Seeing 40-year old Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and 36-year old Kevin O’Connell as the faces of the Minnesota Vikings was new. Maybe it was their fresh, young faces. Everything feels new with the Vikings right now.
The Vikings announced Kevin O’Connell as the tenth head coach in franchise history on Wednesday. He was introduced to the media yesterday. It’s been a whirlwind week for O’Connell. Actually, it’s been a whirlwind month. It’s mind-boggling to imagine the time-management necessary to balance preparing a team for four postseason games and interviewing for NFL head coaching jobs. He spent a month doing that. The past week he won a Super Bowl, celebrated a Super Bowl, and became the head coach of the Vikings. Some coaches spend a lifetime chasing a Super Bowl. Some coaches spend a lifetime chasing an NFL head coaching job. O’Connell got both in a handful of days.
I was excited for the Vikings future when Mike Zimmer was introduced in 2014. I’m excited for the Vikings after watching Kevin O’Connell’s introduction yesterday. It feels different this time. I don’t know if the difference is a 58-year old, first-time head coach as opposed to a 36-year old, first-time head coach. I don’t know if the difference is a defensive-minded head coach as opposed to an offensive-minded head coach. It’s a bit of both but it’s also something more. It’s this damn collaboration thing I’ve been hearing repeatedly since Mark Wilf announced the start of the general manager and head coach search on January 10. Collaboration, cooperation, and consistency. From the coaches to the players to the staff to everyone in the building. O’Connell wants to create an environment in which everyone has ownership of the process. Everyone will be involved. Everyone will have a voice. It sounds simple but it really isn’t. With the egos that often dominate a football team something as basic as true collaboration is never simple. With only his 30 minute press conference and all that I’ve read and heard about him as evidence, I believe that O’Connell has what it takes to pull it off. I believe that he and Adofo-Mensah have what it takes to pull it off. I’m impressed with both. I’m impressed with the coaching staff that they are putting together. I can’t wait to see all of it play out.
A few nuggets on O’Connell’s presser:
From Ben Leber:
“No illusions or complexity to his presser. O’Connell was super impressive. Already love the chemistry with he and Kwesi.”
After the obligatory questions about Kirk (“the offense is going to be built around him”) Cousins, we finally got to an important question. “Are you going to call the plays?” Everyone pretty much knew the answer but it was still good to hear it. “Yes.” The Vikings have seen a revolving door of offensive play-callers over the past eight seasons. It’s going to be great to have an offensive play-caller that isn’t going anywhere.
The defense will be a base 3-4. That’ll be something to see. The Vikings haven’t been a base 3-4 since the early 1980s. More importantly, the defense will be multiple. The front will vary. With today’s game, the best defenses are adaptable to the offenses that they are tasked with stopping.
Vikings Legends Bud Grant, Randall McDaniel, John Randle, and Scott Studwell were in attendance. This prompted O’Connell to say that former Vikings will always be welcome and encouraged to visit. This was very important to hear. On the eve of the 2019 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers I had the opportunity to chat with Keith Millard. He said that prior to the Wilf ownership former players weren’t really welcome around the facility. That made me sick to hear. I dearly hope that sort of shitty treatment never happens again. As long as the Wilf’s own the team I know that it won’t.
It was great to see how O’Connell acknowledged and showed great appreciation for his family in attendance. Wife, kids, parents, in-laws. It was great to see them there. It’s been an eventful week for all of them.
Damnit! It’s easy to like this kid. And, kid he is. Perhaps because it’s visions of Bud Grant and Mike Zimmer that fill my head when I think of the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, O’Connell’s youthful appearance is a little stunning. Grant had white hair when he started coaching the team. He was 40. O’Connell is only 36. He looks even younger. He’ll be 37 when he coaches his first Vikings game. He’s the second-youngest head coach in the NFL. It’s a little wild that the only head coach younger is his former boss. Sean McVay just turned 36.
Age is on my mind. Here are the ages of the Vikings 10 head coaches when they coached their first game for the team.
Norm Van Brocklin: 35
Bud Grant: 40
Les Steckel: 38
Jerry Burns: 59
Dennis Green: 43
Mike Tice: 42
Brad Childress: 50
Leslie Frazier: 51
Mike Zimmer: 58
Kevin O’Connell: 37
Van Brocklin doesn’t really count. He probably looked 35 when he was born.
A New Era.
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