The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. The numbers bear out OConnells observation. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett spoke with media members on Friday for the first time since his arrest for public intoxication in late January. If they want a quarterback in this draft, they seem willing to find a way to get them. [13] The injury required surgery. 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. 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. View images from the Vikings locker room at TCO Performance Center on Monday as players cleaned out their lockers at the end of the 2022-23 season. Similarly to his GM one day earlier, the Vikings head coach couldnt make a strong statement about what the future would hold at QB. As we did on Tuesday with Vikings general manager Kwesi. Passing, he ranked tenth in yardage, eighth in attempts, and seventh in completions. During the 2021 season, O'Connell's lone season with Stafford, the signal caller threw for the third-most passing yards (4,886) and second-most touchdowns (41) in the NFL, all while achieving his career-best 102.9 passer rating (in seasons with more than eight starts), the sixth-best in the NFL. Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings But after a year on the bench, Culpepper took the Vikings into the next decade before suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in 2005. [19], O'Connell was hired to the offensive staff of the San Francisco 49ers on February 26, 2016. The riser was lower than the previous stage, but the team they've led for about a year has been elevated from an 8-9 squad to one that won 13 games for the third time within a Vikings season. The Vikings are coming off a 13-win season, but also a disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs. Partnered with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group|Powered by, Signed a 1 year contract with Miami (MIA), Resigned a 2 year $1.25 million contract with New York (NYJ), Traded to NYJ from Detroit for a conditional draft pick, Signed a 4 year $2.46 million contract with New England (NE), Drafted by New England (NE): Round 3 (#94 overall). Kevin O'Connell believes Justin Jefferson has 'just scratched the The Minnesota Vikings finalized their hiring of head coach Kevin O'Connell on Wednesday, completing a sharp offseason shift in direction by turning over the team to the 36-year-old. Wide receiver Adam Thielens cap number and age (32) present another complicated decision, and OConnell is mindful of the many factors. Right comes along. Rams OC Kevin O'Connell Finalizes Contract to Become Vikings Head Coach Aug 30 2009 Released by New England. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates. It's supposed to hurt. The rushing attack. . ", "Making sure that the standard of knowing we've got the culture, knowing we've got the right things going in this building," O'Connell said. He also held the same position for Washington in 2019 after serving as the team'spassing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Linebacker Eric Kendricks referred to a fear-based culture in a conference call after the former HC and GM were let go and players acknowledged meeting with ownership in which they asked for improvements in the overall environment. For what its worth, SIs Albert Breer said on The Rich Eisen Show that many teams believe that the best quarterback prospects are still in college. But even if he didnt injure his knee at Winter Park, its fair to wonder if he would have ever become the long-term franchise quarterback. There also were road losses at Detroit and Green Bay after the calendar flipped to December. 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. . Vikings head coach Kevin OConnell provided a bit of clarity on Thielens status at the NFL Combine this week, touting the veterans leadership while hoping to mesh his pricetag with the fit in Minnesotas 2023 WR room. But Adofo-Mensah gave his own review about his starting quarterback. That OConnell even cited this statistic demonstrates the team is thinking about how to fully maximize its offense. Kevin O'Connell believes Vikings are really good and have an 'elite' QB Kentucky's Will Levis, a likely top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spoke Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine and -- in under 15 minutes -- presented himself as arguably the most self-assured QB in this year's class. By COURTNEY CRONIN. The survey of more than 1,300 players that looked at numerous aspects of an organization from facilities to treatment of families to training staff gave the Vikings the highest grade of any team in the NFL. Following his All-Pro wideout's 1,809-yard, 128-catch, eight-touchdown campaign, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell believes Jefferson can soar even higher. With Cousins in his mid-30s, the Vikings need to figure out a succession plan at quarterback. New Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, some two weeks after reaching an agreement with the club to replace Mike Zimmer, can finally wear some purple. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. Predictability, then, provides comfort to defenses. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. It is something Ive thought a lot about.. With Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan and Cameron Heyward still on the board, the Vikings decided to get their guy Christian Ponder. Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had a career years in 2021. [2] At La Costa Canyon, O'Connell lettered in both football and basketball. [23], On January 16, 2020, O'Connell was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator. OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. Vikings fans should be excited for the future of this team under Kevin's direction. OConnell respects the way Patrick Peterson, soon to be an unrestricted free agent, set a standard for young contributors in the secondary. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived on September 3. The Vikings had several needs coming off a 15-win season in 1998. On Wednesday, OConnell said hes hoping that their shared experience in 2022 will help both sides satisfy their needs. In the meantime, quarterbacks such as Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, and Jim Druckenmiller went off the board until Green finally saw a quarterback he liked in the 1999 draft, Daunte Culpepper. [3] O'Connell graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2003. How OConnell and the front office maneuver through these personnel decisions to counteract the way defenses have played them could well become a key story in 2023. Set to earn just $2.399 million in 2023, with a potential fifth-year team option in 2024, Jefferson is due a massive pay increase in line with his value. I think we laid a foundation for where we want to go. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. Vikings Trade Proposal Flips Cousins For 49ers Trey Lance | Heavy.com I just watch the way he carries himself every single day and week. Minnesotas approach to their franchise quarterback seems much more scientific. Some would take this as a sign the Vikings are ready to move on. [27][28] O'Connell's Vikings hiring reunited him with quarterback Kirk Cousins, whom O'Connell had coached in 2017 (Cousins' final year with the Washington Redskins). O'Connell also helped the Rams offense tie for seventh in scoring offense (27.1 points per game) and score on 45.9% of their offensive drives, which ranked third in the NFL behind the Kansas City Chiefs (48.2) and New England Patriots (48.0). Top Salaries Free Agents Extensions Tools Best Values Transactions Chargers Kevin O'Connell Embed This Chargers, QB Age: 37-208d Exp: Years Drafted: Round 3 (#94 overall), 2008 College: San Diego State Agent (s): - More Chargers - Contract Details Transactions Statistics Transactions Sep 4 2011 Claimed off waivers by New York (NYJ) ", "I don't want to be the Vikings GM without this guy on our team, so it's a priority," Adofo-Mensah said. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. [How do you] round him to make sure that you can win that way? Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. Eagan, Minn. (February 15, 2022) The Minnesota Vikings have named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. O'Connell compared Cousins to Matthew Stafford, calling each an "elite thrower," via Tomasson (on Twitter ). Stafford set the single-season team record for passing yards (4,886) and tied Kurt Warner from his 1999 MVP season for the most passing touchdowns in a season by a Rams quarterback with 41, while also winning his first playoff game in his 13th season in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday that Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell has been hired as the 10th head coach in franchise history. EAGAN, Minn. Eleven months and a day after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah helped introduce Kevin O'Connell from a temporary stage constructed in Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center's Indoor Practice Facility, the men sat together at a table on a small riser in the Media Center. The other was that the Vikings werent in a position to draft a quarterback, picking in the mid-20s for a majority of Greens tenure. New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell sees 'very talented roster' in [12] Following his departure, O'Connell found that he had a torn labrum in his throwing arm, an injury he sustained during the preseason. 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. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. At the end of the day Wednesday, the Vikings head coach left the building with one of the easier media sessions youll ever run across in the NFL. To provide the premier place to go to work and improve both personally and collectively as a team in our league means a lot to us, OConnell said. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! None of that means anything for what we do moving forward if we dont grow and evolve and change in a good capacity, OConnell said. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More. Conversely, when the Vikings ran for zero or negative yards on first down, something they did more than any other team in the league aside from the Jaguars, they would then be fighting uphill. So theres not one right way.. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. The Minnesota Vikings have made the hiring of Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach official by sharing the news on social media. Minnesota Vikings' Kevin O'Connell 'excited to coach' Kirk Cousins in The Vikings won the NFC North for the first time since 2017, which was good enough for the NFC's third seed, but were defeated by the New York Giants in the Wild Card round by a final score of 3124. Adofo-Mensah had to explain how the Vikings, a team in salary cap hell, were going to shed salary while building off the teams first 13-win season since 2017. Browse our online application for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, or MLS player contracts, salaries, transactions, and more. Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II is the early leader for fastest player at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine after posting a time of 4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash on Friday. 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? One thing I know, [Cousins] is good enough. He categorized the current state of rushing in the NFL into three separate strategies: deploying a running quarterback, operating in the run-pass option world, and going the traditional route with run-pass deception from under center. Minnesota Vikings new head coach Kevin O'Connell takes over a club that missed the postseason the past two seasons with losing records and hasn't won the NFC North since 2017. 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. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. The offensive coordinator from the 2022 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell, is finalizing his head coaching contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, there have been postseason appearances after the 2012 (loss in Wild Card), 2015 (loss in Wild Card), 2017 (loss in NFC Championship), 2019 (loss in Divisional) and 2022 (loss in Wild Card) seasons. Brad Childress urged Minnesota to draft Tarvaris Jackson upon his arrival in the 2006, and then recruited Brett Favre as an act of desperation to lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. While OConnell answered gracefully about his colleague, it was a reminder that they didnt finish the year with a deep playoff run. Here are five things to know. Asked about the Vikings long-term future at that position, OConnell said he surveys the landscape of the position each year out of habit. 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. It's supposed to sting.' Cousins is attached to a fully guaranteed $35MM base salary. "I think we showed a building full of people, players, coaches, staff, ownership group, this guy next to me, would have the ability to be their best when their best is required. 3. Its a path that could eventually lead to another extension for Cousins, but the Vikings are doing their diligence to find Mr. The Minnesota Vikings have an intriguing decision on Adam Thielens future with the franchise, a team that has employed him since 2013. Doing so could mean some hard decisions on key contributors from last season like Dalvin Cook, Eric Kendricks, ZaDarius Smith and others. Players cited the tight-knit nature of the locker room and their confidence during late-game situations as a result of the buildings updated vibes under OConnell. 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. O'Connell graduated from San Diego State University in December 2007 with a degree in political science. There are times when hes mad and when Im mad. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Right. He noted that hes always going to evaluate all the quarterbacks out of habit and that he finds himself often looking at evaluations from years past, even when someone is coming available who came out in the draft a long time ago. There are a few fundamental things that will influence decisions, starting with whether Cousins signs an extension. 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. OConnell is well aware. [4][5] At SDSU, where he was a four-year team captain, he started 21 games, the sixth-most among SDSU quarterbacks, and ranked first in school history in career rushing yards and second in career rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks; in 2007 he led the team in rushing yards. Kupp's wide receiver Triple Crown in 2021, which he won after leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16), joined him with WR Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers, 1990), WR Sterling Sharpe (Green Bay Packers, 1992) and WR Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers, 2005) as the only players since the 1970 merger to achieve this feat. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA TODAY Sports). Understanding the goals of culture and the goals of building up through our leadership and setting a foundation and platform for every individual in this building to feel like they can thrive and grow and eventually reach their truest, highest potential. Prior to joining the Rams, O'Connell worked in Washington, serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and the offensive coordinator in 2019. 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. So, ultimately, we didn't accomplish the goals we wanted to accomplish, and I always want to be respectful of that. The Vikings tried to identify another quarterback when trading up for Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. View photos of new Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in photos from his time with the Rams. Kevin O'Connell signed a 1 year, - contract with the San Diego Chargers, including an average annual salary of -. Vikings finalize hire of champion Rams OC Kevin O'Connell ", "We've shown that we have a culture and an ability to do those things at a really high level," Adofo-Mensah said. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. O'Connell won his first game as head coach against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2022 season by a score of 237. 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. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. Thielen notched 716 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. Theres a lot of different directions you can go, OConnell said, and (each decision) affects another one and another one. "This is a franchise with a deep history and a tremendous fan base. It comes down to efficiency, he said. O'Connell has an older sister, Kelly, who is an attorney. A significant part of the positive culture was OConnell and Cousins working together in lockstep. The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year winner, Jefferson dominated opponents, generating 10 games over the 100-yard mark in O'Connell's first season in Minnesota. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. 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. If not, they could ride Cousins another year and try their luck to acquire their guy in 2024. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. I believe in him as a player.. Thielen joined the Vikings a decade ago as an undrafted special teamer and clawed his way up the depth chart to WR1 by the start of 2016. He was also born in Minnesota. The Wilfs and the resources they give us to bring in the people, like [exectuive director of player health and performance] Tyler Williams, OConnell said. Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Expects Kirk Cousins Back In 2022 The more I can educate myself, learning about the details and particulars of our current situation, our previous situation, and obviously what it looks like moving forward, the more my conversations can be not only from an accurate place of where we are at this moment but where we hope to get to, OConnell said. "Like [O'Connell] said in his final meeting, 'It's supposed to hurt. Vikings, Cousins agree to 1-year, $35M contract extension
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