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Former New York Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was hired Tuesday by the Minnesota Vikings, who lost George O'Leary to the college ranks.
Fired by the Jets because of a philosophical difference with head coach Herman Edwards, Cottrell chose Vikings coach Mike Tice's offer over that of the San Diego Chargers.
``I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Mike,'' Cottrell said in a phone interview. ``I think he's an aggressive coach who's a standup guy that I'll enjoy working with.''
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The 56-year-old Cottrell succeeds O'Leary, who left to become head coach at
Central Florida. Cottrell is the Vikings' fourth defensive coordinator in the
last four seasons. Tickets
``We were excited when his name became available and more excited that we can add him to our staff,'' Tice said. ``He will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge. He's a very good developer of young talent.''
Cottrell has been an NFL assistant for 20 seasons, the last three as the Jets' defensive coordinator and the prior three as Buffalo's defensive coordinator. The Bills had one of the league's best defenses during his time there.
Details of the contract were not revealed.