Kevin Stefanski is a few days away from his first game as the Vikings offensive coordinator and he described the circumstances that led to his promotion this week as a “blur.”
Stefanski and the rest of the team got home from Seattle early on Tuesday morning and he learned that John DeFilippo had been fired a short time later. That’s not how Stefanski would have liked to get his first shot as a coordinator, but he said it’s a job he’s thought about having for a long time and believes he will rise to the occasion.
“That’s the tough part,” Stefanski said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “These are not ideal circumstances to do this. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Stefanski said head coach Mike Zimmer has “been pretty clear” about what he wants to see from the offense and his public comments have often centered on getting more out of the team’s running game. Sunday’s game against the Dolphins will provide the first opportunity to see if Stefanski is more successful at fulfilling those wishes than DeFilippo was over the first 13 games of the year.