Mixed emotions follow Minnesota Vikings assistant coaches to their head coaching opportunities. Tony Dungy, Brian Billick, and Mike Tomlin jumped from Vikings coordinator jobs to Super Bowl winners. Dungy waited a long time for his much deserved head coaching gig. He even felt the pain of being fired before he found the thrill of winning it all. Tomlin didn't wait long at all. He even learned from Dungy while he was a young assistant with the Tanpa Bay Buccaneers. As soon he was named the defensive coordinator in Minnesota it was clear that he wouldn't be around very long. It only took one year before the Pittsburgh Steelers came calling. Billick's wait was longer than Tomlin's but shorter than Dungy's. Like Tomlin, Billick won a Super Bowl soon after getting his head coaching job. I have mixed emotions when former Vikings assistants experience the ultimate in professional football head coaching success. I'm happy for them because they truly deserve that success. I'm not exactly thrilled for them because they are experiencing that success with teams that most certainly aren't the Minnesota Vikings. Dungy and Tomlin, in particular, were coaches that I hoped would one day be the Vikings head coach. Fortunately, for them, they were tapped for opportunities with teams that were more ready to win it all.
The Vikings have some assistant coaches now that will be head coaches soon. Like Dungy, Billick, and Tomlin, their opportunities will be with other teams. In my opinion, the Vikings are heading in the right direction with head coach Leslie Frazier. Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coach job this past offseason. He didn't get that one but some team will hire him soon. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh paved the way for the jump from special teams coordinator to head coach. Unlike offensive and defensive coordinators, special teams coaches deal with pretty much the entire roster. That could be an advantage. Priefer has a presence about him that goes beyond his skills and experience as a football coach. His turning the Vikings special teams units into one of the best in the league will get him some notice. Vikings defensive coordinator Alan Williams may not be as close to head coaching opportunities as Priefer but I think that he's going to be getting some notice in a couple years. I like what he's done with the Vikings defense in his single season. His energy level runs somewhere between the electric Tomlin and the calm Frazier/Dungy. His tenure as the Vikings defensive coordinator is already longer than that of Tomlin. Defensive line coach Brendan Daly has the energy that will appeal to teams looking for a new head coach. His defensive lines with the Vikings and St. Louis Rams have been productive. His current role as a position coach likely puts him a few years away from a head coaching gig. That's fine with me but his work will get him opportunities. Some team tapping him as a defensive coordinator will likely be his exit from Minnesota. If the Vikings new weapons open up the offense, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave might get some attention but there's something about him that strikes me as a career assistant coach. There's a scientist air about him that makes me think that he's far more comfortable diagramming plays than running a team. There may be other Vikings assistants that may one day have a team of their own but I see Mike Priefer, Alan Williams, and Brendan Daly as the coaches most likely to make that jump. I wouldn't be surprised if Priefer has his own team in time for the 2014 NFL season.
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