Challenging month ended well for new Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell

The Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl championship realized a vision that new Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wants to bring to Minnesota. The title run also capped what O'Connell called "one of the more challenging months of my life" between juggling game preparation, head-coaching interviews and, eventually, the formation of his new coaching staff.

A day after celebrating in the Rams' title parade on the streets of Los Angeles, O'Connell was introduced Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, where Vikings leadership finally exhaled in calling the prolonged process a done deal.

Co-owners Zygi and Mark Wilf were asked whether rumors of Rams head coach Sean McVay's future caused any stress about landing O'Connell. Zygi Wilf jumped to answer.

"None," Zygi Wilf said, "whatsoever."

Mark Wilf grinned.

"Now that it's signed," Mark Wilf said. "We're very grateful."

During the two weeks before the Super Bowl, O'Connell said he tried to keep primary focus on his current job. He helped craft a plan to attack the Bengals secondary. O'Connell didn't call plays for the Rams, but he helped set up the weekly menu for McVay. He also preached consistency in approach and routine to quarterback Matthew Stafford, with whom he worked closest among players. Stafford threw for 283 yards, three touchdowns — including the game-winning, 1-yard throw to receiver Cooper Kupp — and two interceptions.

"Play with a quieted mind and have success," O'Connell said, "and I was talking to myself as much as anybody."

But about 1,500 miles away in Eagan, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings' brain trust acted on initial plans, which included sorting out the coaching staff. On Thursday, the Vikings officially signed nine assistants, including senior defensive minds Mike Pettine, assistant head coach, and Ed Donatell, the defensive coordinator.

While preparing Rams players to face the Bengals, O'Connell kept in contact and reinforced plans to form his Vikings staff while relying on future coworkers back in Minnesota. He said he wants to replicate the Rams' culture under McVay. He's bringing at least one other former Rams assistant, new quarterbacks coach Chris O'Hara, to help in Minnesota.

"It was challenging," O'Connell said, "especially as of late recently, you know, this great opportunity that's out in front of you. That's where I really relied on the collaboration with Kwesi and the rest of the [Vikings] organization here to obviously carry out the vision that we started talking about during the interview process."

After finalizing the coaching staff, they'll learn the new offensive and defensive schemes before players arrive in April. O'Connell said his vision for the Vikings offense is similar to the Rams offense.

The Rams' 23-20 win over the Bengals on Sunday offered one of the rare times a Super Bowl-winning team averaged a paltry 1.9 yards per run. The Rams lean on three-receiver sets and throw frequently. But O'Connell, who credited a late 8-yard run by Rams running back Cam Akers in the Super Bowl, didn't want Dalvin Cook to worry.

"We've got to be able to do it," O'Connell said. "We've got to be able to move people up front. We've got a really, really good running back here that we've got to put him in positions to use his skill set and have a lot of success, and I feel really, really good about a plan to do that."

Regarding how they've positioned their franchise, Vikings brass left Thursday's news conference optimistic.

"Even watching how he's handled the past few weeks," Mark Wilf said, "and how he balanced a lot of things going through all this, just impressed even more."