Jeff Davidson brings a wealth of offensive experience to the 2011 Vikings as both a player and coach in the NFL, rising through the ranks to serve as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers the past 4 seasons.
Davidson’s teams have been dedicated to the running game, a strength the Vikings will continue to build upon with a backfield featuring Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart and a veteran offensive line. In his past 6 seasons of coaching, Davidson’s teams have had 4 performances of 1,000+ yards on hte ground. Davidson has a background as a versatile lineman who was a full-time starter at LT and LG for Denver in 1991 and 1992 respectively, winning the AFC West title in 1991 and advancing to the AFC Championship game. Davidson’s been a part of winning programs throughout his career, claiming 5 Division titles as a coach with New England and Carolina, and helping New England take home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX.
Jeff Davidson brings a wealth of offensive experience to the 2011 Vikings as both a player and coach in the NFL, rising through the ranks to serve as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers the past 4 seasons.
Davidson’s teams have been dedicated to the running game, a strength the Vikings will continue to build upon with a backfield featuring Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart and a veteran offensive line. In his past 6 seasons of coaching, Davidson’s teams have had 4 performances of 1,000+ yards on hte ground. Davidson has a background as a versatile lineman who was a full-time starter at LT and LG for Denver in 1991 and 1992 respectively, winning the AFC West title in 1991 and advancing to the AFC Championship game. Davidson’s been a part of winning programs throughout his career, claiming 5 Division titles as a coach with New England and Carolina, and helping New England take home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX.
During his 4 seasons in Carolina the team claimed the 2008 NFC South title with a 12-4 mark and established the Panthers ground game as one of the NFL’s best. The Panthers were led on the ground by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who powered their way into the record books in 2009 by both breaking the 1,000-yard mark, Stewart going for 1,133 and Williams posting 1,117. In 2008, Williams ran for a franchise-record 1,515 yards and 18 rushing TDs. Stewart set a franchise record with 206 yards rushing against the NY Giants in 2009 and Williams post 186 yards against Tampa Bay in 2008 for the 2nd-best mark in team history. The Panthers struggled for consistency at QB in 2009 and 2010, starting 4 different QBs over the 2-year span.
Davidson had a pair of offensive linemen earn Pro Bowl honors- Ryan Kalil at center in 2009 and Jordan Gross at tackle in 2008. Williams earned Pro Bowl trips in 2008 and 2009 and was joined by WR Steve Smith in 2008.
Prior to taking on the role of offensive coordinator, Davidson honed his skills as a position coach with Cleveland and New England. He coached the Browns offensive line in 2005-06 and oversaw a unit that paved the way for Reuben Droughns to rush for 1,232 yards, breaking a 20-year streak without a Browns 1,000-yard rusher. The shuffled offensive line also protected rookie QB Charlie Frye as he took over under center for veteran Trent Dilfer. During the 2006 season, Davidson was named the Browns offensive coordinator early in the season and his game plans helped TE Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards reel in 89 and 61 receptions respectively.
Davidson gained the most experience of his coaching career during 8 seasons with New England from 1997-2004, working under head coach Pete Carroll for the opening 3 seasons before Bill Belichick took over the team in 2000. Tutoring the Patriots TEs in 1997 he saw Ben Coates lead the team with 66 catches and earn a Pro Bowl berth. In 2001, in Belichick’s 2nd year at the helm, the club won Super Bowl XXXVI over St. Louis, starting a remarkable streak of 3 Super Bowl wins in 4 seasons, claiming Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina after the 2003 season and Super Bowl XXXIX over Philadelphia after the 2004 campaign.
Following a 4-season NFL playing career that was cut short by injury, Davidson broke into coaching with New Orleans as a volunteer assistant and offensive assistant with the Saints in 1995-96. Davidson played his final NFL season for New Orleans in 1994 after beginning his career as a 5th-round draft pick by Denver in 1990. In 1991 and 1992 he was a 16-game starter for the Broncos as LT and LG respectively, helping the team advance to the AFC title game in 1991 while protecting Hall of Famer John Elway’s blind side. Davidson was part of the 1990 Broncos draft class that included 7th-round TE Shannon Sharpe.
Davidson was an All-Big Ten honoree as a senior at Ohio State when he served as a team captain. Davidson was a player for the Buckeyes when Vikings assistant coach Fred Pagac served on the OSU staff and was teammates with Chris Spielman, brother of Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman. A member of a strong football family, Davidson’s father was an All-America and team captain at OSU and his brother was a LB for the Buckeyes, coached by Pagac. Jeff and wife, Judi, have sons, Nick and A.J.
