There was a mixed reaction to that pick. Coming off a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell joins the Vikings after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams the past two seasons. So theres not one right way.. ", O'Connell said the next step is "a championship standard" and that he wanted to wrap his evaluations and dialogue about the 2022 season the "way it should, with the same type of connection" with players and the "foundational building blocks of what we want to be. We haven't shown our ability to come in year-in, year-out and do those things. 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. Kevin will tease me about that sometimes. In addition to helping QB Jared Goff to his fourth consecutive season with 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 Arizona 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. 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 . Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on the futures of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. We're still feeling that here, but I will say that hurt, that sting, that will drive us. 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. O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah have emphasized collaboration throughout their first year together, and the first-time head coach picked up where the first-time GM left off: "As I told our team it's supposed to sting. 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. O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 4, 2011.[16]. 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. The home runs and long ones are great, but as a play caller, Id love to be second-and-5. Sure, there were unsightly losses along the way, including a couple of regular-season defeats to Philadelphia and Dallas teams that each won 12 plus in the regular season and have advanced to the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. OConnell respects the way Patrick Peterson, soon to be an unrestricted free agent, set a standard for young contributors in the secondary. The Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday that Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell has been hired as the 10th head coach in franchise history. . Kevin O'Connell believes Justin Jefferson has 'just scratched the OConnell knows safety Harrison Smith has done much of the same. 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. "This is a franchise with a deep history and a tremendous fan base. in the 2012 draft. They were together in Washington and grew their connection this season as the veteran QB led eight game-winning drives, won the division for the first time since arriving in Minnesota and put together one of his best games in the playoffs vs. the Giants. O'Connell, who led the Rams to finish ninth in total offense (372.1 yards per game) in 2021, helped his unit rank second in plays of 50-plus yards (10), fourth in yards per play (5.98) and eighth in offensive touchdowns (51) in 2021. The coach has made it a priority to educate himself on the particulars of the teams cap constraints. Hes the epitome of a hometown hero, universally loved, and the type of player who should retire with the Vikings. There are times when hes mad and when Im mad. Kevin O'Connell (American football) - Wikipedia McCown also broke the single-game passing record in 2015, throwing for 457 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. OConnell also referenced fair compensation for his players at the NFL Combine, perhaps a nod to Thielens current contract and how it fits within Minnesotas free-agent navigability. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, March 1, and he shed a little bit of light on what the team's goals are for the offseason. O'Connell, 36, was a member of the 49ers coaching staff (special projects) in 2016 and overlapped that season with new Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Passing, he ranked tenth in yardage, eighth in attempts, and seventh in completions. Behind The Scenes of Kevin O'Connell's Media Day at The Combine What was initially pitched as a competitive rebuild and trying to win on the margins morphed into setting an NFL record for the most one-score wins in a season (11-0) thanks to players who were led to become situational masters at key moments of close games. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Visit NFL.com's transaction hub for a daily breakdown. converting part of right tackle Brian O'Neill's base salary to a signing bonus. These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. "When you involve people, it can make the job a lot tougher, but I also think the people aspect is what culture is and that's important," Adofo-Mensah added. Theres a lot of different directions you can go, OConnell said, and (each decision) affects another one and another one. Weve got some real decisions to talk through and things to work through, OConnell said. "Unbelievable talent. But in between 16-point wins against the Packers in Week 1 and Bears in Week 18 were plentiful memorable moments during a wild ride. 3 Minnesota Vikings offseason moves with Kevin O'Connell - Sportsnaut All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell sees 'very talented roster' in Adofo-Mensah had to explain how the Vikings, a team in salary cap hell, were going to shed salary while building off the team's first 13-win season since 2017. . The Minnesota Vikings have an intriguing decision on Adam Thielens future with the franchise, a team that has employed him since 2013. Wanting to make those guys feel like their coach cares about them, both the person and the player, and their future, its real, OConnell said. Really excited about Lewis and his mental growth through how he handled the adversity of that injury, OConnell said. . The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. One thing I know, [Cousins] is good enough. How do you build the rest of the team? Adofo-Mensah asked. O'Connell is the son of a former FBI agent. Having been on the visitors' sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium and experiencing that environment as an opposing coach, I am excited to now have the support of these passionate Vikings fans. O'Connell also helped Vikings all-time leading rusher Adrian Peterson eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards (1,040) at the age of 34. O'Connell, 36, was a third-round pick . NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! The Vikings tried to identify another quarterback when trading up for Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. ", "We've shown that we have a culture and an ability to do those things at a really high level," Adofo-Mensah said. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell isn't saying if Ed Donatell will return as defensive coordinator for the 2023 season. However, neither seem like a good option now. 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. Coming off a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell joins the Vikings after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams the past two seasons. So how will he balance the desire to maximize the benefits of the culture, keep the players who helped him implement it and improve on last season while dealing with the facts of life in a salary cap league? A necessary condition is having a starter-level quarterback, Adofo-Mensah began. He called conversations ongoing about Cousinss future. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 4 takeaways from Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell's combine press conference 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. This website is not directly or indirectly affiliated, associated, or connected in any way to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League or the National Hockey League. Jul 21 2008 Signed a 4 year $2.46 million contract with New England (NE) Certainly the facilities would have gotten an A+ last year but its hard to imagine they would have ranked No. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Minnesota Vikings: Kevin O'Connell's culture is now quantifiable [13] The injury required surgery. I'm sure a lot of fans will be going through that right now, and that hurts to hear, I can't lie, but I understand where that's coming from. At the same time, proud of what they've accomplished this year and look forward to the first day of the offseason program, when we get those guys back in here.". Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had career years in 2021. Craig Peters. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. The 34-year-old has put up good statistics over the years, including 33 TDs and seven interceptions last season, but he's never delivered any sustained postseason success. [23], On January 16, 2020, O'Connell was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. O'Connell oversaw the production of three quarterbacks in 2019, specifically rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, Jr. Once Haskins, Jr., became the full-time starter in Week 9, he passed for 1,225 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions and an 85.5 passer rating. While the survey is the ultimate feather in OConnells cap in terms of retaining players on long-term contracts and signing free agents, hes aware that not everyone is going to be able to return and the team doesn't have oodles of cap space to spend this offseason. The Lions traded O'Connell to the New York Jets, for a 7th round 2011 draft pick, on September 6, 2009. "We have to make sure we do it in an order that we can do it in given all the other decisions we have to make.". On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived on September 3. And just in all of our dialogue Monday with our players, getting a chance to meet with each and every one of them, they understand that, and they're motivated for that. O'Connell, a former backup NFL quarterback who spent time with five different teams, knows the business from a player's side and coach's side. OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. With their limited salary cap . Kupp, who was named 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press and Super Bowl LVI MVP, had one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), earning AP First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings plan on interviewing Rams assistant head coach/running backs coach Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator position under O'Connell. New Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he is "excited to coach" quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2022 and is "anticipating" him being a part of the team's plans. When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine, he had several questions to answer about the Minnesota Vikings future.
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