Kevin O’Connell: We Got Outplayed and Outcoached … There Are No Excuses | Vikings at Chargers

Kevin O’Connell: We Got Outplayed and Outcoached … There Are No Excuses | Vikings at Chargers

get you uh the injury update here in a second, but nothing uh nothing much to say. Um we got outplayed. Um we got out coached. We we did not There are no excuses. Um injuries, short week, whatever it is. Uh that is not in any way, shape, or form uh our standard of what we want to put on the field. And we’ve got, as I told our team, we’ve got um an opportunity in front of us where we need to uh own this. Uh this is not a bury the tape kind of uh time for our organization. This is a um watch it, view it, own it. Um every coach, every player and it starts with me. Um I did not uh have our team prepared to play and uh we’ll go back to uh many aspects of um what we need to improve on from a standpoint. in many way, shape or form on initial feel, it feels like a lot of technique, fundamentals, um things that uh are correctable. Um I believe in our players wholeheartedly. Um I believe in every opportunity we have, we’re going to go out there and put our best foot forward both on the practice field um and every opportunity we have as a team. Um, I think we’ll be able to get uh, you know, healthy in some spots here that that uh, you know, are critical for our ability to have success, but once again, injuries and any other excuse if you go looking for them, you’ll find them. Um, we will not be doing that. We’re going to meet this head on as an organization. Um, and that’s what we’re going to do. Um, injury-wise, Christian Darol tried to give it a go. want to commend him for trying to do that on a short week coming off of um what’s been a trying time for him early on in the season after such a catastrophic significant knee injury a year ago. Um just couldn’t just couldn’t uh you know continue to uh give it a go. Josh Oliver X-rays were negative on his right foot. Um but we will need to MRI that foot ankle and see what’s going on there. He’s pretty sore. Jeff Auda did get a concussion and Jonathan Gernard got a right ankle. He’ll also be evaluated tomorrow. Kevin Blake said there was just a lot of sloppiness. Yeah. You know, I think uh I think we’ve got to, you know, there was there were some times where um yeah, we were we were down on the edges, you know, at the tackle spot. Um but uh it felt like it was more than that to me. It felt like um there was some sloppiness like Blake said in the interior. Um getting guys covered up. Uh seeing if we could simply, you know, execute our our quick game um at times was was uh you know more difficult than it should be, you know, in some of those ballout plays. um trying to you know avoid uh you know uh you know certain I would have liked to get more runs off but it’s a circumstance where um you’re also trying to make sure you’re not walking yourself right into um third and and very very long with the need to try to get eligibles out and and also protect on both edges. Uh so it it is a it’s a little bit of a you know trying to figure out the best way to activate the healthy players we do have uh you know in our receiving core and and you know TJ in the passing game but I got to do a better job you know mitigating the challenges that we face um in a game like we did tonight and uh wasn’t good enough. Carson looked like he was in pain at least visibly a good part of the game. We kept on, you know, we kept on, you know, checking in, maybe getting Max ready to go. Um, but he, you know, I, you know, Tyler was coming to me a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update me on that, you know, Carson was, uh, you know, he was sore going into it, but he was a, he took obviously quite a few hits and and, uh, but he was able to, you know, I asked him multiple times um, you know, where he was at, and he he uh, he said he was good and wanted to keep going. I know. Um it did seem like he was, you know, in pain there a couple times, a few times. Kevin, did you think about going to Max at all independent of the injury stuff just kind of basically? Um yeah, we did. I I think you know what you have to, you know, Carson’s a veteran player. Um he understands kind of some of our circumstances tonight. Um, I think it’s very difficult to ask uh, you know, a rookie uh, to go in there for his first performance and, you know, have to be kind of weathering it, you know, a little bit for the group. Um, I did, you know, I did think about that at at different times in the game, but at the same time, um, you know, the confidence we have in Max and the upside we see in Max, uh, is real. we just, you know, you also don’t want to send him out there and uh force a level of kind of figure it outness that’s probably beyond a guy playing for the first time. Um, and that was kind of where the decision was to to continue to go with Carson as long as, you know, Carson felt like he was healthy enough to keep playing and the medical team did as well. How will you approach that position here in the next week or so? Yeah, I think uh you know, as we talked about earlier in the week, we you know, we worked out JJ and he was close and and JJ and the medical staff kind of didn’t quite feel like he was he was there yet. Um but there was a lot of encouragement that uh especially with the time we have, Kevin, and and where he’s at and the confidence level he thinks he can get to. Um you know, if JJ’s healthy, JJ will play. Um that’s been the case since the injury. Um that’s always been um kind of my mindset and I believe we’re right, you know, we’re right uh you know, hopefully around the corner from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation and go compete because that’s really, you know, that’s what he wants and that’s what he’s been working towards. Um you know, I know there was a lot of estimates on what the injury timeline and everything with a high ankle. Um it ended up being, you know, on on the longer end, but about what we thought. And uh we’ll see we’ll see how Carson comes out tonight as far as what our overall quarterback depth looks like. Uh but we will prepare uh we’ll prepare our team, you know, at every position based upon what our health looks like, but we also uh need to be ready to go to work on the practice field and improve because uh that is not, like I said, to our standard in any capacity. to Christian did something different with the knees surface yesterday. No, I think what you’re you know it’s you know whether it was in London or in Dublin going to London and and the high snap count uh or it’s just the fact that you know we we have Christian on a pro a plan of attack every week based upon the idea of uh the type of injury he’s coming back from. And I’m not going to go into detail with what that injury was. Um, but I would just say there there’s a layer to uh Christian doing everything he can. Um, but you know, when he has a higher snap count or you’re on a very very short week with flight travel and everything, there’s just only so much um that we can do. And in regards to Brian, you know, Brian worked his absolute tail off to get back and uh you know, with his right MCL uh and and just came out of the game with some with, you know, some some left knee kind of swelling, maybe overcompensating, but just couldn’t quite get that out of there. And and both those guys, I know, you know, and because they’ve they’ve proven it before, both those guys would do anything to be out there um with their teammates. And um you know, I am the furthest thing from a doctor. I know uh it’s been debated my medical prowess when it comes to our injured players playing or not. I very simply listen to our doctors and listen more importantly to our players um as much as I possibly can. Carson just his toughness. What does it say about him that he didn’t have? That’s one of the reasons why um you know it’s when when a guy like that a veteran guy that’s in there competing um you you have to val you have to value that. Um, as long as the medical team, you know, informs me, which they did a couple times, that, you know, he’s no he’s no worse than than what he came into the game with. Um, you’ve got to give a guy that that wants to tow the line and go in there, you got to give him a chance to do that. Um, until it becomes, uh, he can’t do his job. And, um, I did think that last high throw when Justin was open on the high cross, you know, maybe a healthy Carson Wentz hits that throw. Um, but that’s just kind of how the night was. you know, we had an opportunity for a big time explosive there and we miss it and there could be a lot of variables factors involved. I thought it was, you know, one of our cleaner pockets on that play and and though it, you know, just wasn’t our night in any capacity any way, shape or form from the interception being overturned early on to uh potentially having one of your biggest plays of the night turn into them having the ball at midfield. Um, it was, you know, it was a it was an avalanche of of momentum for them that we tried to overcome. I like the fight to start the second half from the turnover Matelis forces on the pick to putting that ball in the end zone there. We just, you know, in no way, shape or form, we’re good enough tonight to win the football game as coaches or players. Your role, what do you do at this point to prevent a snowball with the schedule that obviously Yeah, I I think uh I told our team there are no more trips overseas. There’s no more short weeks. outside of late in the year obviously for our second Thursday game, but uh I told our team this is, you know, we’re going to find out what we’re all about and what this year’s team is all about. I’ve always felt uh Alec a level of uh of compete from our organization. Um a level of chasing growth throughout the season regardless of result. Uh you know, you’re you’re hoping when you’re winning 13 and 14 games, you’re still always chasing getting better. Um but clearly um if you need a result to motivate you um that’s that’s not the that’s not the type of organization we want to be. But certainly these circumstances will will be uh will test what we’re all made of. And I told our team, you know, when when we get a chance to step out on that grass, make sure you’re uh very aware that we’re going back to work and what this is going to look like is going to be a team that constantly chases improvement and we need to after tonight. But I also told them, you know, uh, you know, take honor in being a man in the arena and what that means. Um, and and I’ll be, you know, I told them first and foremost, I’m going to look myself dead in the eye in the mirror and make sure uh that and and I think they believe me when they say that my confidence level in this group is as high as it’s ever been. Um, but it’s also important that we look ourselves in the eye after a performance like this and and decide the path we’re going to take. Um, in the foxhole together, we will work. I don’t know any other way than to uh you know set a path and a course for this organization to find success. And I’m going to lean on our coaches and I’m going to lean most importantly on the locker room and the players and what they’ve built in there um to go attack this thing. There’s been a lot a lot of explosive plays that you guys have been giving up in the passing game. Is there a trend there? Is there something you can identify that’s caused that? Yeah, I you know, just talking to Flo late in the game and and talking to our offense, I think across the board, um we just need to evaluate um what gives us the best chance to sustain because it, you know, it just felt like it wasn’t um our best performance or even an adequate performance in any phase. So, I don’t necessarily want to get into, you know, the details of of individual sides of the ball. Uh, but I will tell you, Matt, that it’s, you know, we’ve got to improve and and we’ve got to understand that what we’re going to do moving forward is going to be the things hopefully we do well and the techniques and fundamentals need to be trained and coached to match that and uh, you know, get back to simple basic things that lead to um, our our talented players having a chance to go out there and win the down, win the drive, win the series, win the quarter um, and compete for four quarters. Uh, I didn’t question our team’s comp competition or compete at all. Um, it just felt like, you know, we weren’t good enough in in any of our three phases tonight. You talk about technique and fundamentals being an issue. What kinds of things can you do to clean those up short week and all the season? Yeah. Well, hopefully, you know, the good thing is next week won’t be a short week. We’ll get a chance to get out there on Monday. We’ll get a chance to have three full days of practice after that. Um, you know, I thought our guys, you know, two two years in a row, these Thursday games, we’ve had very physical kind of down to the end type of, uh, you know, games at home, uh, the week before against good teams. And then we just, um, you know, you know, I I I don’t believe we ran out of gas tonight. I don’t believe we did enough things uh well enough to to uh fight the fight and and and and match our willingness to compete with the you know playing against a really good football team at home um and and not doing a lot of things that give you a chance to find and seek out the momentum and see if you can capture it and keep it. Um it’s a real thing and uh we we let it get away from us early tonight and weren’t able to get it back. the person being next. Thank you.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the media from Los Angeles after the team’s Week 8 37-10 loss to the Chargers.

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