“Backing up Brady”: Kevin O’Connell’s cool demeanor came from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady | NFL News
Backing up Brady must have rubbed off on KOC – great communicator and QB whisperer! – An Instagram user commented on watching Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell lead QB Joshua Dobbs to an impressive touchdown. The NFL’s official IG account shared a clip from the 2023 NFL season. It was the head coach’s second stint and quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ first year with the Vikings. O’Connell’s encouraging words to Dobbs through one-way communication reminded fans of the head coach’s rookie days with the New England Patriots. In particular, with Tom Brady and Matt Cassel.
Kevin O’Connell’s clear communication to Joshua Dobbs led him to a superb touchdown
Before jumping to Kevin O’Connell’s rookie days with the NFL legend Tom Brady, let’s first look at what he said to Joshua Dobbs. “All right, Josh. Let’s do this, man. You good here, or you need it again? I’m going to give it to you anyway, man. If it presents itself, you go ahead and take it. Okay?” One IG user commented, “KOC be aura farming” – meaning, an act of intentionally or unintentionally creating an image of a cool, confident, and powerful person. Joshua Dobbs took O’Connell’s cool demeanor and turned it into a touchdown! A few seconds after O’Connell’s words, Dobbs scored a touchdown. A commentator said, “3rd down and 6. Stepping up, (Joshua)Dobbs. Nothing downfield. Spinning away. Gets a block from (Christian)Darrisaw. Dobbs’ trying to shake his way to the endzone! Josh Dobbs just taking this city by storm.” O’Connell could not believe what he’d just seen. He scratched the back of his head, shrugged in disbelief, and said into the mic, “He just pointed it, and I don’t know what just happened.” The HC then went up to Dobbs, shook hands with him, and said, “Hey! Proud of you, man. Proud of you, brother.”
Kevin O’Connell thought of becoming a head coach during his brief stint with the New England Patriots, working alongside Tom Brady and Matt Cassel
The New York Times reported in 2022 that 23-year-old Kevin O’Connell was a third-round draft pick of the New England Patriots. That was a time when Tom Brady was at the peak of his career. Matt Cassel was a backup QB. As a rookie, Kevin O’Connell wanted to blend in and watch how Brady and Cassel handled the quarterbacks’ room. All three were from California, so they bonded well while watching a film together. Brady had never missed a game. But in the first game of that season, he tore his ACL. Suddenly, O’Connell became a backup QB for Matt Cassel, and Cassel took over the reins. That’s when he turned to assisting with game plans and offering guidance to Cassel. This experience planted the seeds of turning into a coach. O’Connell became the Minnesota Vikings’ coach when he was only 36 years old. Also Read: Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo calls Joe Burrow the second-best quarterback, right after Patrick Mahomes | NFL News – Times of India
