You’ve seen the postgame speeches in the locker room after each win. You’ve heard all about the culture everybody has worked so hard to build. You’ve felt the way that camaraderie has translated to success with the Vikings boasting a 12-2 record.
None of it is by accident.
It’s something Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has preached since taking over. He wants his players to feel connected off the field because he truly believes it helps on the field.
There was a particular event from this summer that stood out to quarterback Sam Darnold, when he thought about some of team building activities that O’Connell has helped put together. A cooking competition towards the end of organized team activities.
“Every position group had to cook something different,” Darnold said. “We had certain judges and KO was a part of that group that ranked the food.”
There were a variety of submissions from across the team with most position groups leaning on the best cook they had to offer.
The ribeye courtesy of tight end Johnny Mundt stood up as the winner. Asked about Mundt shouldering the load, tight end T.J. Hockenson noted how the rest of the position group also played an important role, contributing by convincingly hyping up his ability on the grill.
“We all sweetened up the judges a little bit,” Hockenson said. “You go over there talk to them and tell them how good it is.”
The wings that quarterback Nick Mullens cheffed were also in the running. Not that Darnold provided much help.
“I was tasting some of the wings,” Darnold said with a laugh. “That was about all I did in terms of helping.”
Some position groups struggled. Just ask star receiver Justin Jefferson. He admitted that if it wasn’t for receivers coach Keenan McCardell, they wouldn’t have had anything to bring to the table.
“I don’t think our guys really cook like that,” Jefferson said. “We have a bunch of young guys in the room. We don’t really have older guys that have families and stuff like that. We had to rely on Keenan.”
Though it’d be a stretch to say the cooking competition is why the Vikings have a chance to win the NFC North in a few weeks, the fact that it helped build chemistry is not insignificant when reflecting on this season as a whole.
“Just getting to know the guys off the field really does help on the field,” Darnold said. “It’s always great to be able to do stuff like that.”
The connectedness manifests in different ways.
Sometimes it helps a player to communicate more effectively in the heat of battle. Sometimes it allows a player to voice a concern without feeling like he’s walking on eggshells. Sometimes it makes a player feel welcome when walking into a new situation.
“We love everybody in here,” Hockenson said. “We all hang out. There’s not really any groups. It’s a melting pot in this locker room and that’s the best way to build a team.”
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