Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell faced some stiff competition Friday morning, but it wasn't on the football field.

Rather, the intense match occurred inside an iHeart radio studio. O'Connell joined KFAN’s The Power Trip from 8-9 a.m. and made his “Initials Game” debut against Chris Hawkey, Mark Parrish, Paul "Meatsauce" Lambert and Marney Gellner.

The popular game features two initials of the day, Friday's being B.L., and clues are given one by one until a contestant "rings in" with his or her answer. O'Connell came close on two of the rounds – he answered "baseball league" instead of "bowling league" out of the gate and later "bagged lunch" instead of "boxed lunch"– but ultimately fell short in his first go-round.

Clearly, no one was taking it easy on Coach.

"I don't know if I was ready for the stares today," O'Connell quipped regarding Gellner. "I'm lucky I'm far enough away. There might have been an elbow or something."

Gellner, who recently became the first woman to provide play-by-play coverage for a Minnesota Twins series, acknowledged her aggressive approach.

"Something takes over," she laughed. "It's the game. It's the music."

Though Gellner earned three points with bike lane, body language and black licorice, it was Parrish who took home the win with four (bowling league, broken leg, Bruce Lee and brake light).

Being the competitor that he is, O'Connell admittedly was bummed leaving the studio without a point.

"What a disappointment to me, man," he said. "This is gonna ruin my whole weekend."

O'Connell added: "I'm definitely gonna be back."

It may be several months before he's able to return, though, as the Vikings are preparing to open training camp at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center next week.

O'Connell took some time after The Initials Game to discuss a number of topics, including questions about Vikings rookie draft picks J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner.

Of course, The Power Trip asked O'Connell about his authentic, real-time reaction to Minnesota trading up to nab Turner – which quickly became a viral meme on social media.

"We had been trying to trade up to get him, and I thought there was no chance once we were told 'no' by a previous team," O'Connell recalled. "I was talking to somebody else in the room, and then I heard we were getting him. That was kind my perfect scenario, getting a true impact player for our defense to go along with a quarterback (McCarthy) we thought we could really build around.

"To be able to do that, that was my reaction in the moment," he continued. "There was a lot of time and hours and energy spent hoping for that outcome, so when it happened … that was as genuine of a reaction because of my excitement level. [Dallas is] gonna be outstanding."

O'Connell shared with the show hosts and listeners that he and his family enjoyed a lot of time around the Twin Cities this summer and are now ready to get going for his third season at the helm in Minnesota.

O'Connell said he's confident "this is where he's supposed to be."

"I absolutely love the Twin Cities. I love the opportunity to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings," he said. "I couldn't be the head coach for a better organization and am very thankful every day I get to go to work."

And make no mistake, he'll be back for an Initials do-over.

"Having Coach O'Connell on our show is always a huge pleasure. Having him in studio to play The Initials Game, our signature bit, meant even more," Hawkey told Vikings.com. "The listeners were actively cheering for him as they followed along on-line and in their cars. The response was tremendous. They seemed to really enjoy getting to know a little bit about who he is outside of football.

"He really wanted to do well," Hawkey added. "I have no doubt the next time he plays he will be a factor.

O'Connell's KFAN visit capped a morning of iHeart Radio guest appearances, which started with KDWB’s The Dave Ryan Show and then time with K102’s Chris Carr & Company.

Dave Ryan got the competitive juices flowing early on, giving O'Connell a quiz on NFL rules and regulations.

O'Connell had fun with the impromptu challenge and also detailed the new kickoff rule fans will see across the NFL this season.

He answered a few less-formal questions, too, including whether or not he attends the Minnesota State Fair and what his favorite French fry variant is. (For those wondering, it's "the standard, good-old-fashioned fry.")

Because of the NFL schedule and preparing for the start of the regular season, O'Connell lamented he has yet to experience "The Great Minnesota Get-Together."

"I just ask that [players who go] don't come back with any of the food they ate still on their face," he quipped.

During his visit with Chris Carr, Kia and Sam, O'Connell was welcomed with open arms as "one of us," given his affinity for country music.

The group had fun chatting about Vikings players who also listen to country – "most of our offensive linemen, quite a few of our defensive players and all our specialists" – and which country music stars could be a strong addition to Minnesota's roster.

O'Connell said he could envision Luke Combs lead-blocking for Aaron Jones but would ultimately select someone who's an ardent football fan: Kenny Chesney.

"Don't tell him I said this but, like, the 1998 version of Kenny Chesney," O'Connell quipped, noting he'd slide the smaller-statured Chesney in as a slot receiver.

Though O'Connell was born in Chesney's home state of Tennessee and went on to live most of his life in California, he emphasized also to the K102 listeners how much he and his family have come to love Minnesota.

The Vikings head coach hasn't started using many "opes" or "ooftas," but he said it's likely only a matter of time.

"My 5-year-old son Kolten full-blown has the accent," O'Connell laughed. "I think it's working our way up in our family."