The Minnesota Vikings didn’t believe in Kellen Mond to be the backup quarterback and they said it out loud during Thursday’s press conference.
Speaking to the media today, head coach Kevin O’Connell stated the obvious about Mond: he wasn’t ready to be the backup.
#Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Vikings wanted "fair and open opportunity" in competition between Kellen Mond & Sean Mannion. Said "Kellen improved tremendously." He said Kellen has "all the things that you look for in an NFL QB" but it wasn't fair for him to be No. 2.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 1, 2022
When watching him play, it was blatantly obvious that Mond wasn’t someone you could have on the field at this point during his development. He still has massive struggles in seeing the field and making confident decisions. With his lack of development over the 16 months he was with the organization, it wasn’t a surprise that the organization was comfortable risking losing him on waivers.
The positive side of how O’Connell handled the quarterback battle is that he wanted a winner of the job, not just for someone to win by default.
#Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell on the battle to be the backup QB, which started with Mannion vs. Mond: "I wanted somebody to win the job not just the competition with the other." Said that the Vikings "ultimately had to make a very difficult decision."
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 1, 2022
There truly is a new era for the Minnesota Vikings. It is one of the new regime being forthright with the media and being willing to move on from players with high investment.
