Kevin O’Connell Seems to Be Contradicting Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Prior to getting fired, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped in front of the Minnesota media for a presser. He needed to fend off questions about what went wrong, leading to a turn toward Carson Wentz.
The QB2 got added very late, brought aboard after Sam Howell failed to shine within Kevin O’Connell’s system. Minnesota’s pivot was toward Wentz, somebody with connections to the area — he played his college ball at North Dakota State — and a pile of NFL experience. He did reasonably well, a reality that is quite impressive since he didn’t get a full offseason to prepare. The former GM and current HC, Kevin O’Connell, appear to have divergent opinions for how much that matters.
Deliberate or Not, Kevin O’Connell is Singing Different Song
In January, Adofo-Mensah largely refuted the idea that more time to master the scheme would have benefited Wentz. He did, however, note that it was a good question while being a possibility.
“He’s a guy that even when he’s healthy, doesn’t need a lot of reps,” the Vikings GM said of Wentz, “His experience, his intelligence level, his ability to see over the defense. Which was great, ’cause when he was here, it gave Brosmer a chance to get reps.”
Some good thoughts in there.
Adofo-Mensah likes and respects Wentz. A major part of the reason why is because he’s so low maintenance. The veteran journeyman can quickly gobble up a playbook and then execute on the field. Maybe there would be some benefit to having had more practice time and reps, but the potential benefit was largely cast as imperceptible (if there at all).
Go ahead and contrast that with what Kevin O’Connell has been saying. The former NFL passer and current coach who gets praise for his quarterback expertise sees things differently. O’Connell has made a point to emphasize that Wentz did well in spite of having so little time to prepare, possibly suggesting that more time in Minnesota could have been beneficial.
Some quick-hitter snippets:
- February 25th with KFAN’s Paul Allen & Pete Bercich: “Carson Wentz showed up about 5 days before the season started…”
- March 30th at Annual League Meeting: “We all kind of forget that Carson Wentz, when he arrived last year…”
- March 31st with PFT’s Mike Florio & Chris Simms: “Carson came 5 days before the season last year…”
Look around and there’s likely other examples. What follows are reflections on shining against the Bengals in Week 3 despite not having any work in training camp. The critical point that Kevin O’Connell is making is that what Wentz did was super impressive. He shined even though he got close to zero runway to acclimate. Imagine what he could have done with time to get comfortable in his new home.
In a lot of ways, Adofo-Mensah said similarly, noting that Wentz got up to speed very fast. What’s worth remembering, though, is that the GM sidestepped the idea that there was more meat left on the bone when it came to the veteran passer. O’Connell, in contrast, didn’t quite arrive at the same conclusion.
The former GM’s emphasis was on not needing that extra prep to play well; the current HC’s emphasis is on playing well despite the limitation of having no extra prep. See the difference?
Maybe Carson Wentz could have been even better had he had more time. To be sure, O’Connell does affirm a central takeaway that Wentz doesn’t need a huge helping of reps in practice, but he could be understood as leaning toward the idea that more time in the Twin Cities would have helped. At the very least, building a great rapport with the pass catchers might have been helpful.
Another angle: maybe J.J. McCarthy’s development suffered due to Wentz arriving so late.
Needing to fend off Howell now looks like easy work. Fending off Wentz would have been very likely, but McCarthy may have felt more pressure. Even better, there could have been more mentorship for the young fella, contributing toward even a tiny improvement for the No. 10 selection who largely flopped in his debut season as the main starter.
The Vikings’ quarterback room boasts Kyler Murray alongside McCarthy, Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Look for the elder statesman to slot in as the QB3, doing so with the benefit of having a strong understanding of the scheme due to his extended period working in the Twin Cities.
