I don’t like the coach of the year award.
Not that I think it shouldn’t be awarded. I’m not a fan of the thought process for picking coach of the year.
Usually, the coach of the year is the coach of the team that surprised us the most — even if the team surprised us not because of the coach but in spite of him.
Still, that’s how it goes. And that’s why first-year Commanders coach Dan Quinn was the betting favorite for much of the year. No one expected much from the Commanders. When they became playoff contenders, we were surprised. Thus, Quinn must be the coach of the year.
As the year moves closer to conclusion, there’s a coach whose team is surprising us. And whose positive, build-them-up style is working very well. He’s also the new betting favorite to win coach of the year.
It’s Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. In only three seasons, he has already matched Bud Grant as the only coaches in franchise history with multiple 12-win seasons. (Grant had four.) With one more victory, O’Connell will be the team’s first coach with a pair of 13-win seasons.
O’Connell also has a shot at the Vikings’ first 15-win season since 1998, the magical Randy Moss rookie year.
Since Bud Grant retired after the 1985 season (he came back for a year after his first retirement resulted in a 3-13 Les Steckel debacle), the Vikings have been looking for another Bud Grant.
In O’Connell, they have him. The next challenge will be to keep him. His contract runs through 2025. The Wilfs should give him a blank check today.
O’Connell combines the stoicism of Bud with a natural smile. O’Connell rarely gets rattled. He controls his emotions. He doesn’t jaw with hecklers, or come off like a fan who was plucked from the crowd and dropped on the sideline and given a headset.
Most importantly, he’s developing into one of the best quarterback gurus in all of football.
So, yes, O’Connell should be a serious candidate for coach of the year. And not just because he’s the coach of a team that is surprising everyone the most.
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