How will Vikings’ O’Connell apply lessons learned from Belichick?

Bill Belichick's Patriots were getting thrashed so soundly by Tony Sparano's Dolphins back in 2008 that some greenhorn rookie third-string quarterback named Kevin O'Connell came in and mopped up the final six minutes.

"Mopped up?! That's a heck of a term!" said O'Connell, feigning outrage at the term when it was presented to him on Tuesday, two days before the Vikings head coach faces Belichick at U.S. Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving night.

Sorry, Kev, but, yeah, mopped up.

The Patriots had started 2-0 even with Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury early on in the opener. They had won 21 straight regular-season games and were playing at home, while the Dolphins were 0-2 after finishing 1-15 the…