Last season, the Minnesota Vikings finished 24th in defensive DVOA, with an aging roster. They went 13-4, but they’re an analytically astute front office. The team understood that it had allowed the fifth most points in the league, and so they parted ways with Ed Donatell, their defensive coordinator, after just one season. It’s entirely possible that Donatell was always intended as a stop-gap in Kevin O’Connell’s regime, but it’s still unusual to see the DC for a 13-4 team get the axe.
The Vikings hired Brian Flores as Donatell’s replacement. Flores came up with the Patriots in various roles before ascending to head coach of the Dolphins.