Take Notice, Vikings. NFC’s Last Men Standing Have One Thing in Common.
Pretend for a moment the Minnesota Vikings are in the search for a new head coach.
Wouldn’t it be handy to snatch a blueprint from somewhere, outlining what is working in the NFL and what is not? Particularly within your own conference?
The blueprint is available – loud, clear, and tangible.
The four teams remaining in the NFC, vying for a Super Bowl berth – Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers – have one item in common. All head coaches from these teams were former offensive coordinators. That’s it. That’s the secret.
Matt LaFleur from Green Bay offensively coordinated the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans before taking the big job in Wisconsin. Since his conjoining to the Packers – in unison with Aaron Rodgers – LaFleur’s Packers have been masterful – until the NFC Championship game. In total, Green Bay has lost four consecutive conference championships. Nevertheless, they’re getting there in the postseason with an offensive mind, plus Rodgers.
The Buccaneers employ the older offensive mind of the group in Bruce Arians. He rose to power after coordinating a Super Bowl-winning offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. Arians in an offense-head partnered with Tom Brady – not a bad man to engage a tango.
Next, the Rams. McVay led the Washington Football Team’s offense during the commencement of the Kirk Cousins era. That springboard propelled him to the head coaching gig in Hollywood, keeping Los Angeles relevant since his arrival and even reaching the Super Bowl three years ago. Offensive brain for McVay, check.
Finally, Kyle Shanahan – another recent Super Bowl runner-up – is in the dance, too. His 49ers take on the Packers this weekend, and he ran offensive operations for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons before head coach employment with San Francisco.
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All of these men in the NFC – down the line – come from offense-first backgrounds. Indeed, defensive brains can win in the NFL – Bill Belichick can tell you all about it – but the NFC right now is commanded by offensive thinkers.
Take notice, Vikings. While an ex-offensive coordinator is not a prerequisite for success, the formula is sure working around the conference – as a Vikings franchise previously led by a defense brain watches the playoff from a sofa with a coach recently terminated.
Perhaps this stuff isn’t all that complicated.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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