Well you knew this was coming...
As offense improves, so does reputation of Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin StefanskiImproved offense might boost coordinator's career.
The Vikings are playing better offensively now than they were two years ago when the Giants swooped in and ran off with Pat Shurmur the morning after the magic and miracles ended one step shy of Super Bowl LIII.
So might we expect another downtrodden franchise to pounce upon another Vikings offensive coordinator — Kevin Stefanski — as early as January or, who knows, the first Monday in February?
“I don’t know,” said Gary Kubiak, Stefanski’s unofficial mentor and official Vikings assistant head coach/offensive adviser. “They don’t want to lose him around here, but Kevin’s got a bright future.“
The key to getting into position to is calling games … making decisions, handling a meeting room of a bunch of players, being able to get the most out of not only players, but coaches as well,” Kubiak said.
“Kevin’s been exceptional, and this has been a good opportunity this year to do it on a full-time basis. He’s doing a great job with it.”
Stefanski has been an offensive coordinator since replacing the fired John DeFilippo after 13 games a year ago. In 11 games this season, Stefanski’s offense ranks higher than Shurmur’s 2017 offense in scoring (eighth/10th), total yards (ninth/11th), yards per play (fifth/13th), rushing (third/seventh) and red-zone touchdown percentage (fifth/ninth), among other categories.
General Manager Rick Spielman said he likes how the offense has evolved into a unit that can adapt to different situations even while missing key players
http://www.startribune.com/as-offense-improves-so-does-reputation-of-vikings-offensive-coordinator-kevin-stefanski/565192432/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Stefanski will never be the HC of the Vikings because any success the team has will also be reflected onto Zimmer. Zimmer has mentioned he has no plans to retire. So.....if the team turns shitty next season, the shine goes off of Stefanski. Vicious circle.
@"Vanguard83" said: cant we just enjoy the ride?I know, right? I mean, honestly the team hasn't done shit yet. The NFC is rough and they still need to lock down a playoff spot and go from there. The rest is just noise.
@"Vanguard83" said: cant we just enjoy the ride?Right? Maybe he gets poached but at least for now its fun. Im more concerned with talking Kubiac and co in hanging around a couple more seasons and seeing if we cant get that stupid trophy.
If we can keep Kubes, then even if Stef moves on, whoever we bring in (Klint? Dennison?) could run the same offense, maintaining the continuity that is so important for QBs.
Not saying that the next guy is going to be able to call plays as well as Stef has this year, but scheme continuity is the most important thing. Rick seems to do things with an eye a couple years down the road--the fact that we even still have Stefanski is proof of that. Wouldn't surprise me if he already knows who the OC will be if Stef moves on.
Still, be nice to see this ship stay in tact for at least one more year.
Maybe Stefanski stays, gets promoted, and we don't lose him. Maybe he is going to have a career track like Paton.
I think Kubiak would take over as OC if Stefanski gets a hc job. And he probably will as there are going to be lots of openings as always. But he won't necessarily have the talent to work with in whatever job he gets.
It's a big leap from running a good offense (with a great mentor in Kubiak) to running a whole team with iffy personnel - just ask Pat Shurmer.
@"MaroonBells" said: If we can keep Kubes, then even if Stef moves on, whoever we bring in (Klint? Dennison?) could run the same offense, maintaining the continuity that is so important for QBs.Not saying that the next guy is going to be able to call plays as well as Stef has this year, but scheme continuity is the most important thing. Rick seems to do things with an eye a couple years down the road--the fact that we even still have Stefanski is proof of that. Wouldn't surprise me if he already knows who the OC will be if Stef moves on.
Still, be nice to see this ship stay in tact for at least one more year.
anyone think that G Kubiaks son could / is being groomed to become an OC??
@"NorthernCalVike" said:@"MaroonBells" said: If we can keep Kubes, then even if Stef moves on, whoever we bring in (Klint? Dennison?) could run the same offense, maintaining the continuity that is so important for QBs.Not saying that the next guy is going to be able to call plays as well as Stef has this year, but scheme continuity is the most important thing. Rick seems to do things with an eye a couple years down the road--the fact that we even still have Stefanski is proof of that. Wouldn't surprise me if he already knows who the OC will be if Stef moves on.
Still, be nice to see this ship stay in tact for at least one more year.
anyone think that G Kubiaks son could / is being groomed to become an OC??
I do.
I think Stefanski is in a strong situation and can be wait for the job with the right Organization.
If the right situation doesn't come up, he'd still be on solid ground with the Vikings in 2020.
Too often I see Coordinators accept Head Coaching positions with franchises that are not going to succeed.
Jumping at the first chance/offer ,with a below average Organization, doesn't end well typically.
Probably can hire Shurmer (sp) back, as he will likely be fired by the NYG
@"NorthernCalVike" said:@"MaroonBells" said: If we can keep Kubes, then even if Stef moves on, whoever we bring in (Klint? Dennison?) could run the same offense, maintaining the continuity that is so important for QBs.Not saying that the next guy is going to be able to call plays as well as Stef has this year, but scheme continuity is the most important thing. Rick seems to do things with an eye a couple years down the road--the fact that we even still have Stefanski is proof of that. Wouldn't surprise me if he already knows who the OC will be if Stef moves on.
Still, be nice to see this ship stay in tact for at least one more year.
anyone think that G Kubiaks son could / is being groomed to become an OC??
Definitely. Don't forget also that Rick Dennison has 10 years experience as an OC under Kubiak. That's kind of the beauty of this staff. Our assistant head coach is a former super bowl winning head coach. Our OL coach was an OC for 10 years. A lot of guys who've seen a lot.
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