A year ago at this time, Skoldiers couldn’t help but fixate on the latest and greatest hotshot coordinator to be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Shoot, even a few folks (yours truly included) were intrigued at the idea/rumor of a maverick offensive-minded college coach by the name of Lane Kiffin coming to town. But, as we near the finish line of the 2022 season, the Vikings and New York Giants are jockeying for position within the NFC playoff picture with first-year NFL head coaches.
Let’s take a look back at the process the Wilfs spearheaded that ultimately landed O’Connell.
The Vikings interviewed nine different candidates for their head coaching position:
- Kevin O’Connell — Former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
- DeMeco Ryans — San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator
- Jonathan Gannon — Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator
- Nathanial Hackett — Former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, current Denver Broncos head coach
- Kellen Moore — Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
- Dan Quinn — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator
- Jim Harbaugh — University of Michigan Wolverines head coach
- Raheem Morris — Los Angles Rams defensive coordinator
- Todd Bowles — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator, current Buccaneers head coach
You’ll notice that current Giants head coach and former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll didn’t even get an interview with the Vikings. At the time, Daboll’s absence from the interview process was a bit peculiar. And considering New York’s 8-5-1 record with a roster filled with subpar talent, it feels like the Wilfs should have spoken with the guy, at least. On paper, Daboll checked many of the same boxes (and a few additional ones) as O’Connell. Daboll was the coach pulling the strings and calling the plays for Buffalo’s high-flying offense since 2018.
It wasn’t universal by any means, but it felt like most Skoldiers were hoping for Minnesota’s new head coach to be someone who could truly maximize Justin Jefferson. They wanted the new coach to stick the former LSU National Champion wide receiver into a pass-first offense and a scheme that would allow him to be the reason why the Vikings won many football games.
Daboll most certainly checked that box during his time with the Bills. In 2020, Daboll’s first season with Stefon Diggs in Buffalo’s offense back, Diggs led the NFL in both receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). More importantly, Buffalo won 13 regular-season games and advanced to the AFC Championship game — where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. It was the first time the Bills had reached the conference championship game since 1993.
Additionally, Daboll was the Bills’ offensive play-caller, differentiating himself from O’Connell. While O’Connell worked under Sean McVay, play-calling responsibilities fell on the Rams’ head coach, not the offensive coordinator. With ample experience as an NFL play-caller, Daboll appeared to be better prepared to hit the ground running with his offense in Year 1 as an NFL head coach. Ironically, once Daboll landed with the Giants, he handed his offensive play-calling duties off to former Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka, who joined Daboll in New York as his offensive coordinator. And O’Connell has been Minnesota’s play-caller this season, with offensive coordinator Wes Phillips assuming the non-play-caller offensive coordinator role that O’Connell had with the Rams.
While it isn’t exactly a fair contest based on the talent discrepancy for both offenses, the Vikings and O’Connell are having considerably more success than Daboll’s offense with the Giants in their debut seasons. And if you happen to fall into the bucket of Skoldiers that was hoping for a head coach who could unleash Jefferson, then it’s really no contest between the two head coaches this year.
Vikings offense:
- 8th in points
- 13th in yards
- 3rd in pass attempts
- 7th in passing yards
- 6th in passing touchdowns
- 26th in rush attempts
- 28th in rushing yards
- 7th in rushing touchdowns
Giants offense:
- 20th in points
- 22nd in yards
- 27th in pass attempts
- 28th in passing yards
- 28th in passing touchdowns
- 5th in rush attempts
- 6th in rushing yards
- 5th in rushing touchdowns
In an alternate reality, would the Vikings be a bottom-feeder passing offense with Daboll as their head coach this season? Probably not. Daboll and Kafka simply have to make do with their existing personnel in New York, and the best way for the Giants to generate consistent offense is to get Saquon Barkley rolling early and often.
And while we’re living in this reality, it’s nearly impossible to ask for anything more than what O’Connell has given the Vikings in Year 1 — especially if you’re someone that wanted the Wilfs to hire a head coach that would force-feed Jefferson. Similar to Daboll’s debut season with Diggs in Buffalo, Jefferson currently leads the NFL in receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,623) while playing in O’Connell’s offense. It’s worth pointing out that this is the second straight season where O’Connell coached the NFL’s receptions and receiving yardage leader after overseeing Cooper Kupp win the NFL’s triple crown in receiving last season with the Rams.
And eerily similar to O’Connell’s 2021 season with Kupp, Jefferson is currently on pace to break Calvin Johnson‘s all-time NFL single-season receiving yardage record that he set in 2012. With three games left to play, Minnesota’s third-year receiver is on pace for 1,971 receiving yards. Megatron’s record is 1,964 yards; Kupp fell just 17 yards short of Johnson’s record last season.
In late May, I wrote about the possibility of Jefferson becoming the Best Receiver in the League this season. And although the counting stats have always been important for this particular title, having the ability to make winning plays in big games is what I believed to be the separator. Just like we’ve seen from Kupp and Diggs over the past two seasons. In 2022, Jefferson has gone above and beyond in the Big-Time Players Make Big-Time Plays In Big-Time Games department. And that’s a testament to O’Connell for prioritizing his best player throughout the year in gotta-have-it situations.
After leading the NFC in votes for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games, Jefferson is staring down the barrel of NFL history with Calvin Johnson’s receiving yards record. And the Vikings are NFC North champions with an outside shot of securing the NFC’s top seed if the Eagles flounder down the stretch without MVP-candidate Jalen Hurts.
A year ago, this was always the dream scenario as the Vikings embarked on their quest for a new head coach. And although Daboll appeared to be more than capable of maximizing Jefferson in Minnesota, the Wilfs deserve a ton of credit for knocking it out of the park with O’Connell.
Now the real question is: Can Kevin O’Styles’ Vikings offense “Keep Driving” this week against Wink Martindale’s Giants defense?
