Early in the offseason, Kevin O'Connell placed a call to Titans coach Mike Vrabel, in hopes of finding a partner for joint practices in what's become the NFL's latest matchmaking frenzy.
The two coaches were teammates in 2008, O'Connell's first year in the NFL and Vrabel's last with the Patriots. O'Connell wanted to test the Vikings' revamped run game against the NFL's top-ranked run defense, while the prospect of measuring his corners against Justin Jefferson piqued Vrabel's interest. They made plans for two days of practices at the Vikings' facility in Eagan, and the NFL lined up a preseason game between the two teams at U.