Category: Press Conference

Vikings OC Wes Phillips comments on recent misdemeanor arrest

Phillips spoke to the media on Tuesday on his recent arrest for suspicion of DWI

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke for the first time since his arrest Friday night.

“Aside from the standards I have for myself, I do understand that as a coach in this league there are cartain standards from the NFL and from the Minnesota Vikings, and I didn’t live up to those standards,” he said.

The coach was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DWI. He was released on bond soon after. Phillips was able to travel with the team on Sunday, and head coach Kevin O’Connell commented after the game on the decision, along with the situation as a whole.

“‘When that information came in, Wes immediately informed the team and everybody that he’s required to inform. … I was incredibly disappointed, there’s no question, but we want to allow the facts (to emerge) and do our due diligence from that standpoint. The league is clearly involved as well,” O’Connell said Sunday.

“It’s going to be something we’ll continue to evaluate, but with it being late on Friday and gathering more information on it, I made the decision after circling up with our leadership and everybody that Wes would travel and ultimately coach today. … We’ll continue to process the information as we move forward and work through whatever discipline there may be at that point.”

Kevin O’Connell talks about Vikings QB situation

O’Connell spoke to the media and spoke extensively about the Vikings’ quarterback situation

A day after the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 12-10, there are a lot of questions with the team heading into the bye week.

The biggest question about this team for the rest of the year focuses on the quarterback position. Josh Dobbs struggled on Monday night and threw four interceptions, the first time a Vikings quarterback had done that since 2014.

During his normal day after press conference, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked extensively about that along with a few other topics.

Kevin O’Connell not committing to Josh Dobbs after bye week

The Vikings could potentially be in for a quarterback change after the bye week

The Minnesota Vikings had a gut-wrenching loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night by a score of 12-10. The game was a frustrating one for the offense, as they turned it over four times with all of them being interceptions thrown by Josh Dobbs.

After the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media and wouldn’t commit to starting Dobbs after the bye week.

“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh. We got healthy. We got Jaren [Hall] back available to us and then Nick Mullens is available as well.

“Look, I think what Josh Dobbs has really done coming in here on short notice and really going 2-2 in a stretch where a lot of people might have thought, Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson being out, the deck is stacked against us. That’s not the way this team thinks.”

It wasn’t just about the next game. O’Connell also considered benching Dobbs for backup quarterback Nick Mullens.

“We definitely had started to get to the point where I was just trying to think almost what would give us a spark,” O’Connell said. “I still thought Josh battled, no flinch, and just kept playing and competing to try help us win.”

Needless to say, the Vikings are going to have a fascinating next two weeks leading up to their game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Kirk Cousins speaks to media for first time since torn Achilles

Cousins spoke about multiple subjects, including his future in the league and helping the team win

When the Minnesota Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to a season-ending torn Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers, the season was thought to be over.

Two games later, the Vikings have won five in a row and Josh Dobbs has taken the NFL world by storm.

Who has been a big part of his success early on? Cousins.

On Friday afternoon, Cousins spoke to the media for the first time after his injury and surgery to repair his Achilles tendon and he shed some light on that and more, including his future with the team.

“Certainly your mind goes there and you know that’s coming,” Cousins said about his contract that will expire after the 2023 season. “But similar to what we said in April or August, March will happen in March. February will happen in February. Those conversations will happen, but it’s just not time yet. We’ve got so much to focus on with this season. Guys are playing so well. And that’s where our attention really needs to be.”

See what else Cousins had to say during his media availability on Friday.

Kevin O’Connell addresses conservative second-half playcalling

O’Connell was very forthright about the conservative playcalling from the second half

The Minnesota Vikings entered halftime against the New Orleans Saints riding high with a 24-3 lead. The Vikings’ offense was rolling on all cylinders with three touchdowns and were consistent.

The second half was a different story, as the Vikings only scored three points. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the play calling in the second half and he was honest and forthright about it.

“Yeah, I think it comes down to knowing the fact that you want to be aggressive, but you also want to walk out of the stadium still winning the turnover battle,” O’Connell said. “And I was that confident in our defense that if we didn’t give them anything and, you know, we played smart with the clock, that we could get it down to a situation where maybe we could get to 31 and get a touchdown on that play. We did and that would take us to 34. And then, you know, it gets pulled back and we don’t convert and we ended up punting and try to pull them deep there. But, you know, I’ve got to try to find that balance where I do believe in our guys and I do believe that I can stay aggressive for four quarters with our guys. And I’ll continue to work through that to make sure I’m giving them some premium ops. We had some chances there that maybe we didn’t make the play. But there were certainly few that I’d like to have back and knowing the situational management and milking the clock is one thing but staying aggressive is something we’ve got to do, as well.”

It’s a great sign to see your head coach be so open about an aspect of the team that didn’t end up perfect. You don’t want to see him give away state secrets, but being honest and owning up to something that didn’t go well is a great sign.

The Vikings have some time to get things back on track with Josh Dobbs at quarterback and they will hopefully be better against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks trade deadline, Jaren Hall, Kirk Cousins

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks about the trade deadline, Jaren Hall and more

The Minnesota Vikings had an active trade deadline where they acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals and sent left guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It was a really interesting time for the Vikings. Sitting at 4-4, the Vikings were in a tough spot after seeing Kirk Cousins go down with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

After an active trade deadline, Vikings general manger Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke to the media about a multitude of topics, including the trade deadline, Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall and more.

You can watch the press conference in the video below or read the transcript following.