Souhan: Who’s better positioned with Wilfs, Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell or Kwesi Adofo-Mensah?

People who love cliches (110% of the time) would refer to this coaching hiring cycle as a “roller coaster.”

It’s much more like the Tower of Terror, in which an elevator drops suddenly and spasmodically, leaving the rider uncertain not only of survival, but location.

Curt Cignetti, two years removed from anonymity at James Madison, proved he’s the world’s best football coach, winning a title with Indiana, then said he won’t leave for the NFL.

Mike Tomlin, who never had a losing season with the Steelers, departed the organization.

John Harbaugh, who won a Super Bowl and had a .614 winning percentage, was fired by the Ravens after his team didn’t make the playoffs because of a missed field goal. Then the Giants hired Harbaugh.

Sean McDermott, who had a winning percentage of .662, was fired by the Bills after a game that was lost because of turnovers by his star quarterback and a questionable call on a pivotal interception. Owner Terry Pegula blamed McDermott for questioning and contributing to draft failures.

Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches ever to win a college national title and a Super Bowl, was fired after one season with the Raiders.

Which means that Kevin O’Connell had better watch his back, or invite his owners over for coffee.

The Wilfs fired Mike Zimmer after eight seasons. Zimmer had a winning percentage of .562.

Through four seasons, Zimmer had a winning percentage of .609 and a playoff record of 1-2, having made it to an NFC Championship Game.

O’Connell has a winning percentage of .627 and a postseason record of 0-2, and hasn’t sniffed an NFC title game.

How much time does O’Connell have left to prove himself?

McDermott, Harbaugh and Tomlin all left organizations that kept the general managers who provided the faulty rosters that got the coaches fired.

Tomlin is going to the Hall of Fame. His general manager, Omar Khan, is not. Tomlin is out. Khan remains.

Harbaugh may go to the Hall of Fame. GM Eric DeCosta will not. Harbaugh is gone. DeCosta remains.

Why? General managers tend to be much better at schmoozing with ownership than coaches.

If the Vikings decided, a year from now, to make a major change, who would be better positioned to stay — O’Connell or Adofo-Mensah?

O’Connell had to have a major say in the drafting of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. So who gets blamed if McCarthy doesn’t develop into a franchise quarterback?

Perhaps more to the point, who do the Wilfs feel more aligned with?

O’Connell is gregarious. Adofo-Mensah is reserved. This could be the rare case in which the coach has the better relationship with ownership.

Rick Spielman hired Zimmer and the two were allies until that blowout loss to Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game.

That loss led to the signing of Kirk Cousins. Whether or not Zimmer signed off on that deal, Zimmer and Cousins never seemed to like each other.

Cousins led the Vikings to a wild, last-second victory, setting up Greg Joseph’s field goal as time expired. Cousins, who had apparently read the column, turned to Zimmer on the sideline and screamed in his face, “I saved your job!” while smacking Zimmer in the chest.

Zimmer looked angry, then befuddled. He was fired at the end of the season, while Cousins remained.

Imagine a typical NFL draft room. The coach wants to win now. The GM wants to make a pick that will look good in five years. The owner wants to be able to brag. The personnel directors push for their favorite players regardless of immediate needs. Everyone knows that if the draft picks fail, someone will get fired.