Jim O’Donnell: Vikings won the GM wheel of fortune in ‘22 and it shows
A SCANT 34 MONTHS AGO, both the Bears and Vikings were looking for general managers.
In the space of 12 days in January 2022, the teams essentially whittled the cosmos of candidates to the same two — Ryan Poles and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The Bears jumped first, hiring Poles on Jan. 25.
One day later, Minnesota signed Adofo-Mensah. Ten years prior, the Princeton grad had been working as a commodities trader.
By whatever reasonable measure, the Vikings now have the hotter commodity.
ON ADOFO-MENSAH'S WATCH, the Norsemen and coach Kevin O'Connell are 28-16. They're 8-2 this season, 3½-point favorites at Soldier Field on Sunday, and if the pixies let the game be played organically, O'Connell and purple people roll (noon, Fox).
Poles' ledger skews more toward Bleaker Bearway: He and Matt Eberflus are 14-30. Four short weeks ago, they were at the hail merry of a 5-2 start. Instead, they've found both memorably creative and dismayingly grating ways to lose four straight and ker-plunk to 4-6.
THE METHODS OF ADOFO-MENSAH AND POLES have been as different as Minneapolis and Minnie Mouse.
Adofo-Xensah has successfully constructed a path of build-on-the-fly. No fly builder this season has been more important than quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold gets all day to throw and manages an offense that consistently whips into a solid defense. In three previous stops during his six-season NFL career, he was 21-35 as a starter. Now he looks like the second coming of Fran Tarkenton, or at least Morris Day.
POLES OPTED FOR THE HGTV-FRIENDLY strategy of an open-ended rebuild. He collects draft picks like the 2024 White Sox collected losses.
High-level contributors such as Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith and David Montgomery were traded or allowed to flee. The current sum is much less than the parts that have departed.
THE FROSTY AND THE FRENZIED in the stands Sunday afternoon will be looking for the continued development of Caleb Williams under interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
Good luck with that. The Vikings have won their last four on Chicago's lakefront, a streak that began in front of empty seats during pandemic-laced 2020.
Why will anything be different Sunday?
The Vikings whittled the cosmic wheel so much more successfully 34 months ago.
STREET-BEATIN':
One of the greatest photos in the Jim Harbaugh-John Harbaugh family album is a shot taken in 1974 when the little rascals snuck on the field at Cleveland's cavernous Municipal Stadium and posed with ex-Sox first baseman Tommy McCraw. Jim's Chargers (+2½) are the contrarian nudge over John's visiting Ravens in the NFL's Game of the Week Monday night (7:15 p.m., ABC & ESPN). …
Also on the LAC: Their Week 16 game vs. the Broncos has been flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit should have a dandy showcase from SoFi between Justin Herbert and Bo Nix. (Plus, Amazon Prime gets to ditch the faded orange of the Bengals-Browns.) …
Somewhere along the Kyle Davidson-Luke Richardson vertical, the Blackhawks are awkwardly retarding the sophomore development of Connor Bedard. A closer and a grinder as consistent linemates would be a shift in the right direction. (Probably best that the CHSN gamecasts remain lost in the Xfinity/Comcast slog.) …
Growing indications that Joe Mansueto and the Fire will construct their new soccer stadium at “The 78.” That's the sweetly strategic patch on the Chicago River, just southwest of the Loop. Now if only MLS would get its Cup format in order. That includes dumping best-of-three series in the first round in favor of group play. (Plus, does the enterprise benefit by Lionel Messi getting booted so early?) …
News that Jason Kelce will begin a five-week run as host of a new late Friday night talker on ESPN Jan. 4 isn't exactly the second coming of George Lopez. Kelce will be fortunate to average 800K viewers unless Taylor Swift signs on. …
Also from the Arena Chanteuse File — for those who don't habitually DVR through all commercials to catch up with televised games — impossible not to note Beyonce's fresh laundromat spot for Levi's. The inspiration was a 1985 ad by the same stonewashed sales people featuring some young guy, so there's no sexist basing whatsoever. (The campaign is titled “Reimagine.”) …
Author Ken Smoller and his “Last Comiskey” are up for the 2024 Book Award (non-fiction) from the Chicago Writers Association. The South Side diamond mine has been gone for more than 30 years. Smoller, a University of Michigan grad, says he has visited more than 2,350 stadiums spanning the globe ( lastcomiskeybook.com). That's a lot of national anthems. …
And Charles Barkley, on the prospect of Turner's iconic “Inside The NBA” moving to ESPN next season: “Times have changed. This means we have to go back to a**-kissing.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.