Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings open the season Sunday with excitement, injury optimism and a week-to-week backup quarterback plan.
Speaking Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings head coach said safety Harrison Smith is back with the team but his status for Sunday is still uncertain. O’Connell said the team expects everyone else to be available except rookie safety Jakobe Thomas, who is dealing with an illness.
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“Obviously really, really excited to have Harry back in house here,” O’Connell said. “And I know our team was really excited and, you know, we got better as a team when you have that guy in your building, your locker room, on your field with your defense.”
O’Connell said Smith returned in good shape and believes he can still play in the Vikings’ defense. He said the team has a plan to use Smith while still giving younger players opportunities.
“Don’t know quite yet where we’ll be at as far as his availability for this week’s game,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell said the decision on Smith’s availability will come after practice and conversations with Smith and defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The coach added that the move to bring Smith back was made with a clear role in mind.
On offense, O’Connell said the Vikings will open the season with a healthy offensive line and called Sunday’s game against Green Bay a physical challenge. He said the Packers’ defense will be difficult to prepare for because of limited film.
O’Connell also said Carson will be the backup quarterback Sunday and J.J. McCarthy will be the third quarterback. The coach said that setup is week to week and is meant to give the Vikings the best chance to win while continuing J.J.’s development.
“Carson, he’s got almost 100 career starts,” O’Connell noted. “What he was able to do last year from a standpoint of very limited repetition, but being able to apply – a career’s worth of experience. That’s kind of what you need to do as a backup quarterback, especially early on when so much of the emphasis is going to be on getting Kyler (Murray) as comfortable as we can possibly get him. But J.J. is, you know, he’s still going to get a bunch of great work.”
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O’Connell said McCarthy is still getting valuable work in practice and remains “two snaps away.” He said the team will change the order if it believes that gives Minnesota the best chance to win.
“I thought he’s been incredibly professional,” O’Connell added of McCarthy.
O’Connell also said the Vikings are focused on complementary football heading into Week 1. He said last season reinforced that stats matter less than finding a way to win each week.
“Winning is the only thing that matters,” O’Connell said.
Minnesota opens the season Sunday afternoon against the division rival Packers at 3:25 p.m.