Turning over the keys...

Make no mistake, the Vikings are Kevin O’Connell’s team

Investigative journalism isn’t dead.

I can prove it.

In a small room at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., minutes after the Vikings’ season ended in January, a highly placed source in the Vikings organization — let’s call him “Deep Throw” — told me that the team was going to ditch Sam Darnold and the interior of the offensive line.

Vikingdom wasn’t sure what to believe either, but in free agency the Vikings signed a standout veteran guard and center and allowed Darnold to sign with Seattle. On the first day of the NFL draft, the Vikings chose a 315-pound guard.

Only I knew that this would happen. Me, and everyone else who was paying attention.

The source can now be revealed — Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

There are coaches who will lie or obfuscate. O’Connell does neither. When asked a direct question, he will sermonize for a while, saying all of the things he thinks a team spokesman should say about culture and commitment and how much he loves his players.

Then, at the end of his answer, sometimes many minutes later, when everyone has nodded off or begun playing Wordle on their phones, he will let you know what he’s really thinking.

After the Vikings were blown out for a second straight game, losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams in Arizona, O’Connell eventually got around to citing Darnold’s inability to complete easy passes and the weak play of the interior offensive line.

Now we know why O’Connell didn’t make it as an NFL quarterback. 

He must have telegraphed his throws.

If you wanted to know how the offseason would play out, all you needed to do was ignore all news about Aaron Rodgers and parse O’Connell’s answers to probing questions.

What we know now is that O’Connell was serious, and that — and this might be the most important part — he usually gets what he wants.

Here is a list of the first players chosen by the Vikings in subsequent drafts, by a team that was ranked, defensively, 27th, 30th and 31st from 2020 through 2022:
— Wide receiver Jordan Addison.
— Quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
— Guard Donovan Jackson.

The Vikings’ next pick after they chose Jackson in the first round of this year’s draft was in the third round. They chose Maryland receiver Tai Felton.

They used draft capital to trade for backup quarterback Sam Howell, who might remind Vikings fans of Case Keenum.

O’Connell is an offensive coach who wants to be able to throw multiple formations and plays at opposing defenses. He will be able to do so after the Vikings remade their offensive line, retained running back Aaron Jones, traded for running back Jordan Mason and brought in Felton.

O’Connell has succeeded as an offensive coach with less talent and depth. Watching him this coming season could be fascinating, if McCarthy is ready to run an NFL team.

In O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings have serious expertise. It’s an open secret that the front office leaned heavily on Flores when rebuilding the defense last year via free agency.

This isn’t a scandal. This isn’t an accusation that the coaches hold more power than the general manager. What appears to be the case is that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who cut his teeth on Wall Street, recognizes the expertise available to him on the coaching and scouting staffs.

Now that the Vikings have filled out their quarterback room by trading for Howell and signing former Gopher Max Brosmer, what all of these moves mean is that there will be tremendous pressure on McCarthy to capitalize on all of this assembled talent.

He should have a powerhouse offensive line, an effective running game, great receiving depth, a superstar in Justin Jefferson, quality tight ends and a defense that creates turnovers.

The modern athletic cliché is that pressure is a privilege.

For McCarthy, the privilege of a quality roster will create pressure.

Can he handle it?

Would O’Connell invest this much in his offense if he didn’t think McCarthy was ready?

Startribune