09-07-2020, 02:41 PM
Vikings' Gary Kubiak finds a healthy balance as an offensive coordinatorKubiak knows the toll of head coaching jobs, so he's happy just being Mike Zimmer's sidekick.Gary Kubiak, the 59-year-old Super Bowl-winning head coach and offensive sage Mike Zimmer called the “best thing” that’s happened to him in Minnesota, started laughing long before a reporter finished painting for him a hypothetical portrait of his future five months from now.
What if, Gary, a certain purple-clad team playing in its 60th season were to win its first Super Bowl in this, the most bizarre of 101 NFL seasons? And what if the Vikings offense outperformed last year’s eighth-ranked scoring attack, and Kirk Cousins went to another level a year after posting a career-high 107.4 passer rating, good for fourth in the league?
And finally, Gary, what if another team looked toward the Upper Midwest for a certain assistant head coach/offensive coordinator to become its next head coach?
“Nope!” said the man who cited his well-publicized health problems for leaving the head coaching ranks after the 2016 season. “I am not going back to that. Teams might be looking, but tell them, ‘Don’t call me.’ Maybe call my wife.”
There was more laughter because Rhonda Kubiak might be the only person who’s happier that Gary is perfectly happy toiling in the relative background as successor to former mentee Kevin Stefanski and old-school yang to Zimmer’s defensive-minded ying.
“From the family’s perspective, just excited that he’s getting back to what he loves to do,” said Klint Kubiak, the oldest of Gary’s three sons and his quarterbacks coach. “But it’s also a breath of fresh air he hasn’t jumped back into a stress-filled environment.”
NFL coordinator and gameday play-caller isn’t exactly stress-free. But …
“There isn’t enough time for me to describe the difference [in stress level] between being a coordinator and a head coach,” Kubiak said. “Unless you’ve been a head coach, it’s hard to explain. But there is a big, big difference. I can tell you that.”
Happy helping Zim
Kubiak is heading into his 36th NFL season. He spent nine years as John Elway’s backup in Denver, 10 as a head coach in Houston and Denver, two on personnel in Denver and the rest as an assistant. He has four Super Bowl rings, one as 49ers quarterbacks coach, two as Mike Shanahan’s offensive coordinator in Denver, and one from when he was Broncos head coach in Super Bowl 50.
“I wouldn’t be back doing this in just any old situation,” Kubiak said. “When I stepped down and went into the personnel side of things in Denver, I was happy.”
Happy, but …
“ ‘Not as fulfilled’ is how I’d describe those two years for him,” Klint said of the 2017 and ’18 seasons his father spent in the Broncos front office. “The reward of having to win and lose every day. I don’t think he got that feeling staying behind a desk.”
Gary Kubiak loves his “unique” situation with the Vikings, who first brought him on as an adviser in 2019. He loves renting a place in Edina, right down the road from his three grandsons, who “you can go hug and play in the yard with when football gets rough.”
He loves that his transition from consultant to coordinator was made seamless by reuniting with longtime coaching cohorts Rick Dennison, the team’s line coach and run game coordinator; and Brian Pariani, the tight ends coach.
And last but certainly not least, he said, “I love working for Coach Zimmer because I love how he runs his club and how he tries to win.” And, no, that’s not a universal feeling among all who have worked for Zimmer.
In other words, Kubiak and Zimmer are the rum and Coke of coaching compadres compared to the oil and water that was Zimmer and John DeFilippo, who lasted all of 13 games as offensive coordinator.
“I’m just so happy Gary is here with us,” Zimmer said. “Gary was a very strong influence on Kevin. And what I see in the scrimmages this summer is I think Gary is pretty aggressive in his play-calling. He’s obviously got a good feel for it. He’s done it forever.
https://www.startribune.com/coordinating...572337122/
What if, Gary, a certain purple-clad team playing in its 60th season were to win its first Super Bowl in this, the most bizarre of 101 NFL seasons? And what if the Vikings offense outperformed last year’s eighth-ranked scoring attack, and Kirk Cousins went to another level a year after posting a career-high 107.4 passer rating, good for fourth in the league?
And finally, Gary, what if another team looked toward the Upper Midwest for a certain assistant head coach/offensive coordinator to become its next head coach?
“Nope!” said the man who cited his well-publicized health problems for leaving the head coaching ranks after the 2016 season. “I am not going back to that. Teams might be looking, but tell them, ‘Don’t call me.’ Maybe call my wife.”
There was more laughter because Rhonda Kubiak might be the only person who’s happier that Gary is perfectly happy toiling in the relative background as successor to former mentee Kevin Stefanski and old-school yang to Zimmer’s defensive-minded ying.
“From the family’s perspective, just excited that he’s getting back to what he loves to do,” said Klint Kubiak, the oldest of Gary’s three sons and his quarterbacks coach. “But it’s also a breath of fresh air he hasn’t jumped back into a stress-filled environment.”
NFL coordinator and gameday play-caller isn’t exactly stress-free. But …
“There isn’t enough time for me to describe the difference [in stress level] between being a coordinator and a head coach,” Kubiak said. “Unless you’ve been a head coach, it’s hard to explain. But there is a big, big difference. I can tell you that.”
Happy helping Zim
Kubiak is heading into his 36th NFL season. He spent nine years as John Elway’s backup in Denver, 10 as a head coach in Houston and Denver, two on personnel in Denver and the rest as an assistant. He has four Super Bowl rings, one as 49ers quarterbacks coach, two as Mike Shanahan’s offensive coordinator in Denver, and one from when he was Broncos head coach in Super Bowl 50.
“I wouldn’t be back doing this in just any old situation,” Kubiak said. “When I stepped down and went into the personnel side of things in Denver, I was happy.”
Happy, but …
“ ‘Not as fulfilled’ is how I’d describe those two years for him,” Klint said of the 2017 and ’18 seasons his father spent in the Broncos front office. “The reward of having to win and lose every day. I don’t think he got that feeling staying behind a desk.”
Gary Kubiak loves his “unique” situation with the Vikings, who first brought him on as an adviser in 2019. He loves renting a place in Edina, right down the road from his three grandsons, who “you can go hug and play in the yard with when football gets rough.”
He loves that his transition from consultant to coordinator was made seamless by reuniting with longtime coaching cohorts Rick Dennison, the team’s line coach and run game coordinator; and Brian Pariani, the tight ends coach.
And last but certainly not least, he said, “I love working for Coach Zimmer because I love how he runs his club and how he tries to win.” And, no, that’s not a universal feeling among all who have worked for Zimmer.
In other words, Kubiak and Zimmer are the rum and Coke of coaching compadres compared to the oil and water that was Zimmer and John DeFilippo, who lasted all of 13 games as offensive coordinator.
“I’m just so happy Gary is here with us,” Zimmer said. “Gary was a very strong influence on Kevin. And what I see in the scrimmages this summer is I think Gary is pretty aggressive in his play-calling. He’s obviously got a good feel for it. He’s done it forever.
https://www.startribune.com/coordinating...572337122/