The 2022 Vikings had a brand new leader in Kevin O’Connell, in the head coaching position. O’Connell’s influence in the locker room and on the field was well-documented and played a large part in the team’s 13-4 record. While O’Connell has a lot of work to do since it looks like the team may be headed for a down year in 2023, let’s look at how O’Connell’s freshman year stacks up in comparison to past Vikings head coaches.
Bud Grant
Grant is far and away the most successful coach that the Vikings have ever had leading the team. He led the franchise to its four Super Bowl appearances and won the division 11 times. Bud Grant has the most wins for a Vikings head coach and sits at 19th all-time for wins as an NFL head coach. Sadly, on March 11th this year Bud Grant passed away at 95 years old. Bud Grant was a big part of the Vikings community and the loss has echoed throughout the community he helped build.
Bud Grant’s first season coaching the Minnesota Vikings came in 1967. Grant inherited a roster with Carl Eller and Jim Marshall on the defensive line. He also had rookies Jim Kapp and Alan Page starting. This was the Vikings’ first year without hall-of-famer Fran Tarkenton under center. The team’s inexperience at head coach, quarterback, and defensive tackle showed as the team went 3-8-3. Kapp struggled at quarterback posting 8 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on the season. However, Grant turned the team around and took the team to the playoffs the next year with a record of 8-6. O’Connell inherited a better team in 2022, however, the 1967 roster that Grant took over was better positioned for future success, as seen by the five-win turnaround from 1967 to 1968 and the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in 1969.
Dennis Green
In 1992, the Vikings hired Dennis Green and he started his journey to become the second-winningest coach in franchise history. In his rookie season, the team went 11-5 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. The team he took over had Chris Carter, Randall McDaniel, and Chris Doleman contributing the most. Dennis Green’s first season with the team was very similar to Kevin O’Connell’s as both coaches took over teams with a wealth of talent, won the division, and ended up as first-round exits.
Dennis Green’s success in his first year may be more impressive solely by the quarterback position. Green and the 1992 Vikings had Rich Gannon under center and he threw for 1,905 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over 12 games. Kirk Cousins may not be a top-10 quarterback but he is certainly more serviceable than Gannon was. However, while Green’s success in his first year was restricted by the quarterback position, O’Connell’s squad was hampered on the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, Green’s team had four Pro Bowlers on defense. O’Connell and Green had very similar first years with the Vikings, inciting hope into the franchise with relatively successful seasons.
Mike Zimmer
Mike Zimmer was hired by the Vikings in 2014 from the Cincinnati Bengals where he was the team’s defensive assistant. Zimmer led the team to a 7-9 season, a two-win improvement from the 2013 team. The roster featured no Pro Bowl players. The offense was led by Greg Jennings and Matt Asiata, while Harrison Smith and Everson Griffen were stalwarts on defense. 2014 was Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr’s rookie seasons. Though the team finished third in the NFC North, the team was trending upward and was ready to get Adrian Peterson back after his suspension.
Zimmer’s successor had a similar hope-inspiring first season, however, Kevin O’Connell did it by winning a lot more games and he did it on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is where O’Connell has a lot of room to grow in year two and with Brian Flores helping out, fans should be able to look forward to a better defense. Though the Vikings are a popular pick to regress next season, Kevin O’Connell’s first year guiding the team shows as much promise as any other past Vikings head coach’s first year.
