Robb Akey Leaves Vikings to Become Redskins D-Line Coach

The Mike Zimmer coaching tree has begun sending out its first tentative buds that may one day blossom into beautiful branches stretching all across the NFL. Today the Redskins announced that they have hired Robb Akey as their new defensive line coach, snatching him away from Zimmer’s staff.

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Akey served as assistant D-line coach for just one year with Minnesota. Before that he spent six years as head coach of Idaho, getting fired in 2012 and then suing the university for monies owed.

During his one year in Minnesota, Akey helped mold a motley group of untested young players and established veterans into a strong defensive line that was at times dominating but never quite as consistent as one might have hoped.

The Vikings’ front four did have a particularly strong game against the Redskins last year, notching 3 of the team’s 5 total sacks against RG3. It’s impossible to say if that performance helped Akey win the job in Washington but it couldn’t have hurt.

Akey certainly established enough of a reputation on his own before coming to Minnesota to warrant a look as a position coach in the NFL. Serving a one-year tutelage under Mike Zimmer only made him that much more attractive to teams looking to bolster their defensive staff.

Akey’s departure marks the first semi-significant defection of a coaching staff member since Mike Zimmer took over. The Vikings also lost Klint Kubiak to a college job, but I don’t think that even qualifies as semi-significant. No offense to Klint Kubiak.

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