How the basics of the Kubiak offense changed the game for the Vikings

[purplefaithful]

EAGAN — On Wednesday Gary Kubiak entered rare air.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer went fully hyperbolic in responses to questions about Kubiak’s impact on the team’s offense, which has jumped from 19th in points and 20th in total yards last season to fifth in scoring and fourth in total yards so far this year.
“Gary has been tremendous,” Zimmer said. “It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me since I’ve been here. He’s very smart. I talk to him a lot about what he’s done as a head coach. We talk a lot about offensive and defensive football. I just love his demeanor and the way that he and Kevin [Stefanski] can communicate during the games and also during the week on game plans.”
Only the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees receive that type of praise from the blunt head coach.
But the Vikings’ offensive adviser, who was hired this offseason to work with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, laid out the blueprint for an offense that checked off all the boxes Zimmer wanted for his group — and righted the wrongs of the ’18 offense
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...e-vikings/

[Guest]

So why has it all worked so well? Things don’t always go according to plan in the NFL. In ’18 the Vikings had the next up-and-coming offensive mind in John DeFilippo — a former QBs coach for the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. But that fell apart when the Vikings couldn’t run the ball and opponents double teamed Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The system seemed to highlight quarterback Kirk Cousins’ shortcomings in the drop-back passing game rather than play to the strengths that earned him an $84 million contract.
Kubiak’s system is doing the opposite now. It’s highlighting the strengths of Cousins the same way that it did for the likes of Jake Plummer, who went 39-15 with an 84.9 rating in Denver after losing 52 of 82 games with a 69.0 rating in six seasons with Arizona. Or Matt Schaub, a backup in Atlanta who ended up making two Pro Bowls under Kubiak.

[Guest]

“The outside zone [run] is what makes the whole thing happen,” Rosenfels said. “There’s what you call a ‘stretch’ play and as the linemen work down the line, they are trying to cut people off. Center and guard cutting people off as one of them works up to the linebacker. If you can get somebody out of a gap…there can be a big hole there if everyone else gets blocked. It’s about forcing defenses to stay in their gaps…so they have to play the run first. On top of that those plays create great movement from the defense laterally and it basically creates this wall and pass protection off of it…if the defense has all come into their gaps it creates these big spots down the field because everyone is so close to the line of scrimmage.”
Ranking second in the NFL in rushing with a potential MVP candidate running back in Cook has caused opposing teams to form their entire defensive gameplans around stopping the star runner.
Nick Ferguson, a safety for the Broncos during Kubiak’s era as an offensive coordinator in Denver and current talk host on 104.3 The Fan explained how Cook’s usage is causing confusion for defenses.
“I played against the scheme, I practiced against the scheme and I coached against the scheme, they give you different things to worry about,” Ferguson said. “They attack you on all three levels, they attack you horizontally and vertically. Watching the Cowboys game I was blown out of my mind how many ways they use Dalvin Cook. They use him as a decoy, they use him in the screen game, they gave him toss plays. The idea is that they get everyone involved in the offense so you can’t key on one particular player.
“When they think they’ve figured out the run then you go play-pass and throw the ball down field. They give you so many personnel groupings and you think you’re getting the same play with the personnel grouping and they give you something else.”
Aside from the X’s and O’s elements of Kubiak’s system, which can be traced back to West Coast inventor Bill Walsh, Rosenfels says there’s a human element involved. That schematics alone wouldn’t drive 22 years of prosperity in the NFL.
“I think what fans don’t see and even when he’s a head coach people don’t see because it’s just press conferences and he’s pretty quiet is how likable Gary is,” Rosenfels said. “He is the easiest guy to talk to. Guys have personal problems occasionally would go into his office, he was the easiest guy to talk to, he didn’t have that authoritarian feel to him but also it wasn’t a screw-around session. He was all about being a pro.”

[Guest]

Good article.  

It is a fun offense to watch. 

[Guest]

yeah, agree with all that ... but we still need Thielen. 

[Guest]

Its all biscuits and gravy now....but the stretch run is here. Keep on' keeping on Vikings run game.

[Guest]

Cousins, Cook, the OL and the scheme all seem to be coming together and improving every week. Just beat Denver, stay healthy and get Thielen back. That's when it will really start rolling. 

[Guest]

After watching a little bit of Steelers vs Browns, I have a much greater appreciation for my team.