It's not just players that move around during the NFL offseason. Coaches move as well. Continued team success is often as dependent on keeping the coaching staff together as it is on keeping players together. The Minnesota Vikings have yet to experience on-the-field success but the first year coaching of Mike Zimmer has given everyone involved in the organization reason for hope.
2014 Vikings Coaches:
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer
Offensive Coordinator: Norv Turner
Defensive Coordinator: George Edwards
Special Teams Coordinator: Mike Priefer
Quarterbacks: Scott Turner
Running backs: Kirby Wilson
Receivers: George Stewart
Assistant receivers: Klint Kubiak
Tight ends: Kevin Stefanski
Offensive line: Jeff Davidson
Assistant offensive line: Hank Fraley
Defensive line: Andre Patterson
Assistant defensive line: Robb Akey
Linebackers: Adam Zimmer
Defensive backs: Jerry Gray
Assistant Defensive backs: Jonathan Gannon
Special teams assistant: Ryan Ficken
Defensive assistant: Jeff Howard
Strength and conditioning: Evan Marcus
Assistant strength and conditioning: Jeff Hurd
Klint Kubiak has already left to become the receivers coach at Kansas.
It's been shown many times and in many ways that the continued progression of a promising young quarterback is dependent on continuity in the coaches that work with him. Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was very promising this season. It sounds like Norv Turner will be with him for a while. Turner is at a point in his career that retirement might be the next move. He signed a three-year contract last offseason and he's mentioned that it's important to him to keep his commitments. The Vikings are currently a good place for an offensive coordinator to be. Mike Zimmer is a defensive head coach. It might be an exaggeration but the offense basically belongs to Turner. Just as important, he has Bridgewater. The consistency in coaching for the young quarterback is made even better in that his position coach is the son of his offensive coordinator. Scott Turner might be ready for a promotion at about the time that Norv Turner is ready to say goodbye to the game.
Zimmer mentioned in his season-ending press conference that he doesn't expect changes in his coaching staff besides the departure of Kubiak. There's no way that he can predict whether some new head coach might poach his staff. The most likely targets would be Mike Priefer, Jerry Gray, and Kirdy Wilson. Priefer interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job a couple of years ago. His name hasn't been mentioned in this round of head coaching changes. Gray has coordinator experience. It wouldn't be a stunner if he's tapped again. If he is, it would be a tough loss. He's been fantastic with the Vikings secondary. Wilson has been hoping for a coordinator gig for a while. He interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars vacant offensive coordinator position and could be on the lists of the new head coaches that will be hired over the next couple of weeks.
This is a very good coaching and teaching staff. It would be nice to keep it together at least through that first Super Bowl.
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