While Jeff Fisher could never find a way to maximize his talents, McVay fueled the best two seasons of his career and turned him into a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection.īetween the 20 seasons, Gurley ran for 2,556 yards and 30 touchdowns. Gurley was a freak athlete taken 10th-overall by the Rams in the 2015 NFL draft. Some of it was getting the most out of a young quarterback in Jared Goff, but it also had to do with a superstar in the backfield named Todd Gurley. McVay oversaw a similar underachieving mess in Los Angeles, yet he coaxed them to an 11-win season. Now he’s inherited his first by taking the job in Minnesota. At no point has he ever had a superstar running back. If you’re keeping track at home, O’Connell has seen his share of journeymen runners. Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown filled in to produce a top-10 rushing offense in 2020, but the Rams slipped to 24th on their way to the Super Bowl last season. The Rams drafted Cam Akers in the second round in 2020, but a torn Achilles sapped him of his explosiveness. Once there, he saw a plethora of options in the backfield but never found his bell-cow back. He made his way to the Los Angeles Rams and learned under Sean McVay. They fired Jay Gruden after five games and let O’Connell go following a 3-13 season. The Commanders tried to use a 34-year-old Adrian Peterson to soften the blow, but they never got on track and ranked 22nd in rushing offense. Guice flamed out after back-to-back knee injuries and a domestic abuse charge. Washington followed the trend and used a second-round pick on Derrius Guice. Ezekiel Elliott (fourth overall, 2016), Leonard Fournette (fourth overall, 2017), and Saquon Barkley (second overall, 2018) became instant superstars. When the Washington Commanders promoted O’Connell to offensive coordinator in 2019, the franchise running back was still in style. Even with the league’s shift in philosophy toward running backs, Cook still stands to be a reason why this offense can sneak into the top 10. O’Connell has never had anything like Cook in three seasons as an offensive coordinator. That’s because the Vikings have Dalvin Cook. But it would be just as crazy if O’Connell decides to run an air-raid offense. If anything, it was one of the biggest reasons Zimmer was fired. It also set up that offense to rank 12th in total yardage and 14th in points. It held back an offense that featured Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins, and Adam Thielen. That wasn’t enough to keep Zimmer from demanding more, and his desire to run the ball was almost dictatorial. They ranked first in rushing attempts last season. The Vikings ranked in the top 10 in rushing attempts five times during Mike Zimmer’s eight seasons in Minnesota. But all eyes should remain in the backfield in Sunday’s season-opener against the Green Bay Packers.Īt first glance, that seems preposterous. With a solid quarterback, one of the league’s best receiver duos, and a blossoming tight end, a shift to a pass-centric offense seemed like a formality. From the moment Kevin O’Connell was hired, everyone wanted to know how he was going to fix the Minnesota Vikings.
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