Kirk Cousins' respect from Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell creates success, impact

Kirk Cousins is tracking toward one of his worst seasons statistically as an NFL starting quarterback.

Forget analytics. Trust your eyes. Trust your ears. Trust your gut.

Cousins has never been more impactful in his Vikings tenure than this season. He has never looked more confident and at ease on the field, around teammates and in front of the media.

Interceptions don't derail him. He shrugs off mistakes and keeps making aggressive throws. He has responded repeatedly with a clutch throw or clutch drive when the moment requires him to be at his best.

His interactions with reporters no longer come across as corporate. He's insightful, engaging, funny, revealing. He's willing to show more of his personality.

He opened his weekly news conference Wednesday with an update on his trusty neighbor who always lends a helping hand. Cousins noted that he couldn't move to a different suburb, if he desired, because he would have to buy his neighbor a house too. A package deal, apparently.

Cousins even has an alter ego now, Kirko Chainz, the once-nerdy quarterback who wears expensive chains and dances shirtless on the team plane.

Raise your hand if you had that on your bingo card before the season.

How did we get here?

Well, winning certainly makes everything and everyone more relaxed. But dig deeper to find the root cause, the why. His head coach has empowered him since Day 1, and that relationship between Cousins and Kevin O'Connell is paying dividends on the field.

It serves no purpose to dredge up issues or personality conflicts with the previous regime, but the way O'Connell talked about Cousins publicly from the moment he took the job had purpose behind it.

He never missed an opportunity to praise Cousins and his leadership. He'd credit Cousins for doing this or that unprompted. The objective felt intentional. It's called empowerment.

Want to get the best out of someone in any profession? Make them feel confident and supported no matter the situation.

I called former NFL quarterback and league MVP Rich Gannon to float my theory that Cousins looks and sounds like a different player because of his close relationship with O'Connell and their synergy.

"You're on to something," he said. "I could write a book on it. The dynamic is fascinating. In some places, it's so good. And in some places, it's horrible."

Gannon described the relationship between an NFL head coach and his quarterback as "absolutely vital."

"It's the lifeline of your organization," he said. "To have that relationship, to know that someone trusts you, they respect you and that they're in your corner, that come hell or high water we're in this together, that's so important."

Gannon says he did not have that relationship when he played for the Vikings under Dennis Green. He found it in Oakland with Jon Gruden, who coached him to the MVP award in 2002.

"There was a mutual understanding and respect and appreciation," Gannon said. "The last thing I wanted to do was let him down. When you have that relationship, man, you've got something special."

Gannon continued: "As a head coach, if you've got a quarterback who loves you and cares that much … I mean, you watched Kirk the other day, he lowered his shoulder against a Jets defender and plowed forward. That's a real indication. This guy is putting it on the line."

Cousins and O'Connell meet one-on-one every week. Not always in person, sometimes by phone or Facetime, but O'Connell wants Cousins to have an active voice in constructing the game plan, referring to him as "our leader out there."

The effect of O'Connell's messaging cannot be overstated. When Cousins threw an interception right before halftime at Washington on a 50-50 ball to Justin Jefferson, O'Connell didn't bemoan a missed opportunity to score points. He applauded Cousins' decision to make an aggressive throw in that situation because he trusts both him and Jefferson. That's empowerment.

Cousins' statistics tell one story. The way he has performed under pressure in so many close games tells another story. He looks like a quarterback who feels completely comfortable. On and off the field.