Reaction to Gary Kubik retiring and what's next
Vikings are once again hunting for an offensive coordinator
In Gary Kubiak’s final press conference of the 2020 season, he hinted that this might be the end of the road for him as offensive coordinator.
He called himself “year-to-year” and shortly after that reports surfaced that he was considering retirement. On Thursday, Kubiak made it official, announcing that he’s walking away from football.
Over the last two years under Kubiak, the Vikings saw their offense make strides from ranking 19th in points in 2018 to eighth with Kubiak as offensive adviser and Kevin Stefanski calling plays in 2019 to 11th this season with Kubiak back in the saddle as OC.
Head coach Mike Zimmer has repeatedly expressed his appreciation for Kubiak’s impact on the offense.
“I love Gary Kubiak. He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable coach, a great ear to me,” Zimmer said. “I love sitting there talking to him. We’re both kind of the same kind of guys. I know that he’s had some health issues in the past, so it’s always good to take some time and think about where you’re at, mentally and physically. Obviously this year was a major mental and physical drain on all of us, including the players. We’ll just see how all of that unfolds as we move forward. (He’s) the best I’ve ever been around, terrific person, great coach, and I love him. We’ll just see how he’s doing.”
Quarterback Kirk Cousins also produced his two best seasons in terms of quarterback rating and PFF grade under Kubiak and the team elevated to one of the league’s top rushing attacks. Cousins said in his last press conference he felt Kubiak did a “phenomenal” job leading the offense. Cousins will now continue his streak of having a new offensive coordinator every year since he took over as a full-time starter in Washington.
From an organizational perspective, Kubiak will be missed inside TCO Performance Center. He was widely respected in the building and one of the most universally appreciated coaches by players that you will find in the NFL.
Kubiak finishes his career with 16 top-10 scoring offenses in 24 years as either a HC, OC or offensive adviser.
So what’s next?
The natural favorite for the job is Klint Kubiak, who started his NFL coaching career with the Vikings in 2013 working as assistant wide receivers coach and offensive quality control. He spent three years with the Broncos from 2016-2018 before returning to Minnesota with his dad in 2019 to act as quarterbacks coach. Klint cited his relationship with Kevin Stefanski as a reason to come back to Minnesota.
Offensive line coach Rick Dennison also has 10 years experience as an offensive coordinator, most recently with the Buffalo Bills in 2017. He was the OC on the Super Bowl-winning 2015 Broncos as well. They could do something like bumping Dennison to OC and making Klint the passing-game coordinator or co-OC.
Zimmer has been adamant that the current offense that the Vikings run, which is based off wide zone runs and play-action throws downfield, is the best fit for his team and his quarterback. He commented that this was the first year of his tenure that he felt his team had an “explosive” offense.
Disciples of Gary Kubiak (and Mike Shanahan) are all over the league, including Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, who was hired by Kubiak in Houston. San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan has become one of the most impressive offensive minds in the NFL and the Jets hired away Shanahan coaches in New York after DC Robert Salah was named head coach. The Browns, Titans and Rams have also notably run similar systems.
Former Chargers coach Anthony Lynn may have a similar run-first philosophy as Zimmer and would bring previous head coaching experience to the table. Zimmer has said that having former head coaches at his side like Tony Sparano and Gary Kubiak was very valuable.
Zimmer also has been connected to Hue Jackson in the past because of their long-time friendship. He coached with Jay Gruden in Cincinnati (though there were some rocky times in Washington with Gruden and Kirk Cousins).
Tennessee’s quarterback coach Pat O’Hara, 49ers former QB coach Shane Day, current QB coach Rich Scangarello, Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, Packers passing game coordinator Luke Getsy and Browns passing game coordinator Chad O’Shea are notable assistants who have been running the system elsewhere.
When the Vikings last hunted for an OC, the decision came after the Super Bowl — though that was in part because they hired someone from the Super Bowl-winning team. A decision wouldn’t be likely to wait much longer than a week or two after the Super Bowl but could come sooner.
The bottom line on the Vikings’ search to replace Kubiak is that they have an opportunity to build on what he helped create in 2019 and 2020. They have the bones of a very good offense with a quality quarterback, two top-10 receivers and a superstar running back. Can they find someone who can add some updates to Kubiak’s successful system and give them the personnel to improve in 2020?
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Honestly, I would have preferred to see Zimmer go rather than have to put up with the near-zero O-line support and another year of run, run, run, omg, run again. I mean, Cook had 300+ carries in 14.5 games!! He had a great year no doubt but we did not use our WRs as well as we could have and reduced the wear on Cook.
I don't want Dennison if his coaching of the O line is an example of his proficiency. I'd much rather have Klint K though he is unproven, he would always have his father to draw from. The question is whether he is strong enough to stand up to Zimmer when need be. What about Hamilton or Kafka? Or, honestly Matthew, are we just going to have to bite the bullet until Zimmer either decides to balance the the team or is removed before we have a chance at building to a Superbowl? Looking forward to your answer :), skol Vikes!!