Tag: Kevin Stefanski

Report: Panthers to interview Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski next week

Carolina fans can get a better look at Stefanski’s work tomorrow afternoon when the Vikings visit the Saints.

There’s a new contender to take over Ron Rivera’s old job. According to a report by Dan Graziano at ESPN, the Panthers will interview Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski for their head coach vacancy next week.

Stefanski has been with Minnesota since the 2006 season, when he was hired as an assistant to the head coach. From there, he worked his way up the staff, spending time as a tight ends coach, running backs coach and quarterbacks coach before taking over as OC this year. He’s gotten high praise for what he has done in 2019.

Minnesota finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in offensive DVOA and No. 8 in scoring. That’s a significant improvement from 2018 when they ranked No. 18 in DVOA and 19 in points scored.

Kirk Cousins in particular seems to have benefited from Stefanski’s play-calling. His passer rating rose from 99.7 in 2018 to 107.4 this year. In particular, Stefanski’s scheme has helped with pass protection. Cousins only took 28 sacks this season compared to 40 the year before. That should have an obvious appeal for the Panthers, who have seen Cam Newton bludgeoned by good pass rushes too often the last few seasons.

The Vikings also have a robust ground game led by Dalvin Cook. He posted 1,135 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns. The Panthers got a lot more out of Christian McCaffrey of course, but he also got 100 more touches than Cook.

Carolina fans can get a better look at Stefanski’s work tomorrow afternoon when the Vikings visit the Saints. Minnesota is a 7.5-point underdog.

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Can the Vikings get WR Adam Thielen going vs. Saints?

Vikings fans are hoping their two-time Pro Bowl receiver can put up some big numbers with the playoffs starting. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was active for Week 15 and Week 16 of the season after missing seven of the previous eight with a …

Vikings fans are hoping their two-time Pro Bowl receiver can put up some big numbers with the playoffs starting.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was active for Week 15 and Week 16 of the season after missing seven of the previous eight with a hamstring injury.

In Week 17, Thielen was held out due to precautionary reasons, along with a good chunk of the rest of the team’s starters.

In Week 15 against the Chargers, Thielen was on the field for 51 percent of the plays and caught three passes for 27 yards. In Week 16, he was on the field for 93 percent of the plays, but didn’t have a single catch on four catches.

So, can the Vikings get him going against the Saints in Sunday’s wild card game?

“I think we’re excited to have him as a part of this attack,” Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski said Thursday. “I think the production will come as always anytime you’re coming off an injury like he was, I think he’s (ready) to go now. I do believe he looks great out here today, so we’ll see how the game unfolds. If it calls for a big day from him, I think he’ll be ready.”

This, of course, is less about Thielen and more about Kirk Cousins and the Vikings pass protection. If the offensive line can give Cousins enough time, and Cousins gets into rhythm, the offensive attack is dangerous with Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph.

Thielen is certainly itching to get back to the level he’s been at in the past. The last time Thielen had more than 50 yards in a game was on Oct. 13, more than two months ago.

We’ll see if he can change that on Sunday.

Report: Browns have requested to interview Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski

For the second-straight year, it looks like the Browns will be interviewing Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

For the second-straight year, it looks like the Browns will be interviewing Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

On Monday, Mary Kay Cabot reported that the Browns have requested to interview Stefanski along with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. She also reported that they plan to interview former Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

Last season, Stefanski was a finalist for the job before the Browns hired Freddie Kitchens for the job. Turns out, not a great move.

In 2019, in Stefanski’s first full year as offensive coordinator, the Vikings ranked eighth in points scored and 16th in total yards.

Stefanski is just 37 years old and with the NFL’s surge on the offensive side of the ball, he’s certainly intriguing to teams.

Giants head coaching search: 15 potential candidates

The New York Giants have fired head coach Pat Shurmur, so here’s a look at 15 candidates who could replace him.

As many things change, so many stay the same — especially in East Rutherford, where the New York Giants have fired head coach Pat Shurmur and are once again on the prowl for a replacement.

The Giants now need to hire their fifth head coach since 2015 and since they got a late start, there’s a lot of ground to make up.

Here’s a look at 15 potential head coaching candidates.

Editor’s note: Having gone over several of these names previously, there’s no real reason to completely rehash everything just for the sake of doing it, so we’re going to blockquote out previous analysis and commentary, and add to it if needed.

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Matt Rhule

Rhule is drawing interest from the Carolina Panthers and others, but rumors suggest he’s looking for a place where he can control personnel or he’s not leaving college. Are the Giants that team? Ehh…

Rhule has had success just about everywhere he has gone, and his time at Baylor has been no exception. With the school dealing with some very serious issues, he’s brought it back from the ashes. Not only that, Rhule has a familiarity with the Giants and team ownership, having served as their assistant offensive line coach in 2012. He’s generated head coaching interest in recent years and very nearly landed the Jets job prior to the hiring of Adam Gase.

Forgetting about his desire to control personnel, Rhule has no NFL head coaching experience to speak of, which is something the Giants may look to avoid this time around.

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Expect to hear Kevin Stefanski’s name as NFL head coaching jobs open up

The Vikings rank fifth in total points and 12th in total yards.

With the NFL season coming to an end, there will be some head coaching firings as there are every season. We’ve already had one in Carolina.

There will be a bunch of hot coaching candidates and we can probably expect Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to be part of that group.

Stefanski, 37, had his first full-time season as offensive coordinator in 2019.

The Vikings rank fifth in total points and 12th in total yards. He was part of a movement, along with Gary Kubiak, that helped shift the Vikings’ focus offensively to more of a balance.

Last season, Stefanski was a finalist for the Cleveland Browns head coaching spot that Freddie Kitchens ultimately got (this doesn’t look so great now).

As rumors swirl, expect to hear Stefanki’s name circulate and don’t be surprised if he’s part of a few interviews during the next month as well.

Gary Kubiak doesn’t have ‘the itch’ to return as a head coach

Kubiak served as an NFL coach for 10 seasons, eight with the Houston Texans and two with the Denver Broncos.

Gary Kubiak is with the Vikings this season, serving as an offensive advisor.

It was a major addition for this team over the offseason.

Kubiak served as an NFL coach for 10 seasons, eight with the Houston Texans and two with the Denver Broncos. Kubiak totalled a 82-75 record. His 2015 Denver Broncos team won the Super Bowl.

Kubiak was last head coach in 2016 when his Broncos went 9-7.

So, now that he’s with the Vikings, playing a pretty big role, does he feel the urge to get back into the game as a head coach?

Not so much, per Chad Graff of The Athletic.

Kubiak, 58, has had some health issues that have hindered his ability to coach, so health wise, this is probably the right move.

Earlier this season, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called getting Kubiak on the coaching staff one of the best things that have happened to him since taking over.

Kubiak, along with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, has the Vikings rankek eighth in points scored and ninth in total yards.

Kubiak’s son, Klint, is the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Gary Kubiak on Kevin Stefanski: ‘Kevin’s got a brilliant future’

The Vikings have teamed up offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and offensive advisor Gary Kubiak in 2019 and so far, so good.

The Vikings have teamed up offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and offensive advisor Gary Kubiak in 2019 and so far, so good.

Through 11 games, the Vikings rank eighth in points and ninth in yards.

There were some questions on whether or not these two would fit together or if Stefanski would feel threatened, but it feels like it’s going about as good as it could go.

Stefanksi was a candidate for the Cleveland Browns head coach job this offseason, which shows how highly thought of Stefanski is around the league.

Spoiler alert: Cleveland probably should have hired Stefanski.

Kubiak addressed Stefanski perhaps being a head coach candidate again this coming offseason.

“I think Kevin’s got a brilliant future,” Kubiak said earlier this week. “The key to getting in position to do those type of things is calling games, calling defenses, calling offenses, 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. Kevin’s been exceptional and this is a great opportunity for him this year to do it in a full-time basis. He’s doing a great job with it.”

If the Vikings continue to have success, there’s a good chance we’ll hear Stefanski’s name floating around head coaching vacancies.

7 candidates to replace Giants coach Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants are unlikely to fire head coach Pat Shurmur, but if they do, here are seven candidates to replace him.

The New York Giants have no plans to fire coach Pat Shurmur this year or at any point during the offseason, meaning that his job could be safe through 2020.

Of course, Giants ownership let similar information leak when it came to former coach Ben McAdoo, and we all know how that ended up playing out.

So while it’s unlikely the Giants move on from Shurmur over the next calendar year, there’s no denying he’s put himself firmly on the hot seat. Accordingly, we’re here to examine seven candidates who could eventually replace him.

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Tom Coughlin

Yep. We’re starting out in controversial fashion, but let’s not pretend that forcing Coughlin to step down wasn’t the first in a long string of poor decisions that led these Giants to where they are today. The real question would be whether or not Coughlin would want to come back to New York. Or, at this point, whether he even desires a return to the sideline at all.

Bottom line: The Giants need an old-school disciplinarian leading the way because the whole player-friendly thing is clearly not working.

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