The much-anticipated announcement of the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff under new head coach Mike Zimmer was announced Thursday morning.
As expected, Norv Turner was named offensive coordinator and George Edwards was named defensive coordinator. There are seven holdovers from the Leslie Frazier era, including Mike Priefer, Jeff Davidson and George Stewart.
Priefer was retained as special teams coordinator even though former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe alleged in an article published by Deadspin last month that Priefer was a “bigot” during Kluwe’s time with the Vikings. As the Pioneer Press reported, the Vikings conducted an independent investigation of the allegations, the results of which have not been revealed.
Davidson will continue to work with the offensive line while Stewart retains his role as wide receivers coach.
The rest of the coaching staff includes defensive line coach Andre Patterson, defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, tight ends coach Kevin Stefanski, quarterbacks coach Scott Turner, running backs coach Kirby Wilson, linebackers coach Adam Zimmer, assistant defensive line coach Robb Akey, assistant defensive backs coach Johnathan Gannon, assistant wide receivers coach Klint Kubiak, assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken, defensive assistant Jeff Howard and coaching assistant Drew Petzing.
Stefanski, Kubiak, Howard and Ficken are also holdovers.
Mike Zimmer spoke highly of the staff he assembled in a statement released by Vikings.com.
I am very excited about the coaching staff that we put together. Rick Spielman and I spent a lot of time talking to numerous candidates to ensure that we found the right coaches for this organization. Building a team that consistently wins all starts with coaching. We have an experienced and diverse staff that will work tirelessly to get the most out of our players. This offseason will be a great chance for us to work together and prepare for the upcoming season.
The team website also provided full biographical information on each coach.
In an interview with Mike Wobschall, Edwards described his defense as an “attacking defensive scheme.” He they will “try to attack people and get after the quarterback and stop the run.”
A few things on Norv's offenses. 1) Since 07, they have ranked top 5 in points 3 times. #Vikings
— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) February 6, 2014
2) Norv’s offense has produced NFL’s rushing champion 5 times (Emmitt Smith 91-93, Ricky Williams ‘02, Tomlinson (‘07). #Vikings
— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) February 6, 2014
3) In ’95, Turner had a 1,500-yd rusher (Smith) and a 1,500-yd receiver (Michael Irvin), and those 2 combined for 35 TDs. #Vikings
— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) February 6, 2014
