{"id":512828,"date":"2022-11-20T07:47:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T04:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/kevin-oconnells-brand-of-leadership-has-vikings-rolling\/"},"modified":"2022-11-20T07:47:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-20T04:47:58","slug":"kevin-oconnells-brand-of-leadership-has-vikings-rolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kevin-oconnells-brand-of-leadership-has-vikings-rolling\/","title":{"rendered":"#Kevin O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s brand of leadership has Vikings rolling"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40721e0de6f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40721e0de6f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kevin-oconnells-brand-of-leadership-has-vikings-rolling\/#%E2%80%9CKevin_OConnells_brand_of_leadership_has_Vikings_rolling%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Kevin O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s brand of leadership has Vikings rolling&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CKevin_OConnells_brand_of_leadership_has_Vikings_rolling%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Kevin O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s brand of leadership has Vikings rolling&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/steve-serby-02.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Steve Serby\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/steve-serby-02.png 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/steve-serby-02.png?w=38 38w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The father knows best why the Vikings are in good hands with first-year head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s always been a natural leader, even from the time he was a young guy in junior high and high school,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell told Serby Says of his son. \u201cHe was a captain at his high school and he was a four-year captain at San Diego State. And he\u2019s perfected it, too. He\u2019s been a student of leadership, and a student of the mentors he\u2019s played for and coached with and coached for.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s very, very in tune in the modern generation and his generation as to goal-setting and he\u2019s more people-oriented. He believes you can do things being positive and supporting and reinforcing his players, reinforcing the staff and I think he\u2019s a strong advocate that negativism is not gonna get you anywhere, you gotta come every day to the job with a positive attitude and again, not worried about mistakes, just working to avoid them, not repeat them and improve yourself and improve your team and the individual play of his players. He stresses that to his players every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bill O\u2019Connell will be there Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium with his wife, Suzanne, and her 88-year-old father, watching his son\u2019s 8-1 Vikings try to beat the Cowboys and close in on clinching the NFC North title.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want the best outcome for him,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said. \u201cYou want him to make good decisions. You want his team to respond. For me personally, there\u2019s a lot of pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t drank an alcoholic beverage since he\u2019s played or coached during the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, and I continue to do that. I will not have a beer until after the game,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/FOOTBALL-NFL-NO-MIN_.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Vikings\" class=\"wp-image-24722398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/FOOTBALL-NFL-NO-MIN_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/FOOTBALL-NFL-NO-MIN_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/FOOTBALL-NFL-NO-MIN_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Viking coach Kevin O\u2019Connell talks to Kirk Cousin.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Action Images via Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Skol, Kevin O\u2019Connell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst interaction with this man, you would understand that he\u2019s a leader, or if you\u2019re stranded on an island somewhere, this guy might be the one to coordinate how to get out of there,\u201d Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips told Serby Says. \u201cJust his presence alone kinda demands respect, and then he gains respect by giving respect, and I think that\u2019s a really cool trait he has.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI would say it\u2019s a collaborative leadership,\u201d Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen told Serby Says. \u201cIt\u2019s a leadership that takes in account the other leaders of the organization to come with educated answers as far as how to do things, how to structure practice, how to maybe adjust things when they need to be adjusted. So you can really feel that even though that we\u2019re not involved in a lot of those conversations. \u2026 It\u2019s not just him making decisions off of emotions or different things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The town is still buzzing about their Miracle Vikings following the improbable comeback win last Sunday at Buffalo: a 33-30 overtime thriller featuring Justin Jefferson\u2019s ridiculous one-handed catch on a fourth down to keep a fourth-quarter touchdown drive alive before Minnesota recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final minute of regulation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe kinda motivates you by just letting you be yourself and finding he best way to make the best version of yourself,\u201d Philips said. \u201cHe\u2019s not a big whoop-and-hollering, big-talking guy, so that when he does talk, when he does whoop and holler, you know that it\u2019s big.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes it\u2019s through visually, like showing us on film like, \u2018Hey, this is how it\u2019s done, showing examples of players making plays, doing things above and beyond to help his team win,\u2019 \u201d Thielen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really good motivation technique because guys see that and they want to be on that film in front of the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kevin O\u2019Connell, 37 now, was an Eagles fan who idolized Randall Cunningham, sitting at the Vet with his father, before becoming a 6-foot-5 quarterback who was drafted by the Patriots in the third round out of San Diego State in 2008.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/1422897002.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Vikings\" class=\"wp-image-24722424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/1422897002.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/1422897002.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/1422897002.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Kevin O\u2019Connell hugs receiver Justin Jefferson. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cLuckily he got drafted by the New England Patriots,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said. \u201cAlthough unluckily, he got drafted by the New England Patriots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, he got to be a sponge alongside Tom Brady. He was 4-for-6 for 23 yards as a rookie and never threw another NFL regular-season pass at several other stops.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAt that point he viewed Brady as a definite icon and as a leader and as somebody who Day 1 when he walked on the facility at Foxborough, he was completely in awe of Tom,\u201d the father said. \u201cBut Tom was fabulous. Tom took him under his wing, and they had a great relationship while he was there and he tried to exchange and teach Kevin quite a bit, as did [Bill] Belichick and the other coaches, Josh MvDaniels. They still have a very good relationship to this very day as friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, Kevin O\u2019Connell got to observe Belichick as up close and as personal as anyone possibly can.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he learned how to come to work every day and to be expected to give 150 percent and just be the best you could be, cut down on the mistakes, always improve your execution, always improve your personal skills, and just discipline \u2026 discipline on the field, discipline in your life,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said. \u201cAnd I think the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> orderliness of how Coach Belichick runs a football team and runs a season and runs a game, frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bill O\u2019Connell mentions the impact Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine, now Vikings assistant head coach, made on his son when he was with the Jets for two stints in 2009-10 and back in 2011 after a quick stop with the Dolphins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was funny, this thing about him coaching went all the way back to the days of Mark Sanchez when Kevin was kinda the quarterback whisperer if you will, or the father confessor to Mark Sanchez,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/Packers_Vikings_Football.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Vikings\" class=\"wp-image-24722457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/Packers_Vikings_Football.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/Packers_Vikings_Football.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/Packers_Vikings_Football.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It is never easy surrendering your NFL quarterback dream.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s tough for any young man like Kevin,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said. \u201cThere\u2019s 32 starting jobs every season, and there\u2019s many, many talented human beings who play quarterback in the National Football League. \u2026 I think he was a precursor to some of the guys that play today. However these guys that play today are highly, highly accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the love of the game wouldn\u2019t let his boy leave it after retiring in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe just became more and more intellectually involved in the game, and eventually that transition was easy for him because he join realized when his playing days were over, he had a tremendous interest and a love for staying in the game intellectually and just loved the game, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s migrated to the coaching ranks,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n<p>His son learned his craft at several different coaching venues before joining Rams head coach Sean McVay as offensive coordinator in 2020 and winning Super Bowl LVI this past February at SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Sean and Kevin formed a very deep bond and lifelong friendship,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n<p>Bill O\u2019Connell, who lives in Carlsbad, Calif., developed a friendship with McVay and his staff and players.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe lived and died and we cried and we cheered,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was incredible. It was a fantasy year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some 20 extended family members, including five of Bill O\u2019Conell\u2019s six grandchildren, got to watch Kevin O\u2019Connell hold the Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe absolute tearjerker for the family was my daughter [Kelly] and grandkids, Kevin\u2019s children, were allowed down on the field after the game and they ran out, and just to watch the whole family jump together and run, and run to him. It was a moment that my wife and I will never ever forget,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n<p>Now Kevin O\u2019Connell and rookie general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have a team to believe in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u2019s bought in. \u2026 No one is bitching and complaining and talking about not playing or not starting or not getting the playing time they want,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard any of that in our locker room, which I think is a rarity in this business.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a real relationship from coaches and players,\u201d Thielen said. \u201cI\u2019ve never really seen that before in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is an easy relatability between the former quarterback, now head coach, and Kirk Cousins, who has five game-winning drives as the Vikings have won seven straight games by eight points or fewer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he really understands that everybody can\u2019t be coached the same, and he knows that to get the best out of everybody individually you have to do things differently per individual,\u201d Thielen said.<\/p>\n<p>The postgame flights back home, on which first Cousins (aka Kirko Chainz) and then Patrick Peterson, posed shirtless with chains have been a viral sensation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last few plane <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s on the way back, I don\u2019t think I sat down once,\u201d Thielen said.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin O\u2019Connell has been a breath of fresh air following Mike Zimmer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a father,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell said, \u201cyour son has one of 32 jobs in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bill O\u2019Connell was a 220-pound strong safety and weak-side linebacker at Villanova with an NFL dream, but a neck injury shattered it at the end of his junior year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a very profound and sad moment for me,\u201d the father said. \u201cBut to have a son, and then have him take up the game of football, and have him engage in the playing and then the coaching side of it, it\u2019s the best of both worlds for me, I\u2019ll tell ya.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/11\/19\/kevin-oconnells-brand-of-leadership-has-vikings-rolling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Kevin O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s brand of leadership has Vikings rolling&#8221; The father knows best why the Vikings are in good hands with first-year head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell. \u201cHe\u2019s always been a natural leader, even from the time he was a young guy in junior high and high school,\u201d Bill O\u2019Connell told Serby Says of his son. \u201cHe&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":512829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/FOOTBALL-NFL-NO-MIN_.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[135848,71897,71898,71586],"class_list":["post-512828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-19-22","tag-kirk-cousins","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-serby-says"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}