Exciting times ahead.
As we approach the new season there is a real sense of excitement among Minnesota Vikings fans. Behind that wave of excitement however, there is a small piece of trepidation.
As the team heads into a new era, all eyes are on J.J. McCarthy. A knee injury side-lined McCarthy for his entire rookie season, he is still an unknown quantity.
Like any young player coming in to the league there will be ups and downs. Fortunately for McCarthy he is stepping up at a time when the stars are seemingly aligned to help him succeed.
Over the next few weeks I will be looking into the different areas of the team. I will be reviewing how they could help McCarthy acclimatise to the NFL. Starting with the Head Coach of the Vikings, Kevin O’Connell.
The quarterback whisperer
O’Connell has proven himself to be a fantastic head coach over his three years in Minnesota.
While he has been strong in almost every aspect of his coaching, there is one area in particular where he has excelled. He has been the master of getting the best out of his quarterbacks.
When it comes down to it, the most important QB stat is not passer rating, completion percentage or touchdowns, it is wins. When you look at the record of the quarterbacks who have played under O’Connell the results are staggering.
Playing under other head coaches, former Vikings signal caller Kirk Cousins has a career win record of 68 wins, 68 losses and two ties. Under O’Connell he had 17 wins and just nine losses.
Cousins played his best football under O’Connell in a scheme which was designed to suit his game. An injury in Cousins’ final season curtailed his Vikings career when he was playing the best football of his life.
When Cousins went down O’Connell scrambled to secure a new quarterback. Josh Dobbs came in and was asked to start almost immediately after back-ups Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall both succumbed to injuries.
Dobbs is a very different type of player to Cousins. As a result of this, O’Connell immediately changed the offence to suit his style. The move paid immediate dividends and in five games with the Vikings, Dobbs led them to victory in three.
For a player who outside of the Vikings has a record of five wins and 13 losses it is clear O’Connell unlocked Dobbs’ full potential.
Renaissance Man
O’Connell’s finest work was undoubtedly done with last years starter Sam Darnold. A player who had been rejected by both the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers was picked up as a bridge quarterback ahead of the 2024 season.
Darnold led the Vikings to 14 wins and a playoff berth. His game improved remarkably from previous seasons and while some bad habits did reappear, for the most part his play was exceptional.
It is McCarthy’s turn to get the O’Connell effect now. After a year on the side-lines he will be fully up to speed on the offense.
The two met for lunch every Thursday during the season last year to learn the playbook and refine McCarthy’s understanding of the game.
It will be down to McCarthy to prove he belongs in the league, but he could not have asked for a better mentor.
