George Edwards will be back with the Vikings next season. Sporting News’ Alex Marvez reports that the team has renewed the defensive coordinator’s contract for 2018. Edwards’ previous deal expired at the end of the 2017 campaign.
The move isn’t overly surprising, as Edwards led the Vikings to the top defense in the NFL this past season. Minnesota ultimately finished the season having allowed 275.9 yards per game and 15.8 points per contest, both tops in the league. Edwards initially took the gig back in 2014, with the Vikings defense showing slight improvements during each of his seasons at the helm. He previously served as the Redskins and Bills defensive coordinator.
The Bears had previously interviewed Edwards for their head coaching vacancy. While some detractors criticized the coordinator’s lack of play-calling duties, head coach Mike Zimmer was more than supportive of Edwards’ bid for a head coaching gig.
“George does everything,” Zimmer said recently. “He helps with the game plan. He runs a lot of the meetings, the defensive meetings. Him and I really sit down and talk about all the different things that are going on. He studies the game just like he’s calling the game. So he’ll come in and talk to me about second down-and-whatever. ‘They’re doing this,’ or, ‘they’re doing that.’ Really, he does everything other than call the game on Sunday.”
We learned earlier today that the Vikings were planning on interviewing Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for the offensive coordinator opening. Pat Shurmer, the team’s offensive coordinator in 2017, is now the head coach of the Giants.
So George, why did the top ranked Vikings “D” go down the toilet against the Saints and the Eagles when it’s performance REALLY mattered??