Why Dalvin Cook is primed to explode for the Vikings in 2019
By Chris Schad
The Gary Kubiak Effect
If you take a look at the Vikings’ official coaching staff, you’ll see that Kevin Stefanski is listed as the team’s offensive coordinator.
While Stefanski will be walking around the sideline with a headset on game days, this offense will also have offensive advisor Gary Kubiak’s fingerprints all over it.
This should be advantageous for Cook as Kubiak has been deemed a running game guru dating back to his first stint as the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator more than 20 years ago. During that time frame from 1995 to 2005, the Broncos ranked among the top five in rushing yardage nine times.
When he went to become head coach of the Houston Texans in 2006, he inherited an offense that ranked 21st in rushing in his first season at the helm. But then Kubik was able to turn the Texans into a top 10 rushing unit three times in his final four seasons with the team.
He also helped lead the NFL’s eighth-ranked rushing attack in 2014 as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator.
A counter to this is that Kubiak worked with Hall of Famer Terrell Davis in Denver and found gold in UDFA turned All-Pro Arian Foster in Houston. But he also found other diamonds in the rough such as Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, and Rueben Droughns in Denver and Justin Forsett in Baltimore.
On the talent scale, Cook leans more toward Davis and Foster and he should thrive in a system that has been very friendly to running backs over the years.