Kevin O'Connell is not trying to hide the QB competition
Vikings head coach talked Tuesday to open camp and was transparent about the process of the quarterback competition
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — A decade ago when the Minnesota Vikings acquired Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Mike Zimmer was so concerned about the Green Bay Packers finding out that Bradford was going to start Week 2 that he refused to admit throughout the weeks’ press conferences that Bradford was going under center that week rather than backup Shaun Hill.
Inside the media room, there was howling laughter when Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, “we’re definitely preparing for Sam Bradford.”
Zim didn’t fool the Pack, but he did get the win that week.
Kevin O’Connell has decided that playing smoke and mirror games with the media, fans and opponents and/or treating the quarterbacks like they are on Survivor Season 50 are unnecessacary tactics.
During Tuesday’s press conference at TCO Performance Center, he opted out of subterfuge and explained exactly how things were going to work in the coming weeks.
For starters, the plan to begin training camp during the unpadded practices is to split the first-team reps 50-50 between Kyler Murray and JJ McCarthy.
As camp progresses, the rep counts aren’t likely to stay exactly at 50% for each QB because of the way certain drills play out.
“There’s some periods where the amount of plays is unknown sometimes as you really start to get into what real football is,” O’Connell said. “So there may be some [days] where it’s going to be hard to really kind of quantify, what exactly was [the percentage]? As practices get going, it’s not that exact science.”
O’Connell could have elected to flip QB1s by the day and have Murray or McCarthy take all the reps one day and then switch but O’Connell indicated that’s not how it’s going to go. Instead it will be by the period. But the quarterback who isn’t taking the first team reps will be working with the second unit.
“I think that gives different layers to the evaluation as well,” O’Connell explained. “We want an elevator at the quarterback position. And in many ways, doing that in this system is kind of a do-your-job mentality, which is running the show, throwing completions, and just showing the ability to execute our offense with comfort.”
One of the biggest questions about the competition is when O’Connell and the staff will make their decision. It’s a tight rope to walk because the head coach wants to give each QB their fair shake but the competition can’t go on all summer. The starting quarterback will need plenty of time to get ready for Week 1.
“There’s absolutely a date in mind and subject to what we think is best,” O’Connell said. “If we feel like we can make the decision before that date, we will. If we feel like we need a little bit more time, we’ll take it. And ultimately, a lot of work’s been done to this point and been evaluated both on the field and where we think guys are at from their understanding and comfort of our offense.”
O’Connell was asked specifically about whether he would continue the competition into the joint practices, which are set for August 19 and 20th.
“We want this to be the right decision when that time comes,” O’Connell said. “What I will tell you is we want to make sure that there is a comprehensive decision made, but I’m well aware having gone through training camps before as a player and a coach at that position, the time it takes to truly go into Week 1 comfortable and ready to get off to a really good start.”
One could interpret his comment as saying that they would like to have a QB1 settled by the joint practices because the starting quarterback for Week 1 needs a certain amount of time to feel fully prepared for the season.
When the competition is said and done, we will not have to wait with bated breath to know the victor.
O’Connell said that he plans to make an announcement when the dust settles.
“When the decision’s made, a process will take place and then we’ll move forward and go try to win games,” he said.
The terms of engagement that O’Connell laid out for the media on Tuesday are not new to the combatants involved. KOC got together with all the quarterbacks and explained to them exactly how things were going to play out.
“I met with all those guys on an individual basis over the last day or so and really just want to be able to articulate the vision and the plan,” O’Connell said.
Another thing worth wondering is how involved new general manager Nolan Teasley will be in the process of selecting the starting quarterback.
He explained that this operation falls under the coach’s juristiction.
“We’ve actively talked about every decision that we’ve made, big or small,” Teasley said. “This will be no different. When it’s decision-making time, I mean, ultimately, you want to give your coaching staff that freedom to make that choice. But certainly, I should have the ability to offer a different vantage point, and we’ll discuss it actively.”
So we know exactly how it’s going to go. Now it’s time to play football.
Brian O’Neill extension
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