O’Connell Not Top 10? Vikings Not One of Top Threats to Eagles? Disses Keep Coming
The disrespect shown to the Minnesota Vikings in the national media, despite their 14-game win season last year, is difficult to understand. Is having second-year man J.J. McCarthy as a first-time starter worth knocking down a team that is loaded at most positions? And let’s remember McCarthy was a Top 10 pick last year.
It started in late March, when ESPN Bet projected the Vikings’ 2025 win total at 8.5, and Vegas insiders agreed with that number, which is the same as the Bears, who won five games in 2024. The 49ers are at 10.5 wins after winning six games last season. Detroit (10.5) and Green Bay (9.5) are above the Vikings on this list.
Jeff Diamond takes on some Vikings slander that has emerged in the last couple of weeks, with training camp about three weeks away.
Then, I saw a survey on NFL.com this week, where the league’s official website gave readers the following choices to vote on for top threats to the Eagles in the NFC, listing the Lions, Rams, and Commanders, as well as “Other,” so the 14-win Vikings are categorized under “Other.”
Pro Football Focus recently published its ranking of the top 10 current head coaches. Kevin O’Connell was the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year for leading the Vikings to those 14 wins with Sam Darnold as his quarterback. But O’Connell couldn’t crack the PFF Top 10.
Some Vikings Slander Has Circulated the Internet
I’ve got no problem with the Chiefs’ Andy Reid heading the list. I don’t like Sean Payton’s persona, but he is a Top 10 head coach. I’m ok with Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh, Nick Sirianni, and Dan Campbell being on the list.
Kyle Shanahan is a quality coach, but his 49ers team went 6-11 last season, so KOC should’ve jumped him.
Same with Kevin Stefanski, whom I met when he was Vikings OC, and I like him personally. He is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year (2020, 2023), but after his Browns team went 3-14 last season, he should not make the 2025 Top 10 (he was ranked 10th), regardless of his team’s poor QB situation, given the Deshaun Watson fiasco.
I’ve always questioned how much stock some people put in Pro Football Focus. We don’t know who is on their staff doing the grading of players, other than PFF stating that they “have analysts from all walks of life, including former players, coaches and scouts.” I don’t see any names, so we don’t know who these people are.
The top NFL head coaches article in question was written by PFF writer Dalton Wasserman. According to the PFF website, Wasserman is a college football and draft analyst who joined PFF on the Data Collection team.
I understand that people are entitled to their opinions, and a list like this is inherently subjective. I just think it’s a mistake on PFF’s part to publish this list without including last season’s Coach of the Year as one of the Top 10 coaches.
Perhaps O’Connell can lead the Vikings back to the playoffs this season, and the team can go on a playoff run as he coaches up his young QB J.J. McCarthy. Then, PFF will have to include KOC on their 2026 list.
Around the NFL Observations
1. First, it was two-time Pro Bowl corner Jaire Alexander signing with the Ravens after his release from the Packers. Then on Monday, the Dolphins traded seven-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a swap of draft picks.
That takes two top veteran corners off the market in case the Vikings were interested in adding a veteran corner to their cornerback group, which is led by Pro Bowler Byron Murphy. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is high on Isaiah Rodgers as the other projected starting outside corner, and the team seems pleased with often-injured Jeff Okudah’s play in OTAs and minicamp. Mekhi Blackmon is back from his ACL injury, and second-year man Dwight McGlothern has shown potential.
We’ll soon see in training camp practices with pads on, joint practices with the Patriots, and preseason games if the team stands pat with their current cornerback group or decides to sign another corner. Stephon Gilmore signed in mid-August last year and became an immediate starter. He is again available along with other possibilities such as Asante Samuel, Rasul Douglas, Mike Hilton, and Jonathan Jones.
Stay tuned to the Vikings’ corner situation, especially if injuries hit the group in camp.
2. With players, coaches, and team execs in vacation mode for another one to three weeks, it’s still a nervous time for GMs and coaches who are hoping their players make good decisions and stay out of trouble during their time off.
I was fortunate in my NFL management career to rarely get a call about a player issue during this pre-camp period. With all the life skills training that players receive today from the league and their teams, it seems that there are fewer of these issues popping up in today’s NFL, which is a great thing.
With things relatively quiet this time of year, I’m taking next week off from my VikingsTerritory column and will return on July 17 with my training camp preview. In the weeks to follow, I will cover training camp and make my game-by-game predictions for the Vikings’ 2025 season.
I can confidently state that I was one of the few local or national analysts to predict the Vikings would have a winning record and make the playoffs last season. I’ll be going against ESPN Bet and Vegas by making the same prognostication for the coming season.
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