Post by Funkytown on Nov 4, 2023 11:19:19 GMT -6
Purple Insider: Kevin O'Connell leads with optimism through adversity
Between the 2021 and 2022, so many things went right for Kevin O’Connell that it was worth wondering if he had struck a secret deal with the NFL’s script writers.
In his second year as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, his team won the Super Bowl. Along the way, Matthew Stafford won a playoff game in Tampa Bay on a deep bomb after Tom Brady had spent the entire afternoon pulling a miraculous comeback. If living to tell about a 24-point Brady comeback wasn’t enough, the San Francisco 49ers dropped an easy interception that may have sealed the NFC Championship game and then in the Super Bowl Stafford threw a no-look pass that led to the game-winning drive.
That’s enough to feel pretty blessed. And then he was named head coach of the Vikings, destroyed the Packers in his first game and went on to win eight games in which his team trailed in the fourth quarter and pulled off the largest comeback in NFL history against the Indianapolis Colts.
When the Vikings didn’t pull off another Houdini victory in the playoffs, everyone was stunned, including the head coach, who had walked on a cloud that entire season, somehow avoiding every typical thing that has befallen the Vikings in years past. Even his kicker made all the clutch kicks.
Heading into this season, the main narrative spun by prognosticators was that the Vikings would come crashing back to earth after having won all their one-score games. Nobody angers the forces of regression and gets away with it, they declared.
Well, they were right. To open the season the Vikings went 1-4 with fumble-laden one-score losses. In the fourth L, the referees picked up a flag that negated a fourth-down conversion and gave the Kansas City Chiefs a narrow victory.
O’Connell reached deep into his positivity bag for silver linings. He used the 2021 Rams’ mid-season three-game losing streak en route to the Super Bowl as an example that teams can overcome a big ole bump along the road. He pointed out the small negative point differential despite all the random turnover luck. He repeated the phrase, “I believe in this group,” in nearly every press conference.
“I think you guys know this about me now: I’m going to remain positive through and through,” O’Connell said after the loss to the Chiefs.
As if he hadn’t already paid his debt to the devil in the form of fumble bounces through the first five weeks, the hardest bad-luck hit was yet to come. After an impressive victory against the San Francisco 49ers, his team was ahead two touchdowns and standing in the red zone with a chance to put the dagger in the Packers when quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles, ending his season.
The Vikings went from being a potential buyer at the trade deadline and a serious threat in the NFC to a team swapping late-round picks for a journeyman quarterback with hopes that he can start on two weeks notice.
The NFL has a way of breaking head coaches with stuff like this. Mike Zimmer took body blows like few others, overcoming multiple season-ending injuries to his quarterbacks and star running backs before finally succumbing to the one-score monster in 2021 and taking it out at the podium on poor backup QB Kellen Mond after a drubbing in Green Bay. If you look over at the Atlanta Falcons, they are one week removed from Arthur Smith calling the media “toxic” for criticizing his quarterback and then benching his quarterback. This week Smith slammed legendary QB Kurt Warner in the media for watching his team’s tape and talking about it. The examples are endless. Denny Green’s “they are who we thought they were,” or Jim Mora shouting, “PLAYOFFS? WE CAN’T EVEN WIN A GAME!” come to mind.
O’Connell’s outlook makes him less likely to land on the list of lunatic head coach behavior. In the Lambeau Field visitors locker room, he let the team know that their QB was going to be out the remainder of the season and declared: “The love in this locker room will supersede anything out there. I love this team. And away we f—in go.”
Following a whirlwind 72 hours, O’Connell reflected on Wednesday about his philosophy when it comes to bullishness when it comes to remaining positive.
“I’ve always kind of looked at any time adversity hits, whether individually or collectively to a team, really in any facet of life, I’ve just always viewed it as an opportunity for growth,” O’Connell said. “I challenge our team all the time when adversity hits, the number one goal should be having a priority to be the best version of yourself.”
In his second year as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, his team won the Super Bowl. Along the way, Matthew Stafford won a playoff game in Tampa Bay on a deep bomb after Tom Brady had spent the entire afternoon pulling a miraculous comeback. If living to tell about a 24-point Brady comeback wasn’t enough, the San Francisco 49ers dropped an easy interception that may have sealed the NFC Championship game and then in the Super Bowl Stafford threw a no-look pass that led to the game-winning drive.
That’s enough to feel pretty blessed. And then he was named head coach of the Vikings, destroyed the Packers in his first game and went on to win eight games in which his team trailed in the fourth quarter and pulled off the largest comeback in NFL history against the Indianapolis Colts.
When the Vikings didn’t pull off another Houdini victory in the playoffs, everyone was stunned, including the head coach, who had walked on a cloud that entire season, somehow avoiding every typical thing that has befallen the Vikings in years past. Even his kicker made all the clutch kicks.
Heading into this season, the main narrative spun by prognosticators was that the Vikings would come crashing back to earth after having won all their one-score games. Nobody angers the forces of regression and gets away with it, they declared.
Well, they were right. To open the season the Vikings went 1-4 with fumble-laden one-score losses. In the fourth L, the referees picked up a flag that negated a fourth-down conversion and gave the Kansas City Chiefs a narrow victory.
O’Connell reached deep into his positivity bag for silver linings. He used the 2021 Rams’ mid-season three-game losing streak en route to the Super Bowl as an example that teams can overcome a big ole bump along the road. He pointed out the small negative point differential despite all the random turnover luck. He repeated the phrase, “I believe in this group,” in nearly every press conference.
“I think you guys know this about me now: I’m going to remain positive through and through,” O’Connell said after the loss to the Chiefs.
As if he hadn’t already paid his debt to the devil in the form of fumble bounces through the first five weeks, the hardest bad-luck hit was yet to come. After an impressive victory against the San Francisco 49ers, his team was ahead two touchdowns and standing in the red zone with a chance to put the dagger in the Packers when quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles, ending his season.
The Vikings went from being a potential buyer at the trade deadline and a serious threat in the NFC to a team swapping late-round picks for a journeyman quarterback with hopes that he can start on two weeks notice.
The NFL has a way of breaking head coaches with stuff like this. Mike Zimmer took body blows like few others, overcoming multiple season-ending injuries to his quarterbacks and star running backs before finally succumbing to the one-score monster in 2021 and taking it out at the podium on poor backup QB Kellen Mond after a drubbing in Green Bay. If you look over at the Atlanta Falcons, they are one week removed from Arthur Smith calling the media “toxic” for criticizing his quarterback and then benching his quarterback. This week Smith slammed legendary QB Kurt Warner in the media for watching his team’s tape and talking about it. The examples are endless. Denny Green’s “they are who we thought they were,” or Jim Mora shouting, “PLAYOFFS? WE CAN’T EVEN WIN A GAME!” come to mind.
O’Connell’s outlook makes him less likely to land on the list of lunatic head coach behavior. In the Lambeau Field visitors locker room, he let the team know that their QB was going to be out the remainder of the season and declared: “The love in this locker room will supersede anything out there. I love this team. And away we f—in go.”
Following a whirlwind 72 hours, O’Connell reflected on Wednesday about his philosophy when it comes to bullishness when it comes to remaining positive.
“I’ve always kind of looked at any time adversity hits, whether individually or collectively to a team, really in any facet of life, I’ve just always viewed it as an opportunity for growth,” O’Connell said. “I challenge our team all the time when adversity hits, the number one goal should be having a priority to be the best version of yourself.”
... and neither is this Chris guy.