Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wasn’t happy with the way the team’s offense was working with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo running the show last year so DeFilippo was fired during the season and Kevin Stefanski was promoted into the job on an interim basis.
Stefanski got the full-time job this offseason, but the Vikings supplemented him by hiring former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak as an assistant head coach and offensive advisor. The team is ninth in points scored and eighth in offensive yards after finishing 19th and 20th in those metrics last season and those results left Zimmer singing Kubiak’s praises on Wednesday
“Gary has been tremendous. It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me since I came here,” Zimmer said at his press conference.
Kubiak’s work will be in the spotlight a bit more this week as the Vikings try to win for the sixth time in seven weeks against the Broncos. Zimmer said he doesn’t expect Kubiak’s experience with the organization to make a big difference in this week’s outcome, but it’s clear he thinks the coach has made one in the big picture.