In a change, LCC’s O’Connell won’t be pulling for these Chargers
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell can appreciate fealty to long-shot causes.
The Chargers were his favorite team as a boy. He wore a Ryan Leaf jersey to their games in Mission Valley.
Leaf ’s Bolts did what San Diego’s perfect weather could not do, toughening up the young guy for the football life to come.
O’Connell’s current moonshot bid is to lead Minnesota to its first Super Bowl trophy and exorcise ghosts from team purple’s four Super Bowl defeats, none of them close, in the
1970s. A much-needed victory Sunday would come at the expense of his childhood favorites.
“It’s funny. Every time I talked to him, because he lives up in Carlsbad, he always talked about what it would be like to play for the Chargers,” O’Connell’s friend and former NFL teammate Jacob Hester said years ago, soon after O’Connell landed a temporary gig backing up Philip Rivers. “He grew up watching them and being a fan.”
O’Connell couldn’t excite the Chargers into drafting him in 2008. As good luck would have it, Bill Belichick took the San Diego State alum in the third round and stashed him behind Tom Brady.
He had the good sense to pay attention to both Belichick and Brady, serving him well when he went into coaching as a Browns assistant to Mike Pettine in 2015.
Apprenticeships under Mike Shanahan, who should’ve been enshrined in the Pro Football of Fame by now, and Sean McVay, with whom he won a Super Bowl, led O’Connell to Minnesota’s head job two offseasons ago.
Sunday’s matchup pits him against former Rams colleague Brandon Staley in a contest between 0-2 teams.
A year after O’Connell seemed to have forged a
pact with the NFL’s version of Old Scratch — the 2022 Vikings won more close games than most NFL teams do over a number of years — regression has come fast in losses by three and six points, to the Bucs and Eagles, respectively.
O’Connell’s offense may end up being improved, however, thanks to rookie receiver Jordan Addison.
The Vikings drafted Addison out of USC with the 23rd pick in part so they could punish defenses for focusing on Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson.
Addison has responded by averaging 19 yards per catch across seven receptions, two for touchdowns.
When O’Connell won a Super Bowl ring two seasons ago, threereceiver formations served as the Rams’ bedrock on offense.
Jefferson, 24, and Addison, 21, could evolve into a comparable tandem to the 2021 Rams’ duo of Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr., both of them No. 1-caliber vets.
O’Connell, 38, needed no introduction to the Vikings’ receivers coach he inherited and retained: Keenan McCardell caught a career-high nine touchdown passes from Drew Brees with the Chargers in 2005.
Unfortunately for O’Connell, his club lacks a blocker as capable as Andrew Whitworth of the Rams’ recent Super Bowl winner. Nor do any Vikings defenders recall Aaron Donald or Jalen Ramsey.
Elsewhere
Right guard Daniel Brunskill (Valley Center, SDSU) has played all 128 offensive snaps for the Titans (1-1). With Tennessee’s third left guard in the lineup, Brunskill was a steadying presence in the 27-24 overtime victory Sunday over the Chargers.
• Receivers Chris Olave (Mission Hills) and Rashid Shaheed (Mt. Carmel) stand first and second in receiving yards for the Saints (2-0).