There is an old saying in the music business: you spend your whole life preparing to make your first album, and six months preparing to make your second.
Kevin O’Connell spent six months preparing for his first game as an NFL head coach. He spent a handful of days preparing for each of the next three. The results are telling.
His debut was a tour de force, 23-7 victory over Green Bay.
Since the first half of that game, the Vikings have been outscored 80-69, despite playing their last two games against the Lions at home and at a neutral site against a Saints team lacking its starting quarterback, star running back and best receiver.
Sunday in London, the Vikings survived the Saints, winning 28-25 after Wil Lutz’s last-second, 61-yard field goal hit the upright and crossbar before bouncing away.
To put it another way, facing Andy Dalton, Latavius Murray, Mark Ingram and Jarvis Landry, the Vikings almost lost to a last-place fantasy football team from 2014.
Being 3-1 after four games, including two against NFC powerhouses Green Bay and Philadelphia, is optimal. What has been missing is what the Vikings promised when they replaced Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell: offensive wizardry and situational savvy.
O’Connell botched his clock management at the end of the first half, allowing most of the last minute to expire despite having three timeouts, then settling for a field goal.
He had impressive moments, like the goal-line reverse to Justin Jefferson that allowed him to score untouched, and a couple of plays during which his offensive scheme sprang Jefferson into the open field for easy receptions.
