Don’t Wait: Kelvin O’Connell’s Comments Stress Important of…

As the Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Tennessee Titans this upcoming Sunday afternoon, some of the conversation has shifted to the offseason.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been in the news after having a second procedure on his surgically repaired knee. Word from the organization is that he is still on the same recovery timeline but there is reason to be skeptical.

Other than McCarthy, there has been a lot of discussion about the offseason. ESPN’s list of pending free agents has three Vikings in the top 25 and multiple others who could be key free agents, including cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.

Kevin O’Connell praises Byron Murphy Jr.

The Vikings have a major need at cornerback and Murphy has played extremely well this year. He is tied for the National Football League lead in interceptions with four and has picked off a pass in each of the last three games.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about what he’s seeing from Murphy and if it’s what he envisioned when they signed him and gave a really thoughtful answer.

“I had two years of experience against Murph in the NFC West so I was well aware of what we were bringing here. And then once we were able to solidify everything with Flo [Brian Flores] and really build on the defense year after year, Murph really gets to – especially with Steph [Stephon Gilmore] and Shaq [Griffin] here – Murph really gets to be in that location where he’s so incredibly impactful. We’ve got some good nickel inside players in this league right now, different varieties and types whether they’re safety types that are dropping down as that fifth DB or true nickels like Murph where he’s got the corner skillset, he’s a willing and able tackler, great instincts, great ball skills and then if he’s got to on those early downs whether it’s him or Steph outside, those guys are playing really, really well right now.

“And I think it all ties in with a guy like Murph making sure you’ve got the front that you need from a standpoint of not only guys like JG [Jonathan Greenard] and Gink [Andrew Van Ginkel] and DT [Dallas Turner] and Pat Jones, but also that interior being able to stop the run and get to those DNDs where we can really get creative with our coverage and rush and pressure looks, dropout looks. Murph is kind of the perfect catalyst for that when you look at our safeties and him working the middle of the field. It’s been a real positive.”

O’Connell’s comments about usage ring heavily right now. The presence of both Gilmore and Griffin allows Murphy to use his dynamic movement skills out of the slot. Yes, he can play on the outside but his skill set shines when he has the two-way go against shifter players.

Using players at their ideal spots has been a trend we have seen under O’Connell and that can be expected to continue moving forward. Will it continue with Murphy getting the bag from the Vikings? We can only hope that it does.