Vikings Coach Talks Player Who has Been “So Dang Good”
Like a fine wine, Brian O’Neill seems to be getting better with age.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell knows that he’s fortunate to have the right tackle in town. In his recent press conference, O’Connell explained that Mr. O’Neill has been “so dang good,” fancy football jargon to underscore the lineman’s brilliance. Even better than the on-field play, per O’Connell, is the leadership that his veteran lineman has been providing.
Vikings Coach Talks Brian O’Neill’s Elite Season
The question notes that PFF has been impressed by the work O’Neill has been doing, so let’s start there.
O’Neill is sitting at 8th among 77 offensive tackles with an 83.8 grade. If that number holds, O’Neill will finish the year with his best ever grade. As a pass blocker he is snagging an 82.3 grade (13th) and as a run blocker he is snagging an 80.4 grade (10th). In other words, O’Neill is performing admirably in both components of the game.
There have been three penalties — not excellent, not horrendous — but the more promising numbers rest in pass pro: a single sack allowed and then just 9 pressures. Great stuff.
Consider some of what O’Connell had to say about his veteran right tackle.
After noting the significance of losing Christian Darrisaw, O’Connell said that O’Neill’s excellence has taken on added importance: “I think if Brian wasn’t playing to the level that he consistently has every game all season long, maybe we’d be in a little bit more of a crisis-management mode.”
O’Connell goes on: “Brian’s been so dang good, so consistent. And everything he’s been on the field, he’s been times ten from a leadership standpoint.” O’Connell thinks that O’Neill has “been fantastic” when it comes to upping his leadership and that “he deserves a lot of credit for the year he’s had.”
ESPN tracks NFL offensive lineman to see how often they win their pass and run blocks. In pass-block win rate, O’Neill comes in at 6th in the NFL. Combining the insight from PFF, the words from O’Connell, and the percentage from ESPN ends up painting a pretty clear picture: Brian O’Neill has something figured out when it comes to playing right tackle.
Across his ten starts in ten games, Mr. O’Neill is up to 650 snaps for the offense. That works out to 100% of the total.
Next up will be the Chicago Bears, a team that has recently fallen on hard times. Look beyond the recent losing streak, though, and you’ll see a team with the NFL’s 7th-ranked defense. Up front, players like Montez Sweat, DeMarcus Walker, and Gervon Dexter are a handful.
O’Neill will once again need to offer excellent play for the Vikings to pull off a road win in a tough environment.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.