In two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings players will gather at the team's facility for the start of the offseason workout program. When they arrive, they'll be tasked with mastering a slightly new offense. Minnesota has added several notable names to the coaching staff following a 29th ranked offensive finish in 2015 and they are bringing a lot of new ideas.
Offensive line coach Tony Sparano and tight ends coach Pat Shurmur were both hired this offseason and they both come to Minnesota with offensive coordinator and head coaching experience. They'll join with current OC Norv Turner and Mike Zimmer to try and improve an offense that too often suffered last year due to poor O-line play.
"If they weren't going to have input, I could have went and got a tight end and offensive line coach anyplace," Zimmer said. The two will be adding in new elements more so than rebooting the entire offense.
"They'll have a lot of input, and Norv's been really good about listening and talking," Zimmer continued. "Now's a good time of year to sit down and talk about different things - the way you did it, or the way we did it, and how the good things that you do help with what we did. That's kind of what they're doing now. We don't want to change the offense, but it people have good ideas - which Tony and Pat both do - we want to try to merge that into the offense a little bit."
The consistent theme of Minnesota's offseason so far has been improving the offensive line. The team added tackle Andre Smith and guard Alex Boone in free agency after allowing the eighth-most sacks (45) in the league last year. While both Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman want third-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to let it loose more in 2016, they acknowledge that an underwhelming offensive line isn't helping his development.
The Vikings brain trust is hoping that their newest additions coupled with some tweaks in the offense will lead to a breakthrough on offense.
"Norv has changed a lot," Zimmer said. "I used to play against him a long time ago. Over the course of the years, a lot of the no-huddle, the [shot]gun stuff, the zone read, those are all new things. Norv is not hard-headed. I'm probably more hard-headed defensively than he is offensively."
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
