Hard Knocks introduced Kevin O’Connell to the world in 2010. Before people knew O’Connell as the Minnesota Vikings coach, former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum informed him that the Jets were cutting him before O’Connell had a chance to sit down.
In August 2010, Kevin O'Connell was cut by the Jets and the moment was documented on Hard Knocks.
12 years later, he's in the midst of his first training camp as an NFL head coach. #Vikings (via @nflthrowback)https://t.co/vALLYuAdPL pic.twitter.com/sWEENMT8wv
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 9, 2022
“We really had hoped that when we traded for you and given up a [seventh-round] pick, that you were gonna turn into our long-term No. 2,” said Tannenbaum. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. And at the end of the day, the difference was, I think there was more of a trust if [Kellen Clemens] had to go play, that he has a better chance of operating our offense than you do.”
Those words had to sting, and you can see the pain on O’Connell’s face. Still, O’Connell held no resentment toward Tannebaum, Rex Ryan, and the Jets. He rejoined them in 2011, a year before he retired as a quarterback. He still has Ryan’s voicemail from when Ryan cut him the second time.
Minnesota was eligible for Hard Knocks this year. However, the league announced at the owners meeting in May that HBO will feature the Buffalo Bills for the training camp edition and the NFC East for the in-season version.
O’Connell has said he holds no resentment toward HBO. Still, the common sentiment was that the Vikings were fortunate to avoid the Hard Knocks cameras, while still benefiting from getting additional airtime when they play the NFC East teams this season.
Anyone could understand why O’Connell wouldn’t want Hard Knocks to feature the Vikings early in his coaching tenure. He was still adjusting to running a camp, and fans may have seen things that indicated Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, and Ed Ingram wouldn’t pan out. Kirk Cousins and some of Minnesota’s veterans were also “swimming” in O’Connell’s offense.
However, this may have been the year for the Vikings to do Hard Knocks. McCarthy is a massive unknown entering the season.
Everyone knows he won a national championship at Michigan and played well in Minnesota’s first preseason game last year. Still, McCarthy suffered a meniscus tear in his first preseason game and became the first first-round quarterback to miss his rookie season since the common draft started in 1967.
The Vikings are doing everything they can to help him succeed, and he’s maximized his time while away from the field recovering. However, it’s one thing to hear about that. It’s another to see it.
In the offseason, Minnesota beefed up the trenches and added Jordan Mason to bolster the running game. McCarthy has Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones surrounding him. Still, he’s the ultimate variable. The Vikings can’t build on their regular-season success and break through in the playoffs unless he can operate O’Connell’s offense.
Hard Knocks would show O’Connell coaching McCarthy, and highlight McCarthy’s mastery of Minnesota’s offense in camp. They could show him motivating teammates while going through a learning process. It could offer additional insight into how he’s capitalizing on preseason games and joint practices with the New England Patriots.
Every team inherits risk when they allow the HBO cameras into training camp. Jordan Addison is in the middle of a DUI trial, and unlike with Netflix’s Quarterback and Receiver shows, the subjects don’t get a say in the final cut. Hard Knocks would likely focus on Addison’s trial, knowing his importance to Minnesota’s offense.
Even with a say in the final cut, Cousins faced criticism he likely didn’t expect. That’s the nature of exposing personal decisions to a national audience. Cousins and Justin Jefferson ultimately came away from the Netflix shows looking good. However, behind-the-scenes features like those on Netflix and HBO don’t only offer upside to their subjects.
Still, O’Connell has built a winning culture and likely is ready to allow access to a platform like HBO. Doing so next year offers less upside because people will already have judged McCarthy for his play last year and will otherwise be familiar with Minnesota’s core players.
Everyone understands why teams like to duck Hard Knocks. The cameras can be a distraction, and fans may react negatively to some of the stuff they see. Still, this was a season where the Vikings would have benefited from highlighting McCarthy’s ability to take over a team with championship aspirations.