Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Kubiak is entering his 13th season overall as an offensive coordinator, but the 2020 season will be his first in Minnesota as a play caller. He was the team's assistant head coach/offensive advisor in 2019 and was hired in his current role after Kevin Stefanski was selected as the Browns head coach.
And while he said he thoroughly enjoyed his advisory role last year, he's happy to be back in the bullpen with the likes of tight ends coach Brian Pariani and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Rick Dennison, both of whom are longtime assistants and friends of Kubiak.
"First off, I don't want to use the word 'easy' for me, but I'm working with some guys I've worked a lot with throughout my career," Kubiak said of being a coordinator again. "You guys know that, so the transition is very smooth from that standpoint of what I'm trying to get done and how I want to go about doing it.
"I really enjoyed myself last year and I think you guys know that. I really enjoyed working for [Mike Zimmer] and Rick [Spielman] and our tremendous group of players," Kubiak added. "I'm really motivated and am excited to get going again. I really am. Hopefully we can get back on that field again here real soon. I feel fortunate that I'm getting a chance to contribute."
When Kubiak was named the Vikings offensive coordinator in late January, he was preparing for a normal offseason. But that landscape obviously changed in recent months due to the pandemic, as Kubiak holed himself up in a condo and instead conducted a virtual offseason.
And like many people over the past 90-plus days, he tried to get into a routine while now working from home.
"You try to get up like you're going to work every day, you stay in the same routine, try to have the same habits as you work with your players," Kubiak said. "Work on the things that you work on as a coach, be it the upcoming season, the opponents you're going to play, obviously our division, studying our division.
"Really just tried to keep your same routine but just doing it at home," Kubiak added. "That's the way it's been for me."
That included mapping out plans for practice, even if the Vikings didn't run a single play as a team on green grass this offseason.
"You know, it's funny," Kubiak said. "The offensive coaches, they said, 'Coach, script for us like we're practicing.'
"So, I actually scripted every day throughout the offseason, just like I was going on the field, trying to keep my mind sharp and knowing how I want to do things and what I want to get accomplished," Kubiak added. "I don't know that I know the very first play [at the first practice back], but I can say I've had a lot of practice at many plays over the course of the past few months."