Off-Topic » Minnesota’s offense since coach Mike Zimmer was

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — hired has frequently lacked the scoring punch to keep up with the rest of the league.Coincidentally or not Brett Favre Jersey , continuity has been missing, too.The Vikings announced Wednesday the appointment of Kevin Stefanski as their offensive coordinator, avoiding another offseason of transition under Zimmer while leaning on the longest-tenured member of the coaching staff to help unearth more production from quarterback Kirk Cousins.“Kevin is a smart young coach with a bright future,” Zimmer said in a statement distributed by the team. He added: “His work ethic and teaching ability have been obvious to me behind the scenes since I came here five years ago. He’s well respected by coaches and players both, and I know he’s up to the task.”Stefanski was promoted Dec. 11 as the interim replacement for John DeFilippo, who was fired in his first season on the job with the offense in a severe slump. Stefanski’s contract expired Tuesday, and in the meantime he was a candidate to be Cleveland’s head coach. The Browns, instead, picked their interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens .The 36-year-old Stefanski, who joined the Vikings in 2006 as an assistant to coach Brad Childress Adam Thielen Jersey , has coached tight ends, running backs and quarterbacks for the team. He’ll be the fourth offensive coordinator in six seasons for Zimmer, following Norv Turner, Pat Shurmur and DeFilippo. Shurmur tried to hire Stefanski a year ago when he became head coach of the New York Giants, but Zimmer turned down the request.Vikings players were happy to have him back. During his three-game stint, Stefanski drew praise for simplifying the playbook and not displaying any panic in his first foray as a play caller. In his first game, the Vikings scored a season-high 41 points in a victory over Miami, though they stumbled again in the final week against Chicago and missed the playoffs.The Vikings were 19th in the NFL in points and 20th in yards this season, after finishing 10th and 11th respectively under Shurmur in 2017. Those were the highest rankings under Zimmer, the only time they’ve cracked the top 15 in either category in five years.Cousins Stefon Diggs Jersey , who signed a three-year, $84 million contract that’s fully guaranteed, had career highs in touchdown passes (30) and completion rate (70.1 percent) but struggled to help the Vikings move the ball in several critical games.“I was thrilled to hear that he’d be back,” Cousins said in a statement distributed by the team. “We feel like the continuity is very important, not only for me at the quarterback position but for our entire offense.” With their second-round pick leading the way" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteDaily Norsemana Minnesota Vikings communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryVikingsOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsFiled under:Minnesota Vikings 2019 NFL DraftVikings sign three members of their 2019 draft classNew,1commentWith their second-round pick leading the wayCDTShareTweetShareShareVikings sign three members of their 2019 draft classPhoto by Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesWith the 2019 NFL Draft firmly in the rear-view mirror, the Minnesota Vikings have gone about the business of signing the twelve young men that they drafted last weekend, inking three of them to their rookie deals on Thursday.The highest of the Vikings’ dozen selections to sign his deal was second-round pick Irv Smith Jr., the tight end from the University of Alabama. The Vikings selected Smith with the 50th overall pick last Friday, and he signed a four-year deal with the team today. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Harrison Smith Jersey , Smith’s contract has a total value of $5.798 million with a $2.237 million signing bonus and a cap hit for 2019 of $1.054 million.A pair of sixth-round selections also signed on Thursday, as Wyoming safety Marcus Epps and Elon tackle Oli Udoh came to terms with the Vikings. Per Tomasson, Epps’ deal has a total value of $2.688 million, including a $168,756 signing bonus and a cap hit for the 2019 season of $537,189.Udoh, who was selected just two picks after Epps in the sixth round, signed a deal with a total value of $2.687 million, with a $167,000 signing bonus and a 2019 cap hit of $536 Dru Samia Minnesota Vikings Jerseys ,900.The “Top 51” salary cap cutoff, according to the good folks from Over the Cap, is currently at $570,000. That means that both Epps and Udoh come in below that figure, basically costing the Vikings nothing in terms of cap space to sign them today.Congratulations to Smith, Epps, and Udoh on officially becoming members of the National Football League!