New Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell presides over his first pads-on practice

EAGAN, Minn. -- For the first time in a long time, there is a new guy leading the Minnesota Vikings defense. Ed Donatell has a wealth of experience as a defensive coordinator. Sunday, his guys put the pads on for the first time.

"We wanna see the strength and power of our players," said Donatell. "And the pop that's in their body. We also wanna see the run/pass conflicts that show up as defensive players. the play actions, the boots, and so forth. So we're building reaction and now we wanna see what it looks like when they read pad level and react."  

Donatell is 65 years old and comes from the Denver Broncos, where he spent the past three seasons as D coordinator. He's been busy installing the defense since he was hired in February, making the most progress in the last few days.

"The first week of camp was really good," said Donatell. "And it starts with Kevin [O'Connell]. Kevin really educated on the guys what he wanted. He put a high goal out there on them, and they met his goals every day, and some days exceeded. So we feel really, really good about how we've ramped up."

The challenge for Donatell and his defense: improve from last season when the Vikings allowed the third most yards in the NFL.