Kevin O’Connell’s hiring of Frank Smith from the Miami Dolphins is a strong signal of offensive growth the fanbase craves
Finding a way to improve the running game is paramount for the Vikings this offseason.
After the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced the addition of four new assistant coaches, with two on offense and defense.
- Keith Carter: Offensive line coach
- Frank Smith: Assistant head coach
- Ryan Nielsen: Defensive line coach/run game coordinator
- Gerald Alexander: Defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator
There could have been a holdup in the firing of Adofo-Mensah, but the timing of these hires is likely just a coincidence. Of the four hiring decisions, one stands out and will make a huge impression.
Frank Smith could make a serious impact on running game
The one thing that the fanbase is nearly in full agreement on is the run game. The Vikings finished the season with 410 rushes, which ranked 27th in the NFL. Some of that has to do with the game script, as the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs with four games remaining.
Outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers at 28th with 407 rushing attempts, the only other team ranked 20th or worse was the Detroit Lions at 21st overall.
The Dolphins were in a rough spot this season, mainly due to the lack of success at quarterback. Even so, they were fifth in yards/rush at 4.7 yards, while also being ninth in EPA/rush. A big reason for that is Smith’s run-game design, despite a poor offensive line the entire time. I spoke to our Dolphins beat writer and host of Locked On Dolphins, Kyle Crabbs, about Smith and it bodes well for his time in Minnesota.
“Frank Smith leaves Miami with a strong reputation for his contributions to the Dolphins’ efforts — although parsing out responsibilities for the actual operation can be a bit difficult,” Crabbs told me. “Miami had an offensive head coach who called plays (Mike McDaniel), another former offensive coordinator as their passing game coordinator (Bobby Slowik), yet another offensive coordinator as their quarterbacks coach (Darrell Bevell), and then Smith, the actual offensive coordinator who did not call plays.
“Smith was credited with one major improvement for the Dolphins this season; he moved from the press box down to the sideline mid-season to help handle the changes in personnel groupings and improve communication and player energy. Smith said after the change that the transition helped him to bring extra juice to his players.”
“It’s just like all players are looking for in the moment,” Smith said about his move to the field during the season. “They want clarity. Clear, concise, consistent communication. You’re seeing what they’re experiencing in real time, you live with it…I always felt my job as a position coach. I played the game with them. So every ounce of my energy was, I know the play, I’m in there with them, I’m experiencing with them, I’m able to help them with them, be able to help keys, everything that needs to occur.”
Since Smith just has the assistant coach title rather than a position group, his focus can be on big-picture stuff, likely run game design. When you look at how the Vikings structure their run game, it’s very stale. There isn’t much creativity in their design, which is a big reason they haven’t been able to get much explosive out of it.
The Dolphins’ run game over the last four years has been very explosive because of the unique design and deception they used. Bringing in some new ideas could be a massive addition to O’Connell’s offense and maximize Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.
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