You Have to Be Thankful for Kevin O’Connell
The Minnesota Vikings have been among the most significant surprises across the entire NFL this year. Sam Darnold was supposed to be a mediocre bridge quarterback.
You Have to Be Thankful for Kevin O’Connell
The defense was still supposed to have deficiencies. No one believed in this team. That didn’t matter to Kevin O’Connell because he believed in his clubhouse, and it appears that was enough.
You Have to Be Thankful for Kevin O’Connell
When the organization turned away from Mike Zimmer, they did so looking to change the culture. Zimmer’s process had grown stale, and his attitude no longer resonated with a drastically changed team. The players didn’t have a leader to rally around, which became wildly apparent on Sundays.
Win or lose, the way Minnesota looks now couldn’t be further from reality. O’Connell is not only a strong individual when it comes to developing talent, but he generates buy-in and is clearly respected by those he seeks to motivate. With each victory, a very public locker room speech evokes a fire even in the most disconnected fan of football.
As the sport swaps out coaches yearly and at a breakneck pace, finding someone like O’Connell is the goal. He represents the opportunity for continuity like a Mike Tomlin or Bill Belichick. He has achieved those results differently than those guys, but he is blazing his path just the same.
The Vikings have been an organization of underachievement for significant stretches during their existence. Even while struggling to compete through injuries last year, that sentiment never felt present. O’Connell is just beginning his journey, but he continues to show up like someone you will never want to see let go.
Hopefully, there is an opportunity to win it all. Maybe J.J. McCarthy can be the quarterback the organization plans on him being. Those things still require work, preparation, and execution. If there’s someone who should consistently put his team in position to achieve, then Kevin O’Connell is every bit that person.
During this season of thanks, it’s impossible not to be thankful for Kevin O’Connell. He knows what he’s doing. He knows what he expects. Those who listen to him hear that drive as well.
Vikings Re-Sign Young Defender
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.