Two weeks ago the Vikings decided not to renew the contract of offensive line coach Jeff Davidson. The Vikings offensive line performance has been sporadic, at best, and tragic, at worst, over the past couple of seasons and Davidson paid the price for it. Improving the offensive line is priority #1 this offseason and this was the start. The Vikings hired Tony Sparano to replace Davidson. Sparano is probably best know for his head coaching days with the Miami Dolphins and his interim head coach stint with the Oakland Raiders. He was on the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer from 2003-06. The next change was forced upon Zimmer. New Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson looked to the Vikings coaching staff to fill one of his assistant coach positions. He dressed up the the running backs coach position with a coordinator handle, called it a promotion, and offered it to Kirby Wilson. That shiny new position was appealing enough to Wilson for him to bolt Minnesota for Cleveland. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's patience with his coaches might make Wilson regret that decision in about a year. Zimmer made his most bold coaching move over this past weekend. The Vikings hired former Browns head coach and longtime offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur. Some speculated that his addition could come at the expense of current Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner. It looks more like Zimmer had the opportunity to add a proven offensive coach, and proven quarterback coach in particular, to a team that needs improvement on offense. He saw an area of need and did something about it. As interesting as the hire itself was the position that Shurmur was brought in to fill, he was hired to coach tight ends. A position that he has coached. Kevin Stefanski, the most tenured Vikings coach and current tight ends coach, will now coach the running backs. A position that he hasn't coached.
It's too often assumed that improved play on the football field comes only from better playing talent. Improved play can also come from improved coaching talent. Mike Zimmer has the defense in very good working order. He'll never be satisfied and there's still room for improvement but the reason the Vikings aren't playing for Super Bowl 50 isn't the defense. The offense has to improve. Pretty much everywhere. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater often looks like the franchise-changing quarterback that he was drafted to be but he has moments in which he doesn't. The offense often sputtered in the red zone. They settled for far too many field goals when they were within reach of the end zone. The offensive line was a wreck more often than not. Zimmer attacked all of those issues in the two weeks since the end of the Vikings 2015 season. The offense wasn't where it needed to be. The coaches that remain, Tony Sparano, and Pat Shurmur are charged with getting it to where it needs to be.
Here are the coaches that will be teaching and leading the Minnesota Vikings in 2016.
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer
Offense
Offensive Coordinator: Norv Turner
Quarterbacks: Scott Turner
Running backs: Kevin Stefanski
Receivers: George Stewart
Assistant Receivers: Drew Petzing
Tight ends: Pat Shurmur
Offensive line: Tony Sparano
Assistant Offensive line: Hank Fraley
Quality Control: Andrew Janocko
Defense
Defensive Coordinator: George Edwards
Defensive line: Andre Patterson
Assistant Defensive line: Robert Rodriguez
Linebacker: Adam Zimmer
Defensive backs: Jerry Gray
Assistant Defensive backs: Jonathan Gannon
Defensive Assistant: Jeff Howard
Special Teams
Special Teams Coordinator: Mike Priefer
Special Teams Assistant: Ryan Ficken
Strength & Conditioning
Assistant: Jeff Hurd
Assistant: Chaz Mahle
There was a time when the Vikings head coach had a sparse budget for assistant coaches. Times have changed. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf aren't going the cheap route. They are giving Mike Zimmer the means for the coaching staff that he needs. This is a strong coaching staff. It's probably the strongest coaching staff seen in Minnesota since those of Bud Grant in the 1970s. Certainly since some of Dennis Green's coaching staffs in the 1990s.
One coaching change that has flown silently under the radar is that of strength and conditioning head coach. Evan Marcus has held the position since Zimmer hired him in 2014. The Minnesota Vikings website was the first with the scoop. He's been missing from the coaching roster on the site for two weeks. The media finally got wind of it last week. The Vikings had suffered a blistering run of pectoral injuries in the two years that Marcus had been in charge of the strength program. It may have been coincidence but Zimmer apparently wasn't taking any chances.
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