Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Sports

Kevin O’Connell Earns High Marks in ESPN Ranking

Published

on

Advertisement

Kevin O’Connell speaks at a press conference in Dublin, Ireland.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell speaks during a press conference at the Sport Ireland Campus on Sep. 26, 2025, in Dublin, addressing media as the organization navigated international scheduling, preparation logistics, and broader messaging while representing the franchise abroad during the NFL’s global slate. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

The NFL is a bit notorious for its coaching carousel on an annual basis.

Constantly, we see teams bring in coaches for a couple years before they are back out the door after underwhelming seasons.

The Minnesota Vikings certainly have had their ups and downs in recent years, but Kevin O’Connell, more often than not, has proven that he is one of the better head coaches in the NFL.

Advertisement

On Thursday, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked each of the NFL’s head coaching hires over the past five years, and Kevin O’Connell earned high marks, landing within the top ten.

Kevin O’Connell Earns High Marks from ESPN

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell on Christmas in 2025
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Over the past five years from 2021-2025, there have been 37 head coaching hires in the NFL.

Of all those hires, Barnwell placed O’Connell at No. 7 on his list. The Vikings head coach was sandwiched between Sean Payton (traded for by the Denver Broncos in 2023, made the AFC Championship Game this year) at No. 6 and Ben Johnson (hired in 2025 and led the Chicago Bears to an NFC North title in his first year) at No. 8.

O’Connell took over a Vikings team in 2022 that seemed to be barely treading water after back-to-back sub-.500 seasons in 2020 and 2021. A main culprit of those poor seasons was disastrous defensive play, but there were also concerns surrounding Kirk Cousins at quarterback.

Advertisement

However, in 2022 during O’Connell’s first season, Cousins’ play improved dramatically, and he seemed to step up to the plate in big moments (other than the end of the Wild Card loss to the Giants). With Ed Donatell’s defense being one of the worst in the NFL, that change on offense, O’Connell’s forte, was the reason behind Minnesota’s 13-4 record and NFC North title.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell in 2025 at Green Bay.
Nov 23, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell on the sidelines against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Regardless of the talent at the quarterback position, O’Connell has found ways to at least make the Vikings a competitive team in each of his first four years as head coach. Barnwell pointed to that success as a main reason behind his high ranking.

“O’Connell deserves credit for what he has done in building offenses around everyone from Kirk Cousins to Joshua Dobbs to Sam Darnold over that time frame,” Barnwell wrote.

However, there is still some doubt around O’Connell heading into 2026. Barnwell pointed to Minnesota’s outlier record in one-possession games as a reason to believe the head coach’s 43-25 record should be scrutinized.

“There’s no doubting that O’Connell is a good coach, having put together 13- and 14-win seasons over his first four years in Minnesota, but we can poke a few holes in that record. One is the Vikings’ performance in close games. They are 25-12 in one-score games over that span, and while O’Connell does a solid job of managing late-game scenarios, the wild fluctuations in their record in those games from year to year suggest their record in close games is more a product of randomness than a sustainable skill.”

Advertisement
Kevin O'Connell, Vikings head coach, in 2025
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on during warm-ups before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Ultimately, the Vikings should not be in a position to be considering moving on from O’Connell at this point, but his fate may end up being tied to how J.J. McCarthy progresses in 2026.

After losing his entire rookie season to injury, McCarthy came into 2025 with high expectations, and while he certainly had moments that left Vikings fans excited for more, there were equally as many moments that left fans pulling out their hair.

For O’Connell’s position to be fully secure moving forward, the Vikings will need to get back into playoff contention in 2026, and McCarthy will need to be a reason for that success.


avatar
Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Mark Washington returns to B.C. Lions coaching staff

Published

on

Mark Washington is back with the B.C. Lions.

The Lions named Washington as their linebacker coach Wednesday. 

Washington began his CFL coaching career with B.C. in 2008, spending six seasons as defensive backs coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2014. He remained in that job until becoming the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive co-ordinator/defensive backs coach in 2019. Washington was let go by the Ticats during the 2024 season.

Washington played defensive back for 11 CFL seasons with the Montreal Alouettes (1997-02) and Lions (2003-07). He registered 483 tackles, 48 special-teams tackles, 17 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries, and one sack over 156 regular-season games.

Advertisement

Washington won two Grey Cups as a player (2002, 2006) and another as a coach (2011).

Buck Pierce returns for a second season as the Lions’ head coach, offensive co-ordinator and quarterback coach. 

The remainder of his staff includes: Mike Benevides (defensive co-ordinator); Cory McDiarmid (special-teams co-ordinator); Kevin Bourgoin (receivers coach, pass-game co-ordinator; Paul Charbonneau (offensive-line coach, run-game co-ordinator); Kristian Matte (running backs, assistant offensive-line coach); Ryan Phillips (secondary coach, pass-game co-ordinator); Randy Melvin (defensive line coach); and Derek Oswalt ( assistant receivers coach).

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Bonfrere Questions NFF Leadership After Super Eagles Miss Back-to-Back World Cups

Published

on

Former Super Eagles head coach Johannes Bonfrere has raised concerns about the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for two consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Nigeria missed out on the 2022 World Cup after losing to Ghana on the away goals rule, while their hopes for the 2026 edition ended in a penalty defeat to DR Congo. The absence from both tournaments has dealt a blow to the country’s football reputation on the global stage.

Bonfrere, who guided Nigeria to Olympic gold in 1996, said the situation is unacceptable and called on the football authorities to take urgent action. He stressed that preparations for future tournaments must begin immediately to avoid another disappointment.

  • Larson calls for more respect for American DriversLarson calls for more respect for American Drivers

Advertisement

According to the Dutch coach, missing the 2026 World Cup is damaging not only for Nigeria but also for African football. He urged the federation to review what went wrong and ensure proper planning ahead of future competitions, starting with the next Africa Cup of Nations.

He noted that Nigeria has many talented players competing in top European leagues and warned that it would be a major setback if such a generation fails to appear at multiple World Cups.

Bonfrere also reminded stakeholders of Nigeria’s rich football history, describing the country as a leading force in Africa that should always be present on the world stage. He pointed out that Nigerian teams have traditionally brought excitement, colour, and strong fan support to global tournaments.

Advertisement

Reflecting on past successes, he recalled how Nigeria attracted global attention at previous World Cups and the Olympic Games, with fans eager to watch the team play. He expressed concern that the absence of the Super Eagles is now being noticed worldwide.

The veteran coach concluded by urging the federation to put its house in order, insisting that there is still enough time to rebuild and prepare properly for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. He added that decisive action now will be key to restoring Nigeria’s place among football’s top nations.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

“YOU’RE NOT A CHAMPION” – WWE official’s message to female star

Published

on

WWE is on the Road to WrestleMania, and the company recently hosted another major premium live event. Meanwhile, NXT General Manager Robert Stone sent a message to a female star following the recent edition of NXT when demands were made on X.

Last year, Mariah May signed with the Stamford-based promotion and joined the developmental brand. May, now known as Blake Monroe, was one of the names to leave All Elite Wrestling and join WWE under the new regime. Before the end of the year, she captured the NXT Women’s North American Championship and lost it in December accidentally to Thea Hail.

After losing the title, Blake Monroe feuded with Jaida Parker and returned to the division for the title she wasn’t planned to drop in the first place. On the recent edition of WWE NXT, Monroe and The Vanity Project’s Jackson Drake defeated Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill in a mixed tag team match. The 27-year-old WWE star pinned the current NXT Women’s North American Champion for the win.

Advertisement

Later, she uploaded a picture on X with a custom title and claimed in character that she’s now a two-time NXT Women’s North American Champion and demanded her side plates from the NXT General Manager. Robert Stone sent a message to Monroe and claimed she’s not a champion, stating it wasn’t a title match, which Monroe and Drake won on the show.

“YOU’RE NOT A CHAMPION,” Stone tweeted on X.

Monroe might’ve earned a title match against the champion, but the mixed tag team match was a non-title bout.


Blake Monroe lost at WWE Stand & Deliver 2026

Earlier this year, Izzi Dame won the NXT Women’s North American Championship from Thea Hail while she was in a feud with Tatum Paxley. Last year, Dame and The Culling turned on Paxley and cost her the NXT Women’s Championship against Jacy Jayne. The 29-year-old WWE star vowed to get revenge on her former on-screen family.

After Dame became the new champion, the title was inserted into her ongoing feud with Tatum Paxley. Later, Paxley won the title at NXT Vengeance Day and defended it against the former champion in a Steel Cage match and won. Later, she entered a feud with Blake Monroe, who stole the title in the weeks leading up to their match at Stand & Deliver.

Advertisement

The biggest event of the developmental brand took place in Missouri, and Tatum Paxley defeated Blake Monroe in a title match. After the match, Monroe took an assist from The Vanity Project and pinned the champion in a mixed tag team match. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for both stars in the coming weeks.