 2017 season.

So there’s a lot of familiarity here that feeds into a common theme for the candidates looking to fill these job openings. The Vikings are clearly looking to make the current facelift their coaching staff is facing as seamless as possible.

If offered the job, Wes could start carving out his own path as a high-end coach in the league just like his father did before him.

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Top candidates to replace Anthony Lynn as the Lions offensive coordinator

Top candidates to replace Anthony Lynn as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

There will be a new offensive coordinator in Detroit in 2022. With Anthony Lynn officially out after one season, a 2021 campaign where head coach Dan Campbell took over for Lynn midseason, the Lions have an opening for someone to run the offense.

In the same press conference, Campbell acknowledged he has not made a decision on whether he will continue to call the plays as the head coach. That could complicate the competition to take over for Lynn, a coach who just didn’t fit with Campbell and the rest of the staff.

Here are some of the top candidates to take over as the Lions offensive coordinator.

Gerald Everett is ‘maybe the best athlete’ Wes Phillips has coached

The Rams’ TEs coach is thrilled to have Gerald Everett back.

The tight end position is far more integral to NFL offenses nowadays, with players at that spot contributing not only as extra blockers on the ends of the line, but also as playmaking receivers. The Rams are fortunate to have two capable receivers in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett on their tight end depth chart, giving Sean McVay options on offense.

Higbee emerged as a real threat last December, but Everett shouldn’t be forgotten in L.A. He’s still a playmaker with immense potential despite not having the breakout year so many have expected from him the last two seasons. Although he’s returning from an ankle injury that caused him to miss time late last season, Everett’s arrow should be pointing up.

Rams tight ends coach Wes Phillips, son of Wade Phillips, heaped praise on Everett in an interview with the team’s official site, specifically highlighting his athleticism and toughness.

“He’s a smart player, he’s instinctive, but extremely explosive,” Phillips said. “One of the best athletes, maybe as far as raw, athletic talent – maybe the best athlete that I’ve coached. From a tight end standpoint, he can run. He’s great with the ball after the catch. The first guy never brings him down. He’s strong. He’s explosive, from that standpoint running, but what a lot of people don’t always realize either is that in the run game, that same explosion, it applies, and he’s a tough, tough, tough man.”

McVay and Les Snead have hinted at using more personnel groupings this season, getting the tight ends more involved on offense. Snead even mentioned “exotic personnel packages” as a way to get rookie Brycen Hopkins involved.

Higbee and Everett are both good blockers and give their tackles help on the edges, which keeps the playbook open for McVay. Don’t be surprised to see Higbee and Everett on the field much more often together this season than they were in years past.