5 things Gary Kubiak will do differently than Kevin Stefanski

There will be more misdirection play-calling for Minnesota in 2020.

This is based primarily on Gary Kubiak’s experience and reputation. To date, there is not a quantifiable or refutable metric that details the number of misdirection plays that a team utilizes. Or if there is, it is not readily available.

Yet the working theory and observable history is that Kubiak enjoys his misdirection play-calls. There is no reason to believe this will cease in 2020.

“Misdirection” is a deceitful way to run a play-action offense and/or single play-action play. A handoff is faked to the running back, the offensive line pulls in a collective direction to sell the run play-call, and then the quarterback either has free reign to target a receiver while he rolls in the opposite direction–or hand the football off to another ball-carrier coming from the other direction. It is designed to be tricky and non-vanilla. The element of surprise is said to flummox opposing defenses.

Kubiak has implemented this strategy at every stop in his career which includes his time with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and especially the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. This is not to say Kevin Stefanski is an antagonist to misdirection; he’s not. But Kubiak’s name and reputation are inherently linked to the philosophy and he will certifiably implement it as such in 2020.