Tag: Klint Kubiak

Vikings OC Klint Kubiak talks K.J. Osborn’s development

“I’ve seen his game take another step this training camp.” Klint Kubiak said of K.J. Osborn.

Vikings wideout K.J. Osborn’s NFL career got off to a bumpy start.

As a rookie in 2020, Osborn finished with a 3.9 punt return average. He also struggled to hang onto the ball on punt returns. He did not register any stats as a wide receiver.

However, Osborn has come on strong in 2021 training camp, improving his stock to the point where he may be the team’s wide receiver No. 3. Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak talked about the second-year player recently:

“I think K.J. has had a solid camp,” Kubiak said. “He’s still improving and he can still get a whole lot better. He’s had his days where he’s been great. He’s had his days where he hasn’t been as good, but I think [wide receivers] coach [Keenan] McCardell has worked really hard with him, and I’ve seen his game take another step this training camp.” 

Osborn’s versatility helps, too.

“We have a lot of trust in him. He can play multiple positions. He’s a very intelligent player. He’s smart and it matters to him. The details matter to him. With a player at wide receiver, they have to, because you have to play so many spots. So I’m pleased with his work habits.”

Osborn has improved to the point where he’s probably not in danger of losing a roster spot for now. However, when Dede Westbrook returns, he should have ample competition for reps at the third wide receiver position. Osborn needs to keep making strides as a wide receiver. He could help his case by improving on special teams, too.

Vikings OC Klint Kubiak talks Christian Darrisaw’s development: ‘He’s exceeded expectations’

Minnesota Vikings OC Klint Kubiak had positive things to say about rookie tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Minnesota released left tackle Riley Reiff this offseason. Then, Reiff signed with the Bengals in free agency, leaving a hole at the left tackle spot.

That spot could very well be filled by Minnesota’s first-round pick: Christian Darrisaw. So Darrisaw will have to adjust to the NFL quickly and lock down an important role on the offensive line.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak talked about how the rookie has adjusted thus far:

“He’s exceeded expectations, cause he’s very bright,” Klint Kubiak said. “He puts in the work, he takes the coaching points from coach [Rick] Dennison and coach [Phil] Rauscher and when he’s been out there, he’s taken it to the field. So he just needs to get more reps, cause reps are key. He missed a few of them, but he’s going to get them back. We’re going to get our money’s [worth] out of him come fall camp.”

It’s not just Darrisaw. The Vikings may have another rookie start on the offensive line in 2021. Wyatt Davis, a third-round pick this year, has a chance at a guard spot after a promising collegiate career at Ohio State. If that ends up being the case, it’s not a given that Davis will be consistently good every game of the regular season. Darrisaw being good right away would certainly help the unit.

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2021 NFL coaching changes: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings turn to a familiar face following offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s second retirement.

Long-time NFL coach Gary Kubiak, 59, recently retired for the second time, leading Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in the hunt for his third offensive coordinator in as many offseasons.

There was more or less no change from Kevin Stefanski in 2019 calling plays to Kubiak last year. The latter was on the staff as an advisor to Stefanski in ’19, and the 2020 Cleveland Browns success illustrates Stefanski learned a thing or two. The system built by Kubiak throughout the years has been prolific for fantasy purposes, especially at the running back position. Therefore, it should come as no surprise Zimmer wanted to keep things as close to unchanged as possible, which is what helped lead to the hiring of Klint Kubiak, Gary’s 33-year-old son, as the natural replacement at offensive coordinator.

The younger Kubiak was hired by Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier in 2013 after he spent three seasons at Texas A&M as the offensive quality control coach (2010-11) and inside receivers coach (2012) as a graduate assistant. Kubiak was the assistant wide receivers and offensive quality control coach for two seasons before returning to college in 2015 as Kansas’ wide receivers coach.

The 2016 season saw him join his father coaching the Denver Broncos, where Klint would spend three years as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. Zimmer hired both Kubiaks in 2019, and Klint served as Kirk Cousins’ positional coach the past two years.

Coaching tendencies

Since we have zero to go on as far as Klint Kubiak’s style as a playcaller, the best we have to with which to work is his experience learning from his father. Klint grew up in this offense, being immersed in the details of a successful run-driven, West Coast system from the time he was a kid.

The past five seasons have positioned him well to learn on the job within his father’s system. Therefore, we’ll rehash what was covered in the 2020 preview of Gary Kubiak assuming the playcalling role in the Twin Cities:

A quick refresher on Kubiak’s history reminds us of his love for running the football. Due, in part, to past health issues, he sat out of coaching in 2017 and ’18, instead holding a consultation role with the Denver Broncos. Granted, much has changed across the NFL from 1995 to present day, yet we have seen Kub produce top rushing and passing offenses, depending upon the personnel. While he mostly found success with average quarterback talent and a fading superstar in his last hurrah, it’s not like too many of Kubiak’s running backs were elite, either.
Offense
Rushing Off
Passing Off
Year
Tm
Role
Yds
Pts
TO
Att
Yds
TD
Y/A
FL
Att
Yds
TD
Int
1995
DEN
OC
3
9
14
16
5
13
2
22
7
7
8
8
1996
DEN
OC
1
4
17
2
1
2
4
25
16
13
5
12
1997
DEN
OC
1
1
6
6
4
5
2
7
20
9
4
6
1998
DEN
OC
3
2
3
2
2
1
2
3
21
7
5
8
1999
DEN
OC
14
18
10
9
12
10
14
8
10
15
26
16
2000
DEN
OC
2
2
7
4
3
3
6
17
9
3
6
5
2001
DEN
OC
22
10
9
6
10
30
19
3
20
25
8
18
2002
DEN
OC
3
7
11
11
5
5
3
4
14
8
18
23
2003
DEN
OC
7
10
7
2
2
3
4
2
26
22
16
18
2004
DEN
OC
5
9
18
2
4
15
8
5
16
6
8
25
2005
DEN
OC
5
7
1
2
2
3
4
5
25
18
20
2
2006
HOU
HC
28
28
11
21
21
14
20
16
23
27
28
8
2007
HOU
HC
14
12
31
22
22
16
24
27
19
11
12
28
2008
HOU
HC
3
17
30
16
13
11
13
20
7
4
13
29
2009
HOU
HC
4
10
16
20
30
18
31
17
4
1
5
17
2010
HOU
HC
3
9
4
19
7
1
3
2
10
4
17
7
2011
HOU
HC
13
10
6
1
2
3
8
22
30
18
18
3
2012
HOU
HC
7
8
6
4
8
4
16
1
18
11
18
10
2013
HOU
HC
11
31
26
22
20
28
15
9
6
15
25
28
2014
BAL
OC
12
8
6
11
8
5
7
9
17
13
12
8
2015
DEN
HC
16
19
29
17
17
12
13
7
13
14
28
32
2016
DEN
HC
27
22
21
15
27
20
28
30
17
21
21
12
2020
MIN
OC
4
11
23
8
5
8
4
17
27
14
6
20

Kubiak didn’t call the plays himself in each of those seasons. However, including them is a must, since he didn’t take his finger off of the heartbeat of his teams’ systems. Whether it be handpicking the playcaller, constructing a game plan, and/or interjecting with a specific call during a game, Kubiak never let the offensive designs truly go out of his control. He also had a large role in molding the Stefanski system of 2019, as mentioned.

Zone blocking is a staple of a Kubiak offense, and the outside stretch run is one of his favorite plays. The offense loves to deceive defenses through play-action passing, rollouts, bootlegs, misdirections and a plethora of personnel groupings. Being a West Coast system, running backs are expected to catch, and tight ends are just as important as route runners as blockers. Receivers are asked to block as much as on any team. They operate with short-area routes and clearouts to keep defenses scrambling to cover the proper level.

Also working Klint’s favor is long-time colleagues of his father — offensive line coach Rick Dennison and tight ends coach Brad Pariani — continue on with the coaching staff in 2021.

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Personnel changes

Minnesota has no primary starters on offense ready to hit the free-agent market in March. The Vikings currently sit roughly $8.54 million over the salary cap, but the catch here is we don’t yet know the actual 2021 cap figure from the league. It is believed to go down, possibly into the $175-185 million range after being $198.2 million in 2020.

There are many ways to get below the cap without a wholesale roster purge, and $8.54 million is hardly problematic when looking around the league. For perspective, New Orleans is in the worst shape at $70,796,484 in the hole.

According to Spotrac.com, Cousins carries a team-high $31 million cap charge. He could be restructured via extension as he faces a $45 million cap hit in 2022.

The third-highest 2021 cap hit is left tackle Riley Reiff at $16.45 million. He is coming off of arguably his best year but would save the team $11.75 million if he’s released.

Minnesota will pocket $5.1 million in savings if (when) tight end Kyle Rudolph gets the ax, and a decision will be forced on what to do with safety Harrison Smith’s deal. He enters the final year of his contract and would save the Vikes $10.25 million should he be shown the door.

Fantasy football takeaway

Expect much of the same from this offense in terms of its design and implementation. We cannot possibly know whether Kubiak’s tempo will be different, or if he’s inclined to play it safe in risky situations. Either way, look for Dalvin Cook to remain a workhorse, and the team will work in play-action passing to exploit defenses choking up to the line. This offense ranked sixth in rushing attempt percentage (47.6), toting the rock 29 times, on average. Cook is entrenched as one of the top five fantasy backs, especially in PPR.

Wideouts Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson are two of the better fantasy football commodities at the position, and the latter’s breakthrough rookie season could have him poised to once again displace Thielen in 2021 as Cousins’ primary target. Thielen will be 31 before the season begins, and his 2020 value was overly dependent upon finding the end zone (14 TDs in 15 games), whereas Jefferson outpaced him in targets, receptions and yardage as a rook.

As for Cousins himself, he’s safely drafted as a matchup play for most settings after an 11th-place finish among his positional peers in 2020, although there is merit in choosing him as a late-round starter. The veteran finished ’20 on a heater, tossing three touchdowns in five of his last seven games and six of the final nine.

The tight end position is expected to feature third-year man Irv Smith Jr. with Rudolph’s likely release. Smith has flashed more than once in his career and should be viewed as one to watch leading up to draft season. A low-volume passing attack with two prominent receivers and a pass-catching running back in Cook makes it tough to bank on Smith being a weekly contributor, however.

All things considered, Kubiak’s system should keep Minnesota’s core playmakers in position to be quality fantasy options, especially if the defense continues to take its lumps.

What to expect from Vikings OC Klint Kubiak

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is stepping into an important role. Here are some things to expect for down the road.

Most signs pointed to Klint Kubiak becoming the Vikings’ offensive coordinator and on Tuesday the team made it official.

With Kubiak in the reigns as the team’s offensive coordinator, Vikings fans can start to predict how the offense will be next season. Last season, the offense was a standout group for Minnesota, led by a run-heavy system with play-action passing.

Despite a tendency to run quite often, the team still got Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson involved in the passing game. Klint Kubiak was the quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. Now, he gets a chance to prove that he has what it takes in a larger role.

Here are some things to expect from Kubiak now that he has officially taken over:

With the recent hirings and promotions, see the Vikings’ offensive coaching staff

See what the Minnesota Vikings have done with its coaching staff in the offseason heading into the 2021 NFL season.

The Vikings have entered into a whirlwind offseason, one that should be filled with plenty of changes in the front office, roster makeup and coaching staff.

Minnesota has made some of those changes already. The Vikings have reportedly promoted Klint Kubiak to offensive coordinator. Previously, Kubiak was the team’s quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. He replaces his father, Gary, who was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator in 2020.

That’s not the only change. The Vikings have also reportedly switched wide receivers coach Andrew Janocko to being the team’s quarterbacks coach, to fill the void left by Klint Kubiak.

Those changes can make the current Minnesota staff difficult to keep up with. Here is the full offensive staff at the moment (as Chad Graff of The Athletic first pointed out):

Report: Vikings’ WRs coach Andrew Janocko expected to become QBs coach

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly move former wide receivers coach, Andrew Janocko, to quarterbacks coach.

Despite having a wide receivers coach already on staff, Minnesota hired another one: Keenan McCardell, as Eugene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union reported.

Now, that move makes sense. Former wide receivers coach Andrew Janocko is moving to quarterbacks coach for Minnesota, according to reports from multiple outlets. That move comes after Klint Kubiak, formerly the Vikings’ QBs coach, was reportedly hired to be the team’s offensive coordinator.

Gary Kubiak, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and Klint’s father, retired this offseason, so the team had to find its sixth offensive coordinator in the Mike Zimmer era.

After Minnesota hired McCardell, the team elected to keep it in-house for the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator positions. These hires are a sign of continuity for an offense that’s coming off a pretty good year. It remains to be seen what the Vikings add and what they keep from 2020 as the team tries to bounce back in 2021.

Report: Vikings name Klint Kubiak offensive coordinator

The Minnesota Vikings have found its new offensive coordinator: Klint Kubiak.

The Super Bowl is now in the rear-view mirror, meaning teams around the NFL will start planning for what’s building up to be a chaotic offseason.

This offseason, the Vikings has had to fill a pretty significant role on their coaching staff: Offensive coordinator. The team made its OC official on Monday morning.

Klint Kubiak has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota as the quarterbacks coach. In those two seasons, Kirk Cousins has had two of the best years of his career. A correlation like that doesn’t always have significance, but it’s certainly an impressive line on his resume. 

Continuity is another thing that the Vikings were looking for in offensive coordinator and they got a lot of that in this hire. The 33-year-old will more than likely keep a heavy dosage of his father’s outside zone scheme, but maybe he’ll come in and spice things up a bit. 

Before taking over the quarterbacks coach role underneath his father, Kubiak spent 2013-2014 in Minnesota as the assistant wide receivers coach and offensive quality control coach. 

His father retiring opened up a chance for the former quarterbacks coach to take over, but Klint Kubiak had ties to Minnesota before even his father. 

The Vikings have a long way to go to get back into playoff consideration in 2021, but they now have their offensive coordinator set in stone for the season. 

Vikings’ Mike Zimmer wants continuity on offense and ‘other things that we can add’

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wants some of the new and some of the old for the offense going forward.

The Vikings’ coaching staff already looks a lot different this offseason than it did during 2020. Minnesota has made some changes already, but there is a pretty big position that remains open: Offensive coordinator.

Minnesota’s offensive coordinator from last season, Gary Kubiak, retired, so now the team has to look for its sixth OC during the Mike Zimmer era.

Zimmer talked about how the offense could look going forward with Paul Allen on KFAN Radio’s “9 to Noon” show (H/T Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated).

“There’s so many things that we did well offensively last year,” Zimmer told Allen, via Ragatz. “I like the continuity of the offense. But I think there’s some other things that we can add as well to make us even better. We had an awful lot of penalties last year offensively, which we need to change. Obviously we’ve got a good run game. We need to really look at the personnel and try to figure out where we can go from here and how we can get to the next step.”

If Zimmer is striving towards continuity with an offensive coordinator candidate, Klint Kubiak and Tyke Tolbert certainly ring bells. Kubiak, Gary’s son, has been the team’s quarterbacks coach. While Tolbert has been a coach for the Giants, he also worked under Gary Kubiak during the Broncos’ Super Bowl run. His hiring would suggest that Minnesota will use a similar offensive style to the one the team utilized in 2020.

Regardless of whether the Vikings go for continuity or innovation with the hire itself, it is a positive sign that Zimmer thinks the team can add things. They should do that, at least, if Minnesota wants a bounce-back season.

Report: ‘Many expect’ Klint Kubiak to become Vikings new OC

Minnesota Vikings QB coach Klint Kubiak is expected by many to become new Vikings OC, according to a report.

The Vikings are in the midst of yet another offseason where the team will have to replace their offensive coordinator.

Minnesota’s offensive coordinator from 2020, Gary Kubiak, announced that he was retiring. That leaves a void that could be filled by an internal candidate according to a report.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported that, with Gary Kubiak officially retiring, many expect Vikings QB coach Klint Kubiak to take over as the offensive coordinator.

This shouldn’t come as a huge shock. Earlier, before Kubiak had officially retired, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported that Klint Kubiak and Hue Jackson would both get looks if the Vikings were to lose their offensive coordinator to retirement this offseason.

Kubiak retiring means that the Vikings will have to look for their sixth offensive coordinator under Mike Zimmer. Here are some of the candidates who would be decent fits as the new Minnesota OC.

Report: If Vikings OC Gary Kubiak retires, Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will get looks

The Minnesota Vikings may have an opening at offensive coordinator this offseason. Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will reportedly get looks if so.

The Vikings have had five different offensive coordinators during the Mike Zimmer era and the team may have to make it six this offseason.

That’s because current Minnesota offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is leaning towards retirement, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported what they were hearing about the latest openings across the league, and the Vikings’ potentially open offensive coordinator spot came up. Here’s what the two wrote:

“One note for the assistant coaching carousel: Don’t be surprised if Mike Zimmer at least talks to old friend Hue Jackson for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator job if Gary Kubiak retires. ‘[Kubiak is] taking some time to mentally think about the season and where he’s at healthwise, and he’ll decide what he wants to do,’ Zimmer said Tuesday.

Jackson is hoping to get back into coaching. Vikings quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, Gary’s son, has done good work with Kirk Cousins and would also get a look.”

Neither of these candidates are very shocking. Kubiak would be a sign of continuity and Jackson is a well-established coach whom Zimmer is familiar with. I think either would be a decent choice.