The Minnesota Vikings were in a new situation 25 years ago. After years of riding the quarterback carousel since Fran Tarkenton retired, the Vikings and then-head coach Dennis Green decided to turn the job over to Daunte Culpepper and install him as the starter for the 2000 season.
Culpepper had to fight off a last-ditch effort by the Vikings to lure Dan Marino away from retirement, but the job was his after spending a year learning behind Jeff George and Randall Cunningham. The task was intimidating, but Green had the idea to develop a long-term quarterback. He was determined to make his life easier by handing them the keys to the Vikings offense – or as Green described it, “the car.”
“Drafting Daunte No. 1 sent a message that we wanted to have a quarterback who was going to be here for a long time,” Green said via The Washington Times in 2000. “I tell Daunte that he doesn’t have to design the car or fix the car. He just has to drive it and the system will do the rest.”
The analogy was humorous considering the 6’4”, 260 lb. Culpepper looked like an actual vehicle standing next to most quarterbacks. Still, it made sense. Culpepper was in the driver’s seat, surrounded by a high-performance group that included running back Robert Smith; wide receivers Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Jake Reed; and an offensive line featuring Randall McDaniel and Matt Birk.
The system helped Culpepper explode onto the scene during his first year as a starter, throwing for 3,937 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions while running for seven touchdowns on the ground. The season gave the then-23-year-old an instant spot in Vikings folklore.
The team is trying to do it again this year with J.J. McCarthy.
A lot has been made about a team’s supporting cast after Kevin O’Connell propelled Sam Darnold to a career year. After Darnold’s failed tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, followed by a backup gig in San Francisco, O’Connell directed the football version of Weekend At Bernie’s, helping Darnold throw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions while leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record.
The strategy was similar to the one Green used to cultivate Culpepper. The Vikings had a strong coaching staff led by O’Connell, and added to it when they brought in Josh McCown as the new quarterback coach. Grant Udinzki served as a wunderkind behind the scenes and gave Darnold the best staff he’s ever worked with outside of a year under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
A strong staff is good, but it doesn’t mean a lot once a player steps on the field. Think about how Josh Dobbs had a breakout game when O’Connell described the plays on the sideline, but fell apart just as The Passtronaut merchandise was being printed in 2023. You need to have weapons, and Darnold had plenty of them.
The Vikings started with some of the best pass-catchers in the NFL, including star receiver Justin Jefferson. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added to the group since he was hired in 2022 by trading for tight end T.J. Hockenson and selecting Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Darnold also benefited from playing behind two of the best offensive tackles in football. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill did a tremendous job of protecting Darnold on the edges, and it was able to exorcise the ghosts that had plagued him during his time with the Jets.
These were the selling points for why Darnold could succeed a year ago. But the bus still needed some work. A running game spearheaded by Aaron Jones ran out of gas, especially as the team got close to the goal line. The interior of the pocket almost caused the stoic O’Connell to have an emotional breakdown after watching Darnold get sacked nine times in a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Darnold benefited from the deal, signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason. Still, life goes on with Darnold’s move to the northwest, leaving the Vikings to figure out how to fix the bus for McCarthy.
The Vikings started in free agency by overhauling the middle of their offensive line. Ryan Kelly and Will Fries replaced Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram, and suddenly, McCarthy had his shield against a tenacious pass rush.
Minnesota’s overhaul continued when it traded for Jordan Mason. A stout runner who excels in yards after contact, he figures to form the same one-two punch with Jones that David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs formed to help the Detroit Lions pound their way to the top of the NFC North.
Mix in a return to health for Hockenson, who missed the first half of last season recovering from a multiligament knee injury. McCarthy had everything he needed to take over the driver’s seat. But there was still something missing ahead of the NFL Draft.
The Vikings could have had several things in mind when they went on the clock with the 24th-overall pick, but they selected Ohio State offensive guard Donovan Jackson. Seen as a reach by some, Jackson not only had the physical ability, showing his pass-blocking ability with a shift to tackle for the Buckeyes late last season, but also the mental aptitude to jump into the team’s culture.
“The idea of Donovan walking into that O-line room that now has some pretty impactful players across the board…that was a goal,” O’Connell said during his post-draft press conference. “Tonight put a stamp on the plan that we set out to accomplish.”
There’s a good chance the plan still isn’t over. O’Connell may have been talking about the offensive line in general. However, he also may have been referring to the grander plan to put McCarthy in the best position to succeed. The early returns have been so good that Aaron Rodgers drooled over the possibility of coming to Minnesota, but McCarthy will get the first chance to make the job his.
In many ways, O’Connell is handing the keys to the same bus that Green handed to Culpepper a quarter-century ago. Vikings fans are hoping this approach will lead to a similar result.