What they are saying about Kevin Stefanski (1.14.19)
For Immediate Release
Jan. 14, 2020
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins:
(Stefanski was Cousins’ QB coach in 2018 and Offensive Coordinator for 2019 and part of 2018)
“The Browns got a great head coach in Kevin. He is a smart football mind, a strong communicator, and he will lead their organization well. I’m very happy for Kevin.”
Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph:
(The two overlapped in Minnesota from 2011-19, Stefanski served as Rudolph’s TE coach from 2014-15 and Offensive Coordinator for 2019 and part of 2018)
“I’ve been fortunate to work with Kevin in a number of different capacities and have seen him work his way from our assistant QB coach to running our entire offense as the OC. Along the way I had the opportunity to work directly with Kevin as my TE coach and it immediate stuck out to me that he was different. The way he prepared each week and helped me prepare was top notch. The command he had over our room and the respect I had for him was second to none. From day one last season when he took over as our interim OC, he’s had a command over our offensive room that guys respond to, which in my opinion would translate perfectly to a team room. Kevin also has the ability to relate to guys and he has a way of showing every player how they can help the team win.”
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook:
(Stefanski served as Cook’s Offensive Coordinator for 2019 and part of 2018)
“Coach Kevin has had such a positive influence in my life since I came to Minnesota. He believed in me as a person and player and entrusted me with a featured role in our offense. Cleveland got a great one and their entire organization will benefit from his leadership.”
Vikings WR Adam Thielen:
(Stefanski served as Thielen’s Offensive Coordinator for 2019 and part of 2018)
“I’m obviously happy for him. I think it’s a great role for him. He’s a great leader, he has a great demeanor, and I have so much respect for him and the way that he carries out his life, his business – and thankful for his support and everything he’s done for me over the years. He’s been here since [before] I’ve been here, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him and am happy for him. It’s really cool to see a guy that just grinded. Made it through several different coaching changes and stayed here for a long time – which in this business doesn’t happen very often. It’s just a testament to him and his character and, really, how appreciated he was in this organization. I’m happy for him to get that bump.”
Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr.:
(Stefanski served as Smith’s Offensive Coordinator for 2019)
“He’s done an amazing job for this program and getting us to where we made it to. I’m excited to see what he’ll do with the Browns. He was awesome, very detailed on his work. He wanted things done a certain way. Me coming from Alabama as a rookie, I saw a lot of great qualities as a leader and as a coach.”
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer:
(Stefanski worked on Zimmer’s staff from 2014-19)
“Kevin’s a good young coach. He wanted to get this opportunity and I’m happy for him.”
Current Bears Sr. Offensive Assistant and former Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress:
(Stefanski was assistant to the head coach under Childress for 2006-08)
“He’s confident. He thinks things through. He’s got a belief in what he’s doing. He’s resolute and knows things. He not going to do anything halfway. He’s going to be prepared. All the way to the daily schedules that go up around the place and everybody knows what’s going on, he’s going to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. There’s very little he’s going to let slip by the side.”
Current Columbia University Head Coach and former Penn Head Coach Al Bagnoli:
(Bagnoli coached Stefanski at Penn)
“Anybody who knows him is really happy for him. Regardless of what task he’s been given, he’s pretty much knocked it out of the park. I found it pretty interesting he was by far the longest tenured Vikings coach. It’s really a good reflection of what people internally think of him. Really happy for him. Despite his age, he’s put in the years and done a lot of the lesser things from administrative side, to quality control, to positional, to coordinator and now he’s taking the next step. I feel quite confident he’s ready and will do well for them.”
Former High School Head Coach Gil Brooks:
(Brooks coached Stefanski at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia)
“He has always been the kind of player that really understood the intricacies of the game, studied the game. One of the things that I think we did well was pay attention to detail, really understand what our opponent was doing schematically and what we could do to defeat the opponent whether it was offense or defense. Kevin played on both sides of the ball, two years at defensive back and quarterback his senior year. He was a student of the game and understood the game. Whatever you told him, he processed it and carried it out.”
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