“He’s got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire. I joke with him all the time, ‘Nobody loves football like you, man.’ His mind never really wanders from it.”
When Udinski first offered to prepare advance scouting reports on opponents, Phillips obliged with some skepticism. “You say, ‘OK, I’ve seen a lot of those over my career,’ ” he said. “And then he’s hitting just about everything we want to know, before we’ve even put eyes on the tape: Man coverage tells, blitz tells, all these things that are so valuable to get a jump on a team. I said, ‘Wow. This guy’s really good.’ ”
It quickly became clear that even at 26, Udinski was ready for more than administrative work. Phillips delegated walk-through blitz periods to him, asking him to cross-check a quarterback’s read progression against a particular pressure. When Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles tendon had the Vikings scrambling to get Hall, then Dobbs, ready to face the Falcons last November, the Vikings trusted Udinski to lead the Friday simulated game Dobbs wanted, knowing he had the time and acumen to handle it.
O’Connell paired him with McCown on college visits this spring, so the two could bond through hours in a rental car. McCown marveled at the depth Udinski brought to prospect meetings, explaining how a Vikings passing concept had evolved over three years. As they talked, McCown learned how much Udinski cared.
“I mean, it’s right there,” he said, pointing to Udinski on a back field with quarterbacks on a windy June afternoon following minicamp. “When something happens, you feel it like a player, maybe more so, as a coach. You can tell he feels that. He’s like, ‘Ah, I should have helped him be more prepared.’ Even when [you say], ‘No, you did all you could,’ he owns it.”
He’s also a kindred spirit for their rookie quarterback.