EAGAN — During the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Detroit Lions, Justin Jefferson was feeling frustrated. The Lions were playing former top draft pick corner Jeff Okudah in his face on every play and using a safety over the top. Jefferson thought he had a potential solution so he went over to head coach Kevin O’Connell to speak his mind.
“I was telling him during the Detroit game about motioning me around and giving Jeff [Okudah] a different eye so he won’t just throw me down in those cover-2 looks,” Jefferson said on Thursday.
Since the Detroit game, Jefferson has 22 receptions on 26 targets for 301 yards. He cites an increase in pre-snap motion and emphasis on lining him up in spots to get off the line of scrimmage easier as part of the reason for his recent explosion.
“I think [Kevin O’Connell] has been doing a great job motioning me around, giving the defense different looks and I think it’s very hard for people to key on where I’m at when I’m moving before the play,” Jefferson said.
This is what the Vikings were looking for when they hired O’Connell.
Following last season veteran players met with the team’s ownership and explained where they felt gaps could be closed between the Vikings coming up short of the playoffs and contending. Mark Wilf emphasized in his conversations with the Twin Cities media that he wanted an atmosphere that was “collaborative.”
It doesn’t take a LEGO expert to put the pieces together that players felt like they weren’t being heard by the previous regime. The smoking gun, of course, is Stefon Diggs’ public frustration that resulted in him being traded to Buffalo.
But communication between players and coaches can be easier said than done. The gameplans aren’t plucked out of the sky, they are the product of many hours of film and statistical study from the coaching staff. They are part of an overriding philosophy that isn’t as easily changed as snapping fingers.
But Adam Thielen said that players don’t expect instantaneous change. They are looking for O’Connell to hear them out.
“It’s great that if we do communicate things he’s very receptive,” Thielen said. “Sometimes it’s hard to know, should I say something? Should I not? Should I just do my job? But he’s very accepting. He wants us to say something. Is it going to change it dramatically, maybe not, but at least we talk about it and he explains where he’s coming from and we explain where we’re coming from.”
The Vikings’ coaching staff has repeatedly stated that they want players to understand the thought processes behind the schemes and play calls. O’Connell is aiming to stay true to that concept with the receivers.
“They understand how we put together a plan based on what we think is best,” O’Connell said. “Sometimes featuring certain guys, featuring certain matchups. Sometimes it’s playing different spots in some of our normal formations just to give us a better chance of not only having success on those plays but maybe give us some information. They play fast, they are in attack mode and they have a ton of confidence.”
The Vikings are looking to take their offense to another level in the coming weeks as they face three defenses that are sub-par against the pass. O’Connell’s group currently ranks 12th in points scored and 14th in net yards per pass attempts — numbers that are similar to years past. All parties seem to agree there has been meat left on the bone.
Communicating with the receivers with the goal of maximizing everyone’s talents and becoming an elite passing game goes beyond just hearing the receivers’ opinions. Thielen said that it’s also a matter of seeing things from their viewpoint.
“He has a really good feel for where receivers are coming from,” Thielen said. “A lot of coordinators or coaches look from a different perspective and he has an ability to see it from all perspectives, which I think is a really good trait that is very rare.”
At 4-1, it’s easier for everyone to gather around the campfire and have a good talk about alignments and assignments. But the adaptations after Jefferson was shut down by the Lions and the subsequent communication were a test case for how things will go in the future when they hit bumps in the road.
“I think he and Justin have a really good relationship to be able to do that,” Thielen said.
The connection between Jefferson and O’Connell will be vital for this season and possibly beyond as the Vikings are in position to compete for the NFC North — and as Jefferson considers his future contract situation. It appears the early returns are exactly what the Vikings’ players and owners were looking for.
