Keep Injecting Kevin O’Connell’s Postgame Speeches Into My Veins
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, it’s hard to pick just one best part of the team’s 14 wins, but if I had to land on just one, it’s 100% going to be the 14 postgame speeches from Kevin O’Connell. Maybe it’s hard to get fired up about a ho-hum win against the Chicago Bears or AFC South bottom-feeder, but 10 seconds of KOC in the locker room will make you feel like the Vikings just won a playoff game.
Kevin O'Connell has created a culture in Minnesota that repeatedly grades out as the highest in the league.
His players love him, he's an incredible play caller but his post game speeches are like no other. pic.twitter.com/KRa7yv9Xy0
— Cam (@42Cyc) September 16, 2024
This was back in September, and I am still giddy with excitement over it.
I’ve settled into a great routine after each of these 14 wins. Scroll Twitter, look for Sam Darnold‘s praise or hate, listen to some of the postgame press conferences from KOC and others, and then wait for the Vikings media team to put out that locker room speech.
He commands the locker room’s respect and adoration because he heaps those things on his players. But while KOC takes center stage, it’s a team game, even in these speeches. As the coach hands out game balls, the team goes nuts, happy for any teammate, whether it’s a superstar or an overlooked role player getting their due. On Sunday, we saw this infectious attitude fully take root, with the entire team pouring water on Darnold, their quarterback and unlikely leader.
Here's the Vikings' shower of Sam Darnold after he got to the locker room: pic.twitter.com/TxX5ARbpKk
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) December 30, 2024
Somehow, that heartwarming display wasn’t the most telling image to come out of that soaked locker room. In an alternate shot of the scene, we see O’Connell standing by the wall and just smiling, observing the team culture he built.
This video of Kevin O’Connell watching the guys celebrate is awesome pic.twitter.com/rhmN8dkMDQ
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 30, 2024
You can see that moment sink in for O’Connell. What you can’t see (unless you’re holding up a mirror while you watch) is it sinking in for Vikings fans. We’re not far removed from the Mike Zimmer Era, where the grumpy coach wouldn’t look in the direction of some of his players.
The good feelings in the locker room and their belief in each other have fueled the team as much as O’Connell’s scheming, and even within a fan base constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop while the clock strikes midnight, O’Connell’s charisma seems to keep things on the rails.
All season, everyone has been waiting for Darnold to go back to the version of himself that played for the Jets, or for the defense to be exposed, or anything at all to go wrong. But week after week, the Vikings shut out the noise and haters and just kept winning games. For O’Connell, it must like a dad watching his kids grow up, learn the right lessons from them, then watching the next generation raise kids of their own. KOC doesn’t say any words as he observes his team, but his face says everything.
With everyone good and drenched, O’Connell’s postgame speech started, and his first order of business was to give everyone some props. “I got one game ball for everyone in this room… I love watching this team play, but there’s a whole lot that love everything about this team. What you’re made of, the fight, and your ability to finish the game just like we just did, so everyone in here gets one of these.”
There are a lot of people that love everything about this football team.
And that's what makes this thing so special.#Skol pic.twitter.com/8c2Rp3EqUt
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 30, 2024
Then it came time to deliver the individual game balls. These went to Jalen Nailor, Cam Akers, Aaron Jones, Blake Cashman, and Jerry Tillery. The last one, as it has so often this season, went to Darnold, as the coach raved about his QB’s stats during the game, punctuated by the stat that matters most: 14 wins, a franchise record for a Vikings signal-caller.
When mentioning Tillery, he mentioned how he’s one of the most selfless players he has been around, and those extra insights are a big part of what makes these speeches so fun to watch. Every week, we learn a little bit about the players who make up these winning efforts, and the shout-outs that come with each game ball draw fans even closer to the team.
Winning is one thing, and it (usually) makes for a happy locker room, but something about those speeches makes this Vikings season feel different than any winning season that came before. It’s an extra injection of magic in an already-magical year, where the Vikings went from NFC afterthoughts to a 14-2 juggernaut.
At the end of Sunday’s speech, KOC reminded the team about the same mantra they have had all season: going 1-0 for the week, as well as what going 1-0 next week would mean. The No. 1 seed and NFC North crown is on the line against the Detroit Lions. Let’s hope for our sake, we’ll get another banger of a speech to watch late next Sunday night.
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