Kevin O’Connell has been the top Vikings coach since 2022. He has developed a reputation for tasking the players with a large, complex scheme. Many players have indicated that ample mental bandwidth is needed to get things figured out.
Still, though, it’s notable when a coach openly admits that things went too far.
Last week, Wes Phillips chatted with the Minnesota media. The Vikings’ OC ventured into a variety of topics, including the team’s possible Blake Brandel replacement alongside the new fullback being a “meathead.” Similarly notable was his reflections on overburdening the quarterbacks between the ears, making the game too complicated in the process.
Vikings Coach Wes Phillips Says the Obvious
“We probably installed — those guys did a phenomenal job of handling it — but we probably installed too much,” Phillips clarified.
The offensive coordinator went on: “You’re pushing the envelope, pushing the envelope. And I think backing off where it’s still a lot of volume, it’s NFL football. But understanding that, hey, we don’t have to get every variation of every concept in right now.”
To begin, consider what’s not being said.
Phillips isn’t saying the scheme is flawed or in need of wholesale overhaul. Rather, the effort appears to involve a more focused, precise approach to allow the coaches to layer knowledge over time. Fully uncovering every tiny detail in June is no longer viewed as being of the utmost importance; instead, the shift involves knowing there’s time to continue scaffolding the knowledge around these guys.
A few months ago, Coach O’Connell did an interview with Mike Florio and Chris Simms on Pro Football Talk. A notable detail arrived within O’Connell’s acknowledgement of shifting toward a simpler version of football in those final five games. Per O’Connell, the Vikings realized in a new way that running well, minimizing turnovers, and playing stingy defense could lead to wins.
Consider a thought from the skipper: “Maybe I don’t get invited to the smart guy table by playing a certain kind of style where we ran the football, we were not going to turn it over, and we’re going to play great defense. And we won five games in a row.”
“So what I told our team at the end of the year is,” O’Connell further clarified, “let’s not forget the fact that we just learned maybe some new ways to win.” He then said that “maybe we’ll need to really call upon that […] late in December in a bad weather game” before saying that “those types of games still win.”
At the risk of being overly critical, it’s hard to believe Kevin O’Connell was being serious. Maybe it was just a media moment where he was offering a collection of words that don’t mean a ton, but that’s just a wild admission. O’Connell only realized in the final five weeks of his fourth season as the Vikings’ top coach that simplifying the game by running more and playing defense would be helpful? With the oft-injured sophomore passer — J.J. McCarthy — at quarterback?
People in Minnesota may feel inclined to let out a strong uff da.
Consider the lay of the land to function as a summary:
- A few months ago, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he learned that running, not turning the ball over, and playing great defense can be a viable strategy for these Vikings.
- Last week, Wes Phillips indicated that the coaching staff sometimes burdened the passers with too hearty of a mental workload.
- For years players have noted how difficult and complex the scheme is.
At the very least, the Vikings coaches are openly acknowledging that the game has been too complicated at times. So, too, has there been an effort to slowdown the mental demands on the passers in particular. Maybe that leads to good things.
A central truth about football is that the game can be endlessly complex. Wise coaches know how to make the sport simple for their own players while giving the appearance of complexity to the other side.
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