Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell admits depth charts aren't totally real

good afternoon everybody uh wanted to uh start out today and just uh you know I know what it looks like sometimes when a cart comes out for a player at a training camp practice there can be a lot of speculation I know we tried to get some information to you guys in regards to Jerry Tillery so he did um get a pretty significant laceration um kind of on the back of his leg there lower calf area uh that although very concerning um he is going to be you know fully recovered he did have to get a uh a couple stitches on that uh but as far as the major injuries that uh maybe our fans are or you folks might have been uh worried about that is not the case he'll be back just got to let those you know uh stitches heal and and he'll be ready to roll so Jerry is going to be uh just fine and and just wanted to make sure I clarified that um as we get into uh kind of a pseudo game week here so I'll turn it over to you guys yeah you know I'm not look look I I think it's very important um to to you know make sure we are articulating um maybe not with 100% um exact accuracy line by line but uh we do have a football team here in a roster and they play certain positions and there is a depth at which um that has to take place because you can only put in 11 at a time uh but I'm glad we were able to get that out and circulating yeah so we've got uh you know we're in the we met on everything went through the whole rosters a couple kind of uh bumps and bruises we're going to kind of see how guys turn over throughout the early part of this week uh overc communicate that to the players first and I think I get you guys again on Thursday and and I'll update you guys on kind of the plan uh going into the game uh you know with as much transparency as I can give you yeah yeah I think it's just uh although it's a new week although he's stacked some good days together he's had some you know great learning moments that he's come back the next day and showed immediate Improvement on um from the time he got here in the spring post-draft to now um he's already improved so much I can't say enough about the job Josh and Grant and really the other quarterbacks Sam Nick and jiren are doing um as a support system for each other and and vice versa JJ with those other three guys I think it's Unique how you've got really four guys in that room on totally different places in their quarterback Journey but yet all running the same offense learning the same plays uh some with experience some with none in the system and uh those guys are really just growing on a daily basis I think I'm just excited to continue to see kind of the snap in and snap out execution details of doing the job you know it's not always the result of a play uh when you're wearing a red jersey that that ultimately matters is was your foot footwork right were your feet feet and eyes working together eyes in the right spot uh the Rhythm and timing at which you made your decision uh then the throw location did you make guys work for it did you throw it away from a Defender did you put you know the the the the optimal amount of touch or ball placement there's so many layers to it uh in the moment you don't want to over Coach it you want to let guys play but as we get into the meeting room and then really try to stress that Daily Progress there's certainly a lot of opportunities for that yeah he's you know I I don't know exactly where he's at in his progression working his way back but I hope get him back as soon as possible cuz really want to see him get an opportunity getting back out and he was doing a really good job when we got him in the spring it was kind of like hey I'm learning this uh I can't wait for training camp and right about the time you're were seeing him feel comfortable within the plays and and really absorbing that uh opportunities at the tight end position we lose him for a couple days here so we'll get him back as soon as we can and hopefully throw him into the mix there competing at the tight end spot yeah glad you asked so Lewis will you know he picked up a little bit of his workload today um you know walk through and then he'll he'll be eased back in uh to uh individual and then hope to get him some work throughout the rest of the week and see him play on Saturday uh there is a general plan to for not only the quarterbacks but all of our guys um and uh we'll we'll keep you posted I just it's not a matter of any kind of game planning secrets for this game more so than maybe any other uh preseason game we've ever had it's more about communicating directly the player uh so they hear it from myself or coaches first before um obviously you know it's it's out there in the in the world for them to read about it's really a matter of we're still in training camp mode I mean today's practice and tomorrow will be fully padded we'll be um you know continuing to you know kind of move forward with our competitions this is by any stretch a inseason type of day where you're you're really thinking about hey we got a Saturday game we got to be smart no we're going competing uh really trying to get back to uh right back into that training camp mode and our guys were super flexible with the kind of the weather and storms that rolled in here you know last night and I'm fortunate to be able to have a schedule where we can adapt still get the night practice in in a few days and not miss any pads days uh throughout training camp so uh we've got a good plan for the week and as that information kind of gets out to the players you guys will receive it as well yeah you know every every year is a new year and we've kind of handled it differently based upon um you know the the team we originally kind of started coaching in 22 we had a plan for uh got off to a fast start uh thought we needed to change it a little bit in regards to maybe playing a couple more guys that that we wouldn't have PR previously last year didn't get off to a great start but none of those things really matter it's about this year's team um how we've handled training camp a little bit more from a uh you know a physicality standpoint a little bit more bumps and bruises here and there because of how it's going uh but my hope is we've got a good a good group of guys to go out there and be competitive with on Saturday as a player oh I yeah I I just was so excited and you get all those butterflies and and then you get out there and you realize it's it's the same old game you've been playing It's Just Happening faster you know maybe some different looks you know so it I I do remember uh especially with how intricate you know defenses can be in practice sometimes you can get some much cleaner looks in the game you know simplified to some extent but other games you go out there and teams want to test their stuff out so you never really quite know um so there's always some uncertainty there's not four or five games of inventory of tape that you kind of can just go to work on to give yourself that quieted mind and comfort you're really just kind of going out there trying to run some core simple plays core philosophy plays that give guys a chance to compete by doing their job on an individual basis and through the process of that you hope you come out with some success moving the ball scoring points getting some stops on defense good clean plays in the kicking game so um it's about the competition it's about kind of uh you know kind of building individually on maybe work guys have done out here on the field but at the same time you want to move the ball you want to be efficient you want to just play good football I think wants to be the theme uh for us throughout the preseason yeah I I've already seen on a few snaps I know you guys have as well like the benefit of these guys having you know that skill set to U maybe a play that by the design or bad play call that I got or great call by flow um The best scenario could either be a scramble chance to make a playoff schedule or a throwaway and save the down um those guys have demonstrated the ability to do both with their athleticism and uh still remaining passers as they you know get outside the pocket and attack and of course to your point there's always some times where would it have been a sack would it have not been a sack uh we'll have plenty of time to find out the answers to those questions when we when we get into the games and uh I just love seeing it I love seeing our guys at the receiver tight end back position uh have to really understand that these plays are going to come to life and how do we react what's our discipline of of where we need to be to space out the field and maximize the Ops as well as the line you know knowing uh I'm going to have to strain to finish you know maybe another click or two longer than I uh than I'm used to based upon these guys are extending plays that means the playing through the echo the whistle and that all circles back in a different way to that play style thing what's it look like how many times can we guys have uh 11 guys going to the echo with a whistle you know legally clean but physical and and finishing but it's been fun it's been fun to watch it's been good for our defense too uh watching those guys plaster and coverage and try to compete all the way through the down I I wouldn't call it an adjustment as much as that's what you know that's what we've seen show up organically just with how these guys are yeah they're exhausting their progression they're playing with good Rhythm and timing but if it does break down or they you know cut the to avoid the coverage sack you know the the old saying the coverage sack hey get out and try to extend and see if we can uncover I mean we hit Aaron Jones Sam did uh you know down in the Red Zone I think we hit Johnny mun a couple times or had a chance at him uh down in theed Red Zone and that's where I mean Red Zone scoring to throw the ball in the end zone with the condensed field you're going to need a few of those and uh certainly it's been a real positive seeing those guys make those plays but not force them not pre preemptively decide any which one way they're going to operate it's at the end of exhausting a progression two hands on the ball ball Security in the pocket moving up and out to attack and and try to make a play and saving us saving us from any negatives cuz you know we experienced a lot of negatives last year so whether it's ball security decision- making uh how I'm holding it in the pocket ball carriers how they're holding it penalties we're we're trying to be a discipline um sharp outfit that just plays good football and let the plays come to you and if that ends up being how we score you know nobody will be more excited about it than me going now no I've uh learned you know I've I've took some questions from this group about you know what I've learned since day one on this job and I can tell you the one thing is you do not have time energy uh or anything like that to worry about things that are outside of your control and I've you know got a full-time gig here where I got to focus on these players these coaches and making sure we're having ourselves the best training camp we've ever had here which will hopefully lead into a successful season but um you know I uh I'm very much focused on the task at hand and and doing my job every single day looking for any way I can be better for this organization and this team thanks