Meet The Man Who Coaches The Vikings Running Backs
MANKATO, Minn. (WCCO) -- Kirby Wilson remembers every running back he's ever worked with.
He keeps a list.
"I've worked with 107 different running backs in my career," Wilson told WCCO after a recent practice. "I keep track every time."
That includes every guy to ever make the team. And many more who didn't.
Anyone Wilson ever coached in a minicamp, offseason OTA or training camp is on the list, whether they ever played in a regular season game or not.
In an 18-year NFL coaching career spent entirely coaching running backs, Wilson has had some good ones. Of the NFL's list of all-time rushing yardage leaders, Wilson has coached five of the top 28: Emmitt Smith, Curtis Martin, Edgerrin James, Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson.
A group with whom he's not too proud to say, he learned more than he taught.
"You've seen greatness," Wilson said. "And you know what it is to be great by watching those men."
So it's not without some degree of expertise that, of all the backs he's worked with, he says this about the group he's got this year in Minnesota.
"It's 107 right now, and I said, 'Guys, this is as good a group as I've ever had,'" Wilson said. "I mean, as good a group as I've ever had. And I told 'em you should be proud of that because that's saying something."
That the group is led by Peterson certainly helps.
"I've never had a player as big and as explosive as Adrian," Wilson said.
But with Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata both having feature back experience, and with their polar opposite skill sets, Wilson says the three form quite a trio.
"Here, you're like, we got some pieces," Wilson said. "We gotta coach 'em up now, but I really believe we got some pieces here. This is a solid group. And we're gonna do some things. If we buy in."
Peterson's is the key piece. But as the man most closely tasked with getting the most out of him, Wilson plays an important role. And as he heads into his second season, he says there's some real good reasons why it'll be so much better than the first.
"When I ask 'em to do something for me, it's just that, I'm asking them to do it for me," Wilson said. "Because we have a relationship now. Last year when I came in there, I couldn't rely on that. I couldn't say do it for coach Kirb, do it for me, because there was no relationship. Now we've been through some things together, and there's a trust factor there, there is a relationship there.
"And if you don't have a relationship it's gonna be hard to connect. Because at my position, it is an ego-driven position. Let's face it. Let's be honest, it's an ego-driven position. Players know phony coaches. They know people who are phony. They see through those things. So you have to earn it by just working hard and being prepared."
Also worth noting – Wilson's work with talented people hasn't been limited to running backs. He's worked for three coaches who have won Super Bowls: Mike Tomlin, Pete Carroll and Jon Gruden. Coaches who had qualities that he now sees in Mike Zimmer.
"A goal," Wilson said. "When they come in – and they all have this in common, it's the one common denominator – they have a vision and a goal in place of where they want to take you. And it's clear. And there's no misunderstanding about it. And then they go, 'Here's how we're gonna get to that goal.' And that's the part I love about working with coach Zimmer, is that he's got a goal in place, he's got a plan, he's got a vision. And then he proceeds to take you through the steps on how we're going to get there."
