The Minnesota Vikings know they have a special head coach. It’s legitimate lunacy to think they would trade Kevin O’Connell. He is going to win the Coach of the Year award for the first time. Those outside of the organization know he’s great too, and that chatter continues to gain steam.
Drew Rosenhaus loves Minnesota Vikings Kevin O’Connell
There are certain names on the fringes of sports that everyone knows. In baseball that is agent Scott Boras. In football the equivalent is Drew Rosenhaus. O’Connell’s agent is Trace Armstrong. That didn’t stop Rosenhaus from publicly heaping praise on the Minnesota Vikings head coach this week.
For anyone to compare a 39-year-old with just parts of three seasons under their belt to a multi-time Super Bowl winner says something. O’Connell has started out his career with playoff appearances in two of three seasons, and a 34-17 regular season record.
The Minnesota Vikings needed a culture shift following the firing of Mike Zimmer, and O’Connell couldn’t have provided that in a more drastic way. He has a team bought into his message, and that has been reflected by a record so far beyond what was imaginable this season.
What O’Connell does in developing J.J. McCarthy, and the hope of constructing a team that can have staying power into the future, should be fun to watch. He is massively responsible for the transformation we have seen from Sam Darnold, and that’s really just the beginning.
It was always murky as to how special O’Connell was in recent seasons given the established nature of Kirk Cousins. The veil has been lifted this year, and it’s clear that the Vikings not only made a home run hire, but he continues to get better right before our eyes.
At some point following his coaching career, O’Connell will be able to reflect on all that he accomplished. He isn’t the type of person to do so while on the job. If Rosenhaus is right though, Minnesota may finally end that Super Bowl drought.
Leave a Reply