Vikings TE Explains What Kind of Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Is
The Minnesota Vikings have raced out to 11 wins through 13 games this season. They weren’t supposed to be this good. In fact, they were expected to be bad. A significant asset that went unaccounted for is just how good of a coach Kevin O’Connell is. You’ve seen that, but T.J. Hockenson wanted to make it perfectly clear.
T.J. Hockenson fawns over Minnesota Vikings head coach
The first year Kevin O’Connell took over as head coach for the Minnesota Vikings, he was suddenly without a tight end. Irv Smith Jr. wound up hurt, again, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went to work grabbing T.J. Hockenson. Now in the third season playing for him, Hockenson couldn’t be more thankful to have a strong leader.
#Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson on HC Kevin O’Connell’s leadership:
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) December 12, 2024
"KO, he's a great leader, first and foremost. I mean, when he stands in front of the team, he expects a lot out of you & he'll challenge you in a lot of different ways, but he also cares.”
pic.twitter.com/TY6Y5OQTvt
“KO, he’s a great leader, first and foremost. I mean, when he stands in front of the team, he expects a lot out of you & he’ll challenge you in a lot of different ways, but he also cares. He cares about his players, he cares about what goes on in this building. And he really tries to build that culture of all the guys truly loving each other & truly having fun playing football. This league, it can sometimes be a job, but KO always tries to make it fun. This building, this organization, is a lot of fun to be around.”
T.J. Hockenson on what makes Kevin O’Connell different (Gojo and Golic)
Hockenson joined the Gojo and Golic podcast and made perfect sense of why the Vikings have seen so much success. Belief runs deep throughout the locker room, and that starts with the head coach. It is beyond evident how much buy in he has as shown each week in his locker room speeches.
Who are we?
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 8, 2024
And what are we about?
Well today, we showed it. pic.twitter.com/LY6Xt0DKo3
O’Connell has been able to get the most out of former first round castoff Sam Darnold. The quarterback is playing at an MVP-caliber level. Since returning from his knee injury, Hockenson has held his own as well. He has turned 27 receptions into 299 yards and his 11.1 yards per reception are the best he has ever been in a Vikings uniform.
Related: Lions’ Star Wide Receiver Fears Packers More Than Vikings
Minnesota continues to be slept on nationally when it comes to discussions about the best teams in football. They’ll have opportunity to prove it again with games still left against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. The team clearly isn’t worried about the respect of anyone outside the locker room, however.
The Vikings continue to surge due to the leadership of O’Connell. As Hockenson displays, the players are bought in and that’s what matters. Doubt Minnesota if you wish, but there’s no doubting what O’Connell is doing.
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