Video: Kevin O’Connell Gets Cut During Jets Hard Knocks

Mar 2, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Not too long ago, Kevin O’Connell was trying to make it as a QB in the NFL. He was drafted by the Patriots in 2008 in the third round. As a rookie, his statistics weren’t much to write home about: 4 completions on 6 attempts for 23 yards. These would be his only plays in his NFL career.

After some time with the Pats, he went to the Lions, Dolphins, and Jets (one team short of getting the entire AFC East). New York was on Hard Knocks – a behind-the-scenes HBO series the covers an NFL team through training camp and preaseason – when O’Connell was in town. A recent tweet shows the clip of Minnesota’s head coach learning that he was getting cut:

Obviously, it’s never fun being cut from a team. To his credit, Kevin O’Connell handles the situation well, demonstrating grace and professionalism as the Hard Knocks cameras capture his disappointment.

Fortunately for the Vikings, O’Connell is now leveraging his experience as a player to help him as a coach. Being a backup QB requires a lot of mental effort. It’s a lot of preparation and then helping the starter to decipher what’s occurring during a game. It makes a lot of sense, then, that backup QBs can often become great coaches.

On this year’s Hard Knocks, Kevin O’Connell can see the division rival Detroit Lions. Their rookie EDGE made some headlines for his performance of the Michael Jackson classic:

O’Connell’s various experiences in the NFL will serve him well as a head coach. The season is drawing near, so we’ll soon know if he is ready to lead the Vikings to the NFC playoffs.



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