There’s something different about these Minnesota Vikings.
That isn’t an insinuation that they’re going to go on a magical Super Bowl run or even be in playoff contention in 2022, although neither is out of the realm of possibility. Just look at what the Cincinnati Bengals were able to accomplish last season.
It goes deeper than just wins and losses for this Vikings team. There’s a genuine sense of comradery and just overall togetherness from the group that hasn’t seemed present for a while.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks recently uploaded a video on his YouTube channel highlighting many of the team-bonding adventures that have taken place this spring.
There has been laser tag, Top Golf, team barbeques, team softball and other activities. A point of emphasis for first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell is bringing the group closer together through shared activities.
A closer team off the field translates to a closer one on it.
“It becomes a heck of a lot easier to hold that guy next to you accountable or more importantly, hold yourself accountable to those guys around you,” O’Connell said at the end of minicamp. “When you feel a responsibility to those guys to not only do your job but do it in a way where you’re making the guy next to you better.
“That’s what we talk a lot about. It’s not just doing your job. It’s doing it well enough where it maybe makes somebody else’s job easier and maybe it frees up somebody to go make a play.”
The overall connection with the players on this Vikings team has been special to watch. Whether it translates into wins on the football field or not remains to be seen.
