KOC stoked over Wentz's play, looking forward to next Sunday
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Kevin O'Connell praises Vikings' Carson Wentz
After the win, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke to the media and noted that he wasn't surprised that Wentz could play mistake-free football to lead Minnesota to a much-needed win.
"When you go back, and you really go back over the timeline when he's been given really good opportunity, normally he's played really good football," O'Connell said. "And I've always been a fan of his. He's big, he's strong, he's smart, he commands.
"And I told him when we took him out of the game, I was the least surprised person in the whole building today that he was able to go out there and effectively run our offense. And I think there's a reason why he came here. He had a lot of opportunities potentially.
"So you fire away and let's rock. And that was probably as exciting as anything throughout the week, because then at that point, I knew the trust was there. We clearly trusted him to. To go play football, and he did so many good things today. And I think he'd be the first one to tell you that there's even more comfort now that he's kind of gone through a full week, played a game, and now he'll get another opportunity here."
After the win, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke to the media and noted that he wasn't surprised that Wentz could play mistake-free football to lead Minnesota to a much-needed win.
"When you go back, and you really go back over the timeline when he's been given really good opportunity, normally he's played really good football," O'Connell said. "And I've always been a fan of his. He's big, he's strong, he's smart, he commands.
"And I told him when we took him out of the game, I was the least surprised person in the whole building today that he was able to go out there and effectively run our offense. And I think there's a reason why he came here. He had a lot of opportunities potentially.
"So you fire away and let's rock. And that was probably as exciting as anything throughout the week, because then at that point, I knew the trust was there. We clearly trusted him to. To go play football, and he did so many good things today. And I think he'd be the first one to tell you that there's even more comfort now that he's kind of gone through a full week, played a game, and now he'll get another opportunity here."
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Sep 22, 7:03 AM
Sep 22, 2025 7:03 AM
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MaroonBells wrote:Yeah, that has me scratching my head as well. But KOC sure seems [i]genuinely[/i] excited about Carson's play and the potential next week and after until JJ's return. I didn't realize Wentz is such a big, long limbed QB....I mean he's just a big dude. Big arm. KOC is going to be able to do a lot with him, but using his legs is not one of them. That's ok for now. He's not a complete statue in the pocket, so that's a plus. He can slide and move a bit. Carson was having fun yesterday, lots of smiling.
So why, then, did we wasted all that time with Sam Howell? Interesting that he says Wentz had "a lot of opportunities, potentially." Sure, he would now with all the injuries to QBs. Maybe that's what KOC meant. But why was he sitting on his hands all summer?
edited Sep 22, 2025 8:07 AM
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comet52 wrote:I tend to agree, but Wentz was a steadying influence at the least in a game that might be hard to gather long-term information from. Next week will be a better judgement on Wentz IMO. I think KOC's enthusiasm comes from the limited time Wentz was in Minnesota and how he's grasped the offense early.
I didn't see anything stoke-worthy. He did ok on the scripted opener then he looked like panic in the pocket Wentz for a while. Then the D and the run game took over and he settled down and managed the game which I think is his ceiling.
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Vikergirl wrote:He didn't mess up, so I'll take that for sure. But again, any drive Cincy started, and they did have some drives going, ended with a turnover in that first half. It was 31-3 in the blink of an eye. It'll be fun to watch Wentz the next 2 weeks in Europe, we'll get a better understanding then.
Wentz played smart, that was the key. He didn't have to be flashy. He took what was given and got the job done. Can he do better or more? Absolutely. All things considered, I'll take it
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JimmyinSD wrote:I would agree. Maybe a good kind of drama to have in the short term? JJM is still obviously their guy, but riding a truly hot hand would certainly at least need a discussion internally.
KOC may be happy with Wentz, but he didnt waste anytime setting a return date for JJM. which is a good thing for the kids mental state, however it may be kind of tough to go back to the kid if Wentz does play well across the pond and we are sitting with the meat of our schedule coming up when we come back from the bye.
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