Kevin O'Connell shows support for heavily-criticized player

Kevin O'Connell took some time on Wednesday to praise a player who's been heavily-criticized. 

At his Wednesday press conference, O'Connell was asked about Alex Mattison and the criticism he's faced. KOC could've added to the pile, but instead the coach took another route. 

"As far as the criticism goes, it’s not something we’re really concerned with," O'Connell explained.  

O'Connell went on to compliment the back's consistency and toughness. 

 Yeah, Alex has been incredibly consistent in his role in every phase of our offense. I think there’s been some things that he’s kind of made to come to life even in his last game where maybe it wasn’t blocked as clean as we had hoped, if we had an unscouted look or whatever it was, and Alex found a way to churn out some yards and stay efficient. I like how physical he runs. I think he does a really nice job in the protection phase. I think he does a really nice job of catching the ball out of the backfield when we can give him a chance and turning those into opportunities 

For the first time this season, Ty Chandler received 10 carries against the Broncos, cutting into Mattison's workload. Many Vikings' fans were impressed by Chandler's pass-catching ability and his shiftiness. 

However, it doesn't seem like KOC will be making a permanent change any time soon. 

Mattison has 542 yards on 148 carries this season. The RB has yet to get a rushing touchdown, however.