Since then, there have been postseason appearances after the 2012 (loss in Wild Card), 2015 (loss in Wild Card), 2017 (loss in NFC Championship), 2019 (loss in Divisional) and 2022 (loss in Wild Card) seasons. So, well see what happens.. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Aside from the quarterback situation which is like talking about building a house and saying other than the ground it stands on the Vikings will also consider the wants/needs/system of Brian Flores as they look for improvement on defense. That OConnell even cited this statistic demonstrates the team is thinking about how to fully maximize its offense. He made his NFL debut on September 21, 2008, in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins, throwing his first four career passes and completing three. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. The idea. But Kevin O'Connell's comments later in the week made it sound like something bigger was in the works. The 2020 Rams offense featured the 10th-ranked rushing attack, posting 126.1 yards per game on the ground, behind two 600-plus rushing seasons from RB Cam Akers and RB Darrell Henderson. The offensive coordinator from the 2022 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell, is finalizing his head coaching contract with the Minnesota Vikings. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. He noted that hes always going to evaluate all the quarterbacks out of habit and that he finds himself often looking at evaluations from years past, even when someone is coming available who came out in the draft a long time ago. In terms of the things that were different in 2022, the most noticeable were the approach to camp and preseason workloads, managing injuries and how players who were recovering from injuries were talked about publicly and the buy-in to quarterback Kirk Cousins. Furthermore, the Rams' 1,186 passing yards in the 2021 playoffs were the most in NFL history,surpassing the 2011 New York Giants (1,144).O'Connell helped Kupp (478) and Beckham, Jr., (288) post a combined 766 receiving yards in the playoffs, the most be any wide receiver duo this postseason. [29]. Teams that typically played with one-high safety against most opponents often utilized two-high safeties against the Vikings. Eagan, Minn. (February 15, 2022) - The Minnesota Vikings have named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history. Beyond the Xs and Os, everyone we spoke with throughout this search process spoke highly of Kevin's ability to motivate players, coaches and staff. Brad Childress urged Minnesota to draft Tarvaris Jackson upon his arrival in the 2006, and then recruited Brett Favre as an act of desperation to lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. But its hard not to wonder what would have happened if he looked ahead, saw Andrew Luck on the horizon and just rode the corpse of Donovan McNabb to the finish line to select Luck, Russell Wilson, or Cousins (!!!) Its even stronger now. The Vikings head coach compared all of the moving parts to puzzle pieces but its more like a choose-your-own-adventure book because each choice with Player X impacts Player Y and the combination of all of the decisions takes you to a different endpoint. Sometimes how you have to reinvent yourself week in and week out, OConnell said. OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. His team won 13 games and the NFLPA just said his teams culture was the best in the league. The riser was lower than the previous stage, but the team they've led for about a year has been elevated from an 8-9 squad to one that won 13 games for the third time within a Vikings season. Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. ", "I don't want to be the Vikings GM without this guy on our team, so it's a priority," Adofo-Mensah said. Kevin William O'Connell, nicknamed "KOC", is an American former player and a football coach who is the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. I think that's where we want to go eventually," Adofo-Mensah continued. "I feel like that foundation's in place. The more I can educate myself, learning about the details and particulars of our current situation, our previous situation, and obviously what it looks like moving forward, the more my conversations can be not only from an accurate place of where we are at this moment but where we hope to get to, OConnell said. OConnell is well aware. All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com. To see the rest of the Kevin O'Connell's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. "Justin just had an incredible year, but what I liked about it the most was just the impactful plays at critical moments he made for our team, among a lot of our players," O'Connell said. Kevin O'Connell, fresh off a Super Bowl victory as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator, was introduced as the Minnesota Vikings next head coach on Thursday, and the big takeaway from . We're still feeling that here, but I will say that hurt, that sting, that will drive us. It meets that first threshold, and thats a question that a lot of people cant answer with a yes. So we have got to make sure that we treat that in the proper importance it is.. O'Connell was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played quarterback at San Diego State University. Facebook Twitter In addition to helping QB Jared Goff to his fourth consecutive of at least 3,800 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2020, O'Connell prepared QB John Wolford for a win-and-in game against the Cardinals in Week 17, helping him pass for 231 yards and rush for 56 more in his NFL debut, while leading the Rams to a 18-7 victory and a playoff berth. But Minnesota watched as Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert flew off the board. O'Connell led the Vikings to a 134 record on the season, tying Matt LaFleur and Jim Harbaugh for the second-most wins for a rookie head coach in NFL history. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA TODAY Sports). You do hope it was a perfect world where you can have everybody and have everybody finish their careers where they should and feel great about it, but its just so hard to do and still build for the future the way the rules are set up, OConnell said. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. Right comes along. In addition to impacting the culture within the building through an emphasis on building connectivity across the roster, the Vikings installed O'Connell's offense with Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips, a defensive system led by Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell and changed their special teams under first-year coordinator Matt Daniels. He had been placed on the injured reserve list. One element of his teams play that must improve? He said it's between a startup and one with an ability to earn, adding "in our business, earning is wins. There are a few fundamental things that will influence decisions, starting with whether Cousins signs an extension. Following his release, the New York Jets re-signed O'Connell to a two-year deal. One thing I know, [Cousins] is good enough. Under O'Connell, Rams quarterbacks have thrown for 1,517 passing yards (third in NFL), 11 touchdowns (fourth in NFL) and a 106.4 passer rating in playoff games (second in NFL). Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Browse our online application for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, or MLS player contracts, salaries, transactions, and more. One thing he knows is that no matter how many As he got in a survey or wins he posted as a first-year coach, that doesnt mean they can do it all again the same way and get the same results. The Patriots gave no explanation for releasing O'Connell, who was in competition with veteran quarterback Andrew Walter, signed after his release from the Oakland Raiders, and undrafted free agent rookie Brian Hoyer of Michigan State. "It's so easy from my background to sit in front of a spreadsheet and make decisions and talk about things. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell isn't saying if Ed Donatell will return as defensive coordinator for the 2023 season. Similarly to his GM one day earlier, the Vikings head coach couldnt make a strong statement about what the future would hold at QB. Wide receiver Adam Thielens cap number and age (32) present another complicated decision, and OConnell is mindful of the many factors. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Adofo-Mensah had to explain how the Vikings, a team in salary cap hell, were going to shed salary while building off the teams first 13-win season since 2017. He categorized the current state of rushing in the NFL into three separate strategies: deploying a running quarterback, operating in the run-pass option world, and going the traditional route with run-pass deception from under center. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. [10], He was named a team captain for the September 20 game against the New England Patriots.[11]. Even as other quarterbacks such as Willis, Desmond Ridder, and Sam Howell were there in the latest rounds of the draft, the Vikings didnt pull the trigger. The third strategy is the one the Vikings currently employ, and it may be the option with the least room for error. The Vikings had several needs coming off a 15-win season in 1998. The victories and records set on the way to winning the NFC North for the first time since 2017 enabled Minnesota to host a playoff game for the first time in five years, but that excitement ended abruptly Sunday when the Giants topped the Vikings 31-24. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. But theres a foundation of care., OConnell said the conversations with Cousins are ongoing., Its not like theres some secret thing going on, OConnell said. But in Kevin OConnells case on Wednesday, he was able to beam about the Vikings culture after an NFL Players Association survey showed proof that he made good on the cultural promises he made at the last NFL Combine. But even if he didnt injure his knee at Winter Park, its fair to wonder if he would have ever become the long-term franchise quarterback. "But as we reflect, I think it's important to understand, be honest with our evaluations, understand taking a look at all the little things no detail is too small in how we're trying to improve as a team, improve as a coaching staff, and most importantly, improve myself. How long does he meet that threshold? Is it to that line?' The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. Since the start of 2019, Thielen ranks fifth in the NFL in touchdown receptions (36), trailing only Davante Adams (48), Mike Evans (41), Tyreek Hill (38), and Travis Kelce (37). But there was a sobering line of questioning from a New York reporter pertaining to Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Thats the byproduct of trying to do things the way we do. Will that happen? Part of their jobs during the comprehensive evaluation process will be setting aside those personal relationships and not letting them interfere with the process of building the 2023 Vikings to have the best chance at a championship and be within the constraints of the NFL's salary cap. Part of the reason for this is that the Vikings were still recovering from the Herschel Walker trade. [21] In 2019, under interim head coach Bill Callahan, O'Connell was promoted to offensive coordinator. Player development at every position is very, very important, OConnell said. During the 2018 season, O'Connell was tasked with getting three different quarterbacks (Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez) up to speed following a devastating injury to starting QB Alex Smith. Thielen will turn 33 this summer and incur a $19.9 million cap hit against the Vikings salary cap. EAGAN, Minn. Eleven months and a day after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah helped introduce Kevin O'Connell from a temporary stage constructed in Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center's Indoor Practice Facility, the men sat together at a table on a small riser in the Media Center. In the early 1990s, Dennis Green used a revolving quarterback carousel that featured Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and Jeff George. He was 11-of-21 for 147 yards, and completed the pass which resulted in the Kai's only score of the game.[6]. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. "Very thankful for him in Year 1 and really looking forward to seeing him growing both as a leader and continued dominance at the receiver position.".
Jones Road Miracle Balm Tawny,
What Happened To Karamo On Queer Eye,
Line Verification Is Temporarily Blocked,
Articles K
