Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell fielded questions from the media on Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
As we did on Tuesday with Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s media session, here are four takeaways from what O’Connell said and an attempt to read between the lines when it comes to his responses.
Justin Jefferson, Kevin O'Connell have only "scratched the surface" when it comes to offense
The topic: How O’Connell’s relationship with Justin Jefferson has grown in the past year and where it might be going.
The answer: “It started off with a FaceTime call right after my opening press conference, and we’ve come a long way since then. One of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. I’ve told him that. The unbelievable talent, what he means to our league, how he carries himself, how he works every day. But what I was really impressed by with Justin this year was the leadership – the next step of understanding, hey, he believes he’s the best receiver in football, and I happen to agree with him, and a lot goes with that. Not only just schematically, how people play against you, but the responsibility he has as a role model. He takes it very seriously how much people and young kids look up to him. And I just watch the way he carries himself every single day and week, and to say I’m excited about coaching Justin for a really long time is an understatement. As crazy as it sounds, leading the league in yards and receptions, I really think him and I have really just scratched the surface of where we want to go as an offense – and particularly with him as our premier receiver.”
What it means: O’Connell gave Jefferson’s representatives from CAA even more ammunition when they sit down with the Vikings this offseason to negotiate an extension that will make the 23-year-old the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Jefferson’s 128 receptions and 1,809 yards led the NFL last season, but there appear to be no limits to how good Jefferson can become.
O’Connell knows this and he also knows that if the Vikings upgrade from veteran Adam Thielen as their No. 2 receiver, and find someone who can stretch the field, Jefferson’s statistics could surpass what he did in 2022. That’s very bad news for the Packers, Lions and Bears.
Lewis Cine "in a great spot" but overall the secondary is an unknown
The topic: The state of the secondary and how O’Connell evaluates it.
The answer: “We’re excited about some of those core young pieces that we were able to add to our team. Lewis [Cine] is in a great spot right now, he’s well ahead of his rehab process. I see him — it’s unique to see a player every single day this time of year at the facility, but that’s been Lew. Been in my office a bunch, asking, ‘Hey, when do we get started? Have you set the schedule for OTAs? What’s training camp going to be like?’ I said, ‘Just hold on, man, we’re going to be just fine.’ But he’s doing a great job, really excited about Lewis and his mental growth through how he handled the adversity of that injury, stay connected with his teammates, and ultimately hopefully this is just going to be a small bump in a great road to Lew becoming the player he’s going to become. Those young players, combined with our veterans, it was a unique room in a lot of ways. I thought Daronte [Jones, the Vikings’ defensive backs coach] did a great job with that group, dealing with some injuries, bringing in a guy like Duke Shelley, having the great veteran presence we did in Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith to go along with the rest of our core group at safety, which we really like. I think we want to create a competitive environment in that room and ultimately look to add pieces that fit with how we want to play and then ultimately let those guys compete and allow those best 11 to be on the field.”
What it means: Cine, the Vikings’ first-round pick last April, suffered a compound leg fracture during the Vikings’ victory over New Orleans in Week 4. He had been beaten out for a starting job at safety by 2021 fourth-round pick Cam Bynum in the spring. One has to think that if Cine is healthy entering training camp he will be in line to take over a starting spot in 2023. O’Connell’s enthusiasm about Cine does nothing to change that thinking, especially since the coach wasn’t directly asked about Cine.
As for the rest of O’Connell’s response, the reality is the secondary remains a work in progress. Peterson and Shelley are free agents and could land elsewhere. The Vikings could ask Smith to restructure his contract, and 2022 draft picks, Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans, had their rookie years shortened by injuries. Cam Dantzler, a third-round pick in 2020, started nine games last season but also battled injuries. Many NFL mock drafts have the Vikings taking a cornerback with the 23rd pick in the first round and they could pursue a corner in free agency. O’Connell can’t be blamed for answering the second half of this question by talking about last season. Next season remains an unknown at this point.
Brian Flores continuing to evaluate Vikings' personnel on defense
The topic: On where the Vikings are from a personnel standpoint, considering what new defensive coordinator Brian Flores wants to run.
The answer: “I think the priority first and foremost is giving him time to evaluate our roster with our young players and some of our veteran players and see how pieces may fit. As we use the process of free agency and
the draft to really take a look at how to evolve and fit what we want to do, but I think one of the things that was great about the interview process with Flo[res] is that he’s done it a lot of different ways and he can be really multiple. I think we’re both kind of aggressive in nature on how we want to coach our guys and how we want to deploy our personnel. At the end of the day, we’re also extremely versatile, however you have to play the game. I know some of my roots early on as a player and obviously where he coached for a long time but the element of week in and week out what it takes to win football games. Sometimes how you have to reinvent yourself week in and week out. Sometimes how you have to mold and adapt how you play while still staying true to your football philosophy at it’s core and it’s not always easy to do, but he’s demonstrated that he’s been very successful doing it time and time again and really looking forward to seeing him go to work with our group.”
What it means: Changes are coming on the defensive side of the ball as Flores installs his version of a 3-4 defense that O’Connell is counting on to be a huge improvement over what one-and-done Ed Donatell did last season. Whatever O’Connell thought he was getting from Donatell’s scheme, he didn’t, and Flores’ aggressive approach will require more speed than the Vikings had at certain positions (linebacker, for one) in 2022.
O’Connell met Flores after being taken in the third round by the Patriots in 2008. Flores was in his first season as a special teams assistant with New England. If future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick taught them anything, it was the need to adjust to what your opponent was doing on a week-by-week basis. That’s why O’Connell talks about versatility and that’s something he didn’t see nearly enough of from Donatell. That will change, just as the roster on that side of the ball also is likely to have plenty of turnover.
The challenge of developing a young quarterback
The topic: Coaching young quarterbacks and whether that is different than coaching other positions.
The answer: “It’s absolutely different. I think player development at every position is very important, but the quarterback position and both the understanding of where that player truly is at when you get a chance
to start coaching him and then ultimately what your plan is for that player moving forward. How are you going about both the development in the classroom, on the field and how are you going to figure out some real-life game reps or how close can you simulate that? Myself as an offensive play caller, you want to make sure that they get a lot of reps at that and never miss an opportunity to communicate at a level that they can come to expect moving forward. Then the hard evaluation process that they go through
understanding that the only way they’re going to improve is through hard work and understanding that accountability factors into what their goals are. A lot of guys come here and say they want to start in the NFL day one. They want to start every game, lead their team to the playoffs, win a Super Bowl. A lot goes into what it takes to do that and the type of environment that you can put around that young player is huge, especially early and what is it going to look like moving forward for that player is very important. Then the evaluation process of being coached hard and being able to take hard coaching and then ultimately know that we’re all out for the best outcome which hopefully is a long-time starter in this league.”
What it means: If it sounds like O’Connell has given this topic plenty of thought, it’s because he has. Kirk Cousins almost certainly will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 2023, but after that it’s unclear if he will remain in Minnesota. Right now, he’s set to become a free agent and there’s no indication a contract extension is coming.
Part of the reason O’Connell got this job was because of his experience coaching quarterbacks and offense, and the Vikings are relying on him to play a major role in finding and developing the team’s first long-term franchise quarterback since Fran Tarkenton. If this sounds like a lot of pressure, it is, and O’Connell clearly is preparing his plan for when that day comes.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com
