Two former members of the Minnesota Vikings are in the news today as coaches. . .and one of them is definitely more surprising than the other.
The first one is linebacker Greg Biekert, who was the middle linebacker for the Vikings in the first couple of years of the Mike Tice era, being promoted to linebackers coach with the Oakland Raiders. He had been hired prior to last season as a "defensive assistant." Biekert, a seventh-round pick out of the University of Colorado in the 1993 NFL Draft, spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Raiders before coming to the Vikings in 2002 and 2003 to finish out his career.
This isn't terribly surprising, as Biekert was known as a very cerebral player during his time in the National Football League. The fact that he's started to move up in the coaching ranks is hardly a surprise.
The one that is surprising, on the other hand, is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named another former Viking as their co-defensive line coach. . .that being Keith "My Arms Are More Powerful Than Your Guns" Millard.
Millard, who was voted one of the Top 50 Vikings of all time, was selected by the team with the 13th overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft out of Washington State, and played one season in the USFL with the Jacksonville Bulls before coming to Minnesota. He still holds the NFL record for sacks in a season by a defensive tackle with the 18 he racked up in 1989. He was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in that 1989 season, and was also named to the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team.
More surprisingly. . .to me, anyway. . .this isn't Millard's first coaching job. He has also been on the sidelines with the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. . .Millard just never struck me as the coaching type, that's all.