O'Connell's creativity may be limited by Murray's potential downturn

In an era that is part of the NFL’s past, a coach was judged by his toughness, discipline and the fear he induced in his own players. The names included some of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history including Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bud Grant and Don Shula.

Today’s coaches don’t have to crack the whip, and nobody adheres to this philosophy more than Kevin O’Connell.

The Vikings head coach has developed a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the Twin Cities. His postgame speeches and remarks to the media almost always focus on the positive and how the team is growing.

Is he the same way behind closed doors or when he is speaking to his players and assistant coaches on a 1-on-1 basis? As the man in charge of the direction the organization is going, he can’t always be Dale Carnegie by trying to win friends and influence people. He has to be straight-forward in those situations.

O’Connell knows how to diagnose what a defense is trying to do in order to slow down his offense. He gives his players a game plan that allows them to take advantage of their talents. The problem the past two seasons has been getting the QB play he needs to take advantage of his creativity — an insight he gained at the shoulder of Sean McVay when he was the Rams’ offensive coordinator.

His work in Los Angeles led to his hiring by the Vikings, and he had excellent success with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold at quarterback. The Vikings decided not to hold on to either quarterback, and the hope is that Kyler Murray can step in this season and fulfill expectations.

Murray may have limitations as Vikings QB

The early returns are not great as Murray suffered a concussion in his first game and appeared quite limited when he returned in Week 3 against the Buccaneers. One of Murray’s main attributes that O’Connell liked was his escapability and his talent for making plays with his feet.

That may no longer be the case. While  Murray has had seasons where he has run for 819 yards in 2020 and 572 yards in 2024 with the Arizona Cardinals, that ability may have dissipated. He had one play in the victory over Tampa Bay that saw him run for 12 yards and a first down. However, he was sacked three times and clearly felt the pressure from the Tampa Bay defense.

If Murray has lost some of his overall athleticism or has become a bit fearful over future injury possibilities, O’Connell’s coaching creativity may not be the key factor that the Vikings need it to be.