01-20-2019, 09:12 PM
While we won’t know for some time how much control the elder Kubiak will have in his role as an advisor, here are a few things that might influence the dynamic of Minnesota’s offense with the former Houston and Denver head coach involved.
A restored run gameA zone-blocking run scheme is a staple of Kubiak’s system. The Vikings have been committed to this type of blocking style but struggled to execute it effectively in 2018. Kubiak is revered for taking run-of-the-mill backs and putting them in position to reach their fullest potential, having morphed Arian Foster from an undrafted free agent in 2009 into the Texans' all-time leading rusher. The same happened in Denver for Terrell Davis, who became the Broncos’ all-time leading rusher when Kubiak was offensive coordinator, and C.J. Anderson (ninth all-time in team history), who flourished as a downhill back in that system.
The Shanahan connectionThe line of head coaches in Kubiak’s coaching tree is impressive and includes two who have a close relationship to quarterback Kirk Cousins: Mike and Kyle Shanahan, whom Cousins worked with in Washington for several seasons.
One major benefit of retaining Stefanski was preventing Cousins from having to work with a fifth offensive coordinator in four seasons. With the idea of continuity in mind, having someone who worked with both Shanahan’s at length and knows how those West Coast principles were taught to Cousins early on in the NFL could help with the quarterback's development in Minnesota.
A quarterback whispererThis term gets thrown around a lot, but given the list of quarterbacks Gary Kubiak has worked with and his ability to get the most out of veterans such as Jake Plummer (three straight playoff appearances from 2003-05), Matt Schaub (set career highs in passing/attempts in 2009 while earning one of two trips to the Pro Bowl) and Joe Flacco (put up better numbers under Kubiak in 2014 than in his Super Bowl year), the title is often and fairly associated with the new Vikings coach.
Kubiak has also worked with a wide array of talent, from Trevor Siemian, Brian Griese and Brock Osweiler to veterans late in their careers like John Elway, Steve Young and Manning. He’s a master at finding ways to maximize passing efficiency, no matter who he’s working with.
His offenses ranked in the top 10 in net yards/attempt 12 times since 1995 while his scoring offenses have cracked the top 10 11 times in that same timeframe. How he’s been able to achieve that feat is largely rooted in what he’s done at the quarterback position in each of his stops, something that could be a factor in Minnesota when he gets to work with Cousins.
"Kubiak is a guy who does a great job of maximizing a quarterback’s strengths and minimizing weaknesses," Rosenfels said. "The Vikings are not going to lead the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns next year but as far as being efficient with your quarterback and putting him in really good chance to have success -- which I believe is the No. 1 goal for your offense -- Kubiak has done that at a high level with guys who are less talented than Kirk Cousins."
http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikin...gs-offense
A restored run gameA zone-blocking run scheme is a staple of Kubiak’s system. The Vikings have been committed to this type of blocking style but struggled to execute it effectively in 2018. Kubiak is revered for taking run-of-the-mill backs and putting them in position to reach their fullest potential, having morphed Arian Foster from an undrafted free agent in 2009 into the Texans' all-time leading rusher. The same happened in Denver for Terrell Davis, who became the Broncos’ all-time leading rusher when Kubiak was offensive coordinator, and C.J. Anderson (ninth all-time in team history), who flourished as a downhill back in that system.
The Shanahan connectionThe line of head coaches in Kubiak’s coaching tree is impressive and includes two who have a close relationship to quarterback Kirk Cousins: Mike and Kyle Shanahan, whom Cousins worked with in Washington for several seasons.
One major benefit of retaining Stefanski was preventing Cousins from having to work with a fifth offensive coordinator in four seasons. With the idea of continuity in mind, having someone who worked with both Shanahan’s at length and knows how those West Coast principles were taught to Cousins early on in the NFL could help with the quarterback's development in Minnesota.
A quarterback whispererThis term gets thrown around a lot, but given the list of quarterbacks Gary Kubiak has worked with and his ability to get the most out of veterans such as Jake Plummer (three straight playoff appearances from 2003-05), Matt Schaub (set career highs in passing/attempts in 2009 while earning one of two trips to the Pro Bowl) and Joe Flacco (put up better numbers under Kubiak in 2014 than in his Super Bowl year), the title is often and fairly associated with the new Vikings coach.
Kubiak has also worked with a wide array of talent, from Trevor Siemian, Brian Griese and Brock Osweiler to veterans late in their careers like John Elway, Steve Young and Manning. He’s a master at finding ways to maximize passing efficiency, no matter who he’s working with.
His offenses ranked in the top 10 in net yards/attempt 12 times since 1995 while his scoring offenses have cracked the top 10 11 times in that same timeframe. How he’s been able to achieve that feat is largely rooted in what he’s done at the quarterback position in each of his stops, something that could be a factor in Minnesota when he gets to work with Cousins.
"Kubiak is a guy who does a great job of maximizing a quarterback’s strengths and minimizing weaknesses," Rosenfels said. "The Vikings are not going to lead the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns next year but as far as being efficient with your quarterback and putting him in really good chance to have success -- which I believe is the No. 1 goal for your offense -- Kubiak has done that at a high level with guys who are less talented than Kirk Cousins."
http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikin...gs-offense
