Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Tuesday he would not renew the contract of special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf, and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is still thinking about his future.
« Marwan’s contract was expiring, so I told him I wasn’t going to renew it, » Zimmer said. « We obviously didn’t play very well (in special teams). »
The offense blossomed, however. The Vikings ranked fourth on offense in the NFL, their highest rank since they were number four in 2004. However, Zimmer said Kubiak, 59, will take some time to decide whether he will return.
« He takes some time to mentally think about the season and where his health is, and then he will decide what he wants to do, » said Zimmer
« I love Gary Kubiak, » he said. « He’s an amazing person, an amazing coach, a great ear for me. I love sitting there and talking to him. We’re both the same guys. I know he’s had some health problems in the past think it’s always good to take some time to think about where you are and mentally and physically this year has obviously been a huge mental and physical strain on all of us, including the players, so we’ll see how that unfolds when we go forward. »
The special teams fought in all aspects. After a good start, Dan Bailey has missed 10 kicks in the last five games. Britton Colquitt’s net punting average dropped from 42.7 in 2019 to 38.0 in 2020. The Vikings gave up big returns on kickoffs and punts and had few explosive returns themselves.
« A lot of the guys who should have played on special teams played on the defensive, but we will support this area, » said Zimmer of reserves that were pushed into the defensive role due to injuries. « That will be a big focus. »
Zimmer said it was too early to talk about hiring a replacement for Maalouf, who took over in 2019 when Mike Priefer left for a similar position at Cleveland.
« I need to take some time to assess who is available, who is not available, people here in the building, » said Zimmer. « We’ll go from there and do it the way we always do. »
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