For the first time since 2010, the Minnesota Vikings will reportedly be in need of a new special teams coach as Mike Priefer is not expected to return.
During the majority of Mike Zimmer’s tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, there has remained one constant problem that the team has never really been able to solve; the kicking game.
Under Zimmer, the Vikings have had four different kickers and each of them have found one way or another to come up short when they’re needed the most.
Unable to figure out exactly why their kicking has struggled over the past few years, Minnesota appears to be taking a step in a new direction in an effort to possibly solve this problem.
According to the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling and Mark Craig on Friday, longtime Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer will not be returning the the team in 2019.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise since we reported last week that Minnesota was attempting to bring back Priefer for next season. Apparently, the two decided that it was best to go their separate ways instead.
Since 2011, Priefer has been running the special teams for the Vikings. In 2014, he even filled in as the team’s head coach for one game while Zimmer healed from eye surgery.
During Priefer’s tenure with Minnesota, the team has had five different place-kickers and four punters. He was also the guy in charge when Cordarrelle Patterson was leading the NFL in kick return average as a member of the Vikings.
With Minnesota’s continued struggles in the kicking game this past season, some were beginning to wonder if Priefer was actually the reason behind these problems. Well, now the Vikings will actually get to find out if this is indeed the case.
Could this be the move that finally solves Minnesota’s kicking woes? History suggests no, but at least the Vikings are making an attempt to try something different.
UPDATE: Priefer has agreed to become the special teams coach of the Cleveland Browns.