Inside The Vikings

Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Not Named One of Five Coach of the Year Finalists

Was O'Connell snubbed from consideration after going 13-4 in his first season in Minnesota?
Will Ragatz|
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Not Named One of Five Coach of the Year Finalists
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Not Named One of Five Coach of the Year Finalists

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Minnesota Vikings

Five head coaches have been named finalists for the NFL coach of the year award: The Eagles' Nick Sirianni, the 49ers' Kyle Shanahan, the Giants' Brian Daboll, the Bills' Sean McDermott, and the Jaguars' Doug Pederson. The winner will be announced during the NFL Honors show on February 9th.

One name who is notably absent? The Vikings' Kevin O'Connell.

On the one hand, all five of those names have legitimate reasons to be finalists. Sirianni took the Eagles from 9-8 to 14-3 in his second season. Shanahan went undefeated down the stretch with Brock Purdy at quarterback. Daboll's Giants massively exceeded expectations in his first year. McDermott's Bills had another great year. Pederson stabilized the Jaguars after the Urban Meyer disaster and won the AFC South.

On the other hand, O'Connell has a pretty strong case too. He took over an 8-9 Vikings team with a locker room culture that had soured under Mike Zimmer. O'Connell came in and quickly changed that culture, connecting with players and making them excited to come to work again. On the field, his focus on situational football and modernized offense helped the Vikings go 13-4, win a record 11 one-score games, and take the NFC North crown for the first time in five years.

Voting was completed prior to the playoffs beginning, so the Vikings' loss to the Giants wasn't a factor here. Still, one imagines Minnesota's negative point differential and several blowout losses being a factor working against O'Connell.

Could it be argued that O'Connell was snubbed? Definitely. But again, who are you taking off? Maybe McDermott? There are a lot of NFL head coaches who had great years, which makes selecting five finalists a difficult task. Someone worthwhile was always going to be left out.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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