Speaking of O'Connell

Amid years of quarterback instability, O’Connell has learned the value of adapting. The Vikings’ season opener showed what that evolution looks like.

The stat sheet caused a double take. Kevin O’Connell called more run plays than pass plays and won the time of possession margin in a game in which his team trailed until midway through the fourth quarter.

Afterward, the Vikings head coach sounded like someone who had sat in solitude on a beach in Maui and discovered the meaning of life.

I asked him a question about Carson Wentz in his postgame news conference Sunday. O’Connell opened a vein about self-reflection.

“In some of the adversity, I don’t think I’ve coached very well,” he said, referring to his previous four seasons in charge. “Trying to maybe worry about the stat sheet. Trying to maybe worry about what it’s going to look like when you pick up the paper. Statistically, are people going to think you’re a good coach? It’s about winning.”

Whoa. Didn’t see that coming.

Unprompted, O’Connell publicly revealed the conclusions of a deep-dive dissection of himself. He provided in those 30 seconds a clear picture of a coach maturing in a job that is difficult to master.

Football observers tend to view a young player’s arc through the lens of development. Does a rookie improve throughout the season and first few years in the league? The process for first-time head coaches is no different.

Coaches grow and evolve with experience, at least if they want to stick around. They learn what works and what doesn’t in solidifying their coaching style and team identity.

The public perception of O’Connell as a strategist through four seasons was that he elevates the play of veteran quarterbacks but also becomes overly dependent on the passing game, even when circumstances at quarterback are not favorable.

His regular-season winning percentage (.638) is excellent, but O’Connell is 0-2 in the postseason. There is urgency to amend that. Sounds like he looked inward for answers.

Peeling back layers on his admission about worrying about stats and perceptions of him provides some necessary context.

O’Connell is a disciple of Sean McVay. He arrived in Minnesota with the reputation as an offensive whiz, particularly related to quarterbacks. Expectations were cemented before he introduced himself at the opening news conference.

O’Connell is recognized across the league for his creative pass-play designs and ability to scheme receivers open. The Vikings ranked third in the NFL in air yards per catch (explosive plays) in two of his first three seasons.

He earned the nickname “Quarterback Whisperer” for his handling of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold.

He inherited a generational receiver talent in Justin Jefferson, who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and brings a matchup advantage every week. Who do you trust more: Jefferson or a lesser talent at running back?

The revelations that O’Connell mentioned make sense. He found clarity amid quarterback chaos that adaptability supersedes style points. Teams that win only one way have a lower ceiling.

O’Connell has started nine different quarterbacks in his tenure. That ties him with four other coaches for the second-most starting quarterbacks in a head coach’s first 70 games since 1950 when the NFL began tracking quarterback stats. Hue Jackson started 10 different quarterbacks in 56 career games as coach.

That’s not a list any coach wants to be part of.

The next-man-up mantra doesn’t apply equally to that position. Quarterbacks aren’t interchangeable. Jaren Hall isn’t Cousins. J.J. McCarthy isn’t Darnold. Max Brosmer isn’t Kyler Murray.

O’Connell takes pride in being an aggressive play-caller. That becomes more of a moving target when his quarterback situation is less than ideal.

“It doesn’t matter what an EPA looks like,” O’Connell said, referring to Expected Points Added metric that has become a popular advanced analytics tool. “Ultimately, you learn that none of those other things matter because winning is the only thing that matters.”

That awareness for O’Connell began to take root at the end of last season.

The Vikings were 4-8. McCarthy’s debut season was a mess. O’Connell tweaked his scheme and play-calling to draw on McCarthy’s strengths while managing what he was being asked to do.

They didn’t pass more than they ran the ball in any of the final five games, all victories. They committed only four turnovers and finished on the plus-side in that stretch.

Granted, the Vikings were not operating under the pressure of a playoff race, but the lessons learned were impactful.

Sunday’s season opener revealed some carryover. O’Connell stayed with the ground game even when it didn’t produce dazzling statistics as his team fell behind by double digits.

The performance was workmanlike. Textbook complementary football.

The emotion from a remarkable comeback against their rivals in Week 1 swept through the team and coach. Maybe that inspired O’Connell’s honest assessment of himself.

Whatever compelled him, the head coach sounded genuine in expressing a keener understanding of what matters most. That was encouraging to hear. And witness.

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