Matt Rhule appears to be staying put, and the Panthers head coach is now searching for an offensive coordinator to complete his revamped staff. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the Panthers are planning to talk with Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak about the OC vacancy.
[RELEASED: Panthers Eyeing Jay Gruden, Bill O’Brien For OC]
The oldest son of former NFL coach Gary Kubiak, Klint got his start in coaching with Texas A&M in 2010. He got his first NFL job with the Vikings in 2013, and following short stints with Kansas and the Broncos, he returned to Minnesota as their quarterbacks coach in 2019. Kirk Cousins made a Pro Bowl during Kubiak’s first season in the role, and the coach was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021 following the retirement of his father.
While Kubiak’s disciplined offense had the fewest giveaways in the NFL, the offense showed inconsistency throughout the 2021 campaign. The Vikings were middle-of-the-road in yardage and points scored.
“It’s something that we could have done a lot better job of this year,” Kubiak said recently (via Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune). “Being more consistent, sustaining drives, being a better third-down team. That’s the most important that sticks out — being better on third downs.”
In Minnesota, there’s no guarantee that Kubiak sticks around following the ousting of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
The Panthers fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady in early December, with offensive assistant Jeff Nixon taking over in the role. We recently learned that Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden were among the names that Carolina was eyeing, and there were also whispers that the Panthers would reach out to Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
They can have him = NO CHARGE !!
amen to that! don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. terrible play calling
Klint was so bad, bad enough where I would have expected him to get demoted to QB’s coach, so this is perfect!
If you take Klint, we’ll throw in Adam Zimmer at no additional charge !!
Hard to evaluate him when he was doing what his boss told him to do (i.e. run, run, run). And to clarify, his boss was also complaining to the press whenever he passed too much. Another of the many reasons not to miss Zimmer.
Having the fewest takeaways in the league is a result of a pathological avoidance of risk. Got a lead? Run the ball into the line two times and then on 3rd and long throw the ball away rather than giving your receivers a chance. Cousins seemed more likely to throw the ball away on third down and long when under pressure than to take a chance throwing to a receiver in coverage downfield. Was that coaching or Cousin’s decision making?
Maybe Klint will flourish in a different situation, best of luck to him. But the Vikes do need a change.
It doesn’t make sense that your annoyed at the Vikings having the fewest giveaways (along with the Packers and Seahawks). Granted the ball security approach you describe is not exciting to fans but it did result in an overall +11 turnover ratio for Minnesota which probably kept them in the playoff hunt longer than if they had just had a bombs away approach on third downs.
On one hand, it would be funny if the Panthers fired the best offensive coordinator they’ve had in ages to get another mediocrity with a famous dad. On the other hand, it’s hard to see a great candidate taking a coordinator job with a mess of a QB situation and a head coach on the hot seat.