| Possible 2017 Starters | 2016 Opening Day Starters | ||
| WR | Adam Thielen | Charles Johnson | |
| LT | Riley Reiff | Matt Kalil | |
| LG | Alex Boone | Alex Boone | |
| C | Pat Elflein | Joe Berger | |
| RG | Joe Berger | Brandon Fusco | |
| RT | Mike Remmers | Andre Smith | |
| TE | Kyle Rudolph | Kyle Rudolph | |
| WR | Stefon Diggs | Stefon Diggs | |
| QB | Sam Bradford | Shaun Hill | |
| RB | Dalvin Cook | Adrian Peterson | |
| FB | C.J. Ham | Zach Line |
It's barely recognizable. And I'm only guessing that the Vikings even have a fullback on the roster, let alone in the starting lineup. Only Alex Boone, Kyle Rudolph, and Stefon Diggs return return at the same position at which they started in 2016. Joe Berger likely moves from center to right guard. The changes only start with the personnel.
A similar turnover took place with the coaches on the offensive side of the ball.
A similar turnover took place with the coaches on the offensive side of the ball.
| 2017 Coaches | 2016 Coaches | ||
| Offensive Coordinator | Pat Shurmur | Norv Turner | |
| Quarterbacks | Kevin Stefanski | Scott Turner | |
| Running Backs | Kennedy Polamalu | Kevin Stefanski | |
| Wide Receivers | Darrell Hazell | George Stewart | |
| Asst Wide Receivers | Drew Petzing | Drew Petzing | |
| Tight Ends | Clancy Barone | Pat Shurmur | |
| Offensive Line | Tony Sparano | Tony Sparano | |
| Asst Offensive Line | Andrew Janocko | Hank Fraley | |
A few coaches were promoted and a couple were hired to replace the four that left. As with the players, this looks like a whole other team. Tony Sparano and Drew Petzing are the only coaches with the same title that they held to start the 2016 season.
Kevin Stefanski is about a year or two away from an offensive coordinator gig somewhere in the league. It would be great if his shot came in Minnesota seeing as he's been there for a while. He's the longest-tenured coach on the Vikings staff. He was hired as an assistant offensive coach by Brad Childress in 2006. Since then, he's coached tight ends, running backs, and now quarterbacks. He's not far from being ready for the top offensive coaching job. If this new Vikings offense takes off, Pat Shurmur and Kevin Stefanski could be moving up the coaching ladder. For Shurmur, it'd be a return. For Stefanski it'd be a deserved opportunity.
It's great to see young coaches advance through the Vikings coaching ranks. Stefanski is the best example of this. Drew Petzing and Andrew Janocko started as coaching assistants/quality control and now have position responsibilities. They are making the long coaching climb.
It's great to see young coaches advance through the Vikings coaching ranks. Stefanski is the best example of this. Drew Petzing and Andrew Janocko started as coaching assistants/quality control and now have position responsibilities. They are making the long coaching climb.
Football is such a team game that it's not really fair to single out single players or units but the Vikings offense has held the team back in recent years. The line has been a mess. Injuries wrecked it last year but they weren't exactly blowing defenses off the ball when healthy. The offense has to improve. On paper, it looks improved. It's definitely different. We won't know how the changes translate to the field until the players step on that field and the games are real.
No comments:
Post a Comment