Vikings' Kevin O'Connell: 'I know how good we can be. But ... we got to see it'

Kevin O'Connell sounded like every fan in Purple Nation when asked if he actually knows how good the Vikings are this season.

"Well, I know how good we can be," the team's first-year head coach said Wednesday, four days before the season-opener against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. "But as I'll tell our team [later today], when we talk about what it will take to win the game, we got to see it."

And that, O'Connell says, goes for everyone from the top of the front office to the bottom of the roster.

"I say 'us' for a reason," he said. "That's our coaching staff, our players, all the things that we've put into play both schematically, sports performance, how we handle training camp, how we are practicing this week, how we go against each other throughout the offseason and training camp. All those things kind of come to fruition in that first game."

Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said on air Wednesday that he thinks Kirk Cousins will win league MVP this season. Why would he or anyone say that, Kirk?

"It's about the Vikings as a team being in a good place," Cousins said. "They're saying they're excited about Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. I know that for me the team is how you have success as a quarterback.

"And I also think it's good content for Wednesday mornings when [NFL Network is] trying to fill a segment."

O'Connell, meanwhile, said he doesn't believe a "huge step forward" is necessary for Cousins to have a successful season. Cousins has amassed a statistically sound career but also carries a 59-59-2 record as a starter heading into his 11th season.

"My expectation is he's going to play the position very well," O'Connell said. "And he's going to be our leader on offense and taking care of all the things that he can be as an extension of me and our coaching staff out on the field. But at the same time, I want him to turn it loose and feel confident that he's got some really good players around him."

O'Connell didn't try to downplay the emotions he'll have on Sunday as he makes his head coaching debut.

"I got to remember to try and get some sleep," he said. "I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't going to be a little extra excited, a little bit more than just any other game. This is not just any other game. This is my first game as head coach. This is a divisional rival.

"I'm well aware of the importance of this football game for our team, but I also think it's important to know that we're not getting into the playoffs or not by the outcome of Sunday. … We want to play the right way. … We've got to be focused on the details, the small things, things we can control. How many times we can snap the ball with all 11 doing their job. And from what I've seen of our team and my expectations for our team, I expect things to go well."

O'Connell said it helps that the Packers' defense is coordinated by Joe Barry, who got his 3-4 scheme while working under Brandon Staley, who got it working under Vic Fangio and alongside current Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

"It definitely helps getting a lot of reps against that coverage schemes, front mechanics and things we see [in practice]," O'Connell said. "We're relying a lot on those reps [from practice] and we'll see it a lot this year. that's one of the reasons we felt so strongly about how we handled training camp, especially with the offense."

For the first time in his career, Cousins didn't play in the preseason. Facing a now-familiar scheme should help offset that lack of live action, O'Connell said.

"He's gotten a month-plus of reps against a similar defensive structure," O'Connell said. "A lot of same coverage, back-end structures that he can take reps, log reps from."