O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah have emphasized collaboration throughout their first year together, and the first-time head coach picked up where the first-time GM left off:
“As I told our team … it’s supposed to sting. It’s supposed to hurt. But I did want to take the time to reflect and to move forward in the right way,” O’Connell said. “Reflecting on what we were able to accomplish as a football team – an NFC North title and 13 wins – it goes beyond that. Understanding the goals of culture and the goals of building up through our leadership and setting a foundation and platform for every individual in this building to feel like they can thrive and grow and eventually reach their truest, highest potential.
“I feel like that foundation’s in place. And when I think about all that went into it, from a coaching staff standpoint, our players, our leadership of our core leaders and foundation of such a great leadership group that I was able to have in my first year as a head coach in the National Football League, I truly feel very fortunate and blessed,” O’Connell added. “But as we reflect, I think it’s important to understand, be honest with our evaluations, understand – taking a look at all the little things – no detail is too small in how we’re trying to improve as a team, improve as a coaching staff, and most importantly, improve myself. To better myself and make sure I’m doing everything that I can in this role that I feel so lucky to have and also so prepared to have.”
O’Connell said the next step is “a championship standard” and that he wanted to wrap his evaluations and dialogue about the 2022 season the “way it should, with the same type of connection” with players and the “foundational building blocks of what we want to be.”
“Making sure that the standard of knowing we’ve got the culture, knowing we’ve got the right things going in this building,” O’Connell said. “Now, we’ve got to all – the last phase of that is the accountability to each other, to make sure that that standard is championship worthy, and we’re putting ourselves in that conversation – to a man and to a woman in this building – that we’re looking at each other and asking ourselves the question, ‘With everything we do, is it championship worthy? Is it to that standard? Is it to that line?’ And just in all of our dialogue Monday with our players, getting a chance to meet with each and every one of them, they understand that, and they’re motivated for that. At the same time,…
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