Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The NFL's 100th season is now in the rearview mirror, as Sunday's Super Bowl put a close on meaningful games for the next seven months or so.
While most franchises have been in offseason mode for a few weeks, every NFL team is now focused on the 2020 offseason, especially as the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off in three weeks from Indianapolis.
As teams go to work focusing on the Combine, free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, ESPN recently put together its power rankings as the 2020 offseason now begins.
ESPN had the Vikings in the top 10, as Minnesota was slotted in the ninth spot.
Each team was given a reason for optimism going forward, and ESPN Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin went with new Vikings Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak.
Cronin wrote:
The Vikings handed offensive coordinator duties to Kubiak upon Kevin Stefanski's departure, and it makes sense that the coach whose system Minnesota ran this past season is calling plays. Head Coach Mike Zimmer said he wanted to prioritize continuity on offense, and maintaining that should be a fairly seamless process given that the players won't have to learn a brand-new scheme despite being on their fifth OC in five seasons. Kubiak has been able to get a lot out of his quarterbacks and running backs through the years, which bodes well for Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook.
Kubiak, who was the team's assistant head coach/offensive advisor in 2019, was last an offensive coordinator in 2014 with Baltimore. He was also in that role with Denver from 1995-2005 when he helped the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Kubiak has four Super Bowl rings to his name. He was the Broncos head coach in a 24-10 win in Super Bowl 50 against Carolina, won the two titles as Denver's offensive coordinator in the late 1990s and also captured a ring as the 49ers quarterbacks coach in 1994.
Kubiak has nearly 10 years of head coaching experience in the NFL and has an 82-75 overall regular-season record. He was the head coach in Houston for nearly eight seasons from 2006-2013 and went 61-64 while leading the Texans to a pair of AFC South titles and two playoff appearances.
Minnesota was the fifth-highest ranked team in the NFC, trailing San Francisco, New Orleans, Green Bay and Seattle.
The Vikings went 10-6 and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team in 2019. They beat the Saints on the road in overtime of the Wild Card round, but saw their season come to a close in the Divisional round on the road against the 49ers.