Vikings Coach Can Cement QB Whisperer Reputation
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is in Year 3 of a four-year contract with the Vikings. The young coach — still only 39 — has a growing reputation as an offensive mind while having the success of a playoff run in 2022 and keeping his team competitive in adversity in 2023. With the quarterback so important to the modern game, the Vikings coach can cement his QB whisperer reputation this year by dragging the best we’ve ever seen out of Sam Darnold.
Vikings Coach Can Cement QB Whisperer Reputation
Darnold was a first-round pick in 2018 when the New York Jets selected him third overall. He landed in a tough spot with the Jets, which were a mess at the time. After a particularly rough third season, Darnold was on the move, as he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Darnold spent two seasons in Carolina, where he struggled with injury and consistency. Then came a move to San Francisco, where he served as Brock Purdy’s backup last year.
A brief look at Darnold’s stats clearly indicates where his problems have been. His career completion percentage of 59.7 is too low, and his touchdown: interception ratio of 63:56 is far too heavy on the interception side. Can O’Connell solve those problems in one year? It’s a bit ask, but if we see a marked improvement in both areas, Darnold will likely have the best season of his career.
O’Connell’s Work with Vikings QBs
Kirk Cousins was playing as well as he ever had before injury brought a premature end to his time as the Vikings starting QB last season. If there was any, don’t worry about the Vikings’ HC’s ability to elevate a quarterback. It was never more evident than when Joshua Dobbs came in, and magic happened for two games with O’Connell talking him through the game via the headset. Unfortunately, the magic ran out, and the Vikings would turn to Nick Mullens. A total of 13 interceptions over a nine-game period between the two played its part in the Vikings season falling away at the end.
Jaren Hall played his part last season as a fifth-round rookie. He looked out of his depth, but with a year of tutelage from O’Connell behind him, he has looked much more assured this preseason. Hall extended his playing time during the preseason finale in Philadelphia and showcased how much he had developed. He threw 17 of 25 for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns with an 85.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. Hall looked comfortable in the Vikings system and showed good touch on some of his passes.
J.J. McCarthy
I firmly believe that O’Connell is the man to develop J.J. McCarthy, and while that has been hampered this year due to McCarthy’s injury, I still expect progress to be made when McCarthy returns to the fold next year. Potentially, McCarthy still has four years of a rookie contract left, and I don’t think there is a better coach than O’Connell to guide him through to hopefully becoming the Vikings’ full-time starting quarterback. I don’t know when a contract extension come for the Vikings head coach, but it should arrive and be tied in with the rest of McCarthy’s rookie deal.
If there are doubts about that, O’Connell can allay those fears by guiding Darnold to a season many don’t think he is capable of. Making the former first-round pick look like a genuine starting QB at this point would boost O’Connell’s reputation further. There should then be no doubt that he is the man to guide McCarthy forward.
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