Why Chris Harris Jr. believes facing Gary Kubiak's offense is a big advantage for Denver

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Gary Kubiak’s resume isn’t too shabby.

Super-Bowl winning player, Super-Bowl winning head coach and a member of Elway’s front office in Denver, just to name a few.

While earlier this year, the beloved Bronco moved on from the organization he spent decades with, he still had an integral voice in much of the foundation of the 2019 Denver Broncos.

Yet, despite knowing much of the ins and outs of the team he will face on Sunday, and Chris Harris Jr. calling him a “great coach,” the savvy veteran cornerback believes the inside scoop actually benefits Kubiak’s former team.

“Oh, for me, it helps out a lot,” Harris Jr. said when asked if being familiar with Kubiak is an advantage for Denver. “I’ve kind of got an understanding of what he likes to do, so it helps me out a lot. I just try to give whatever tips I can to the younger guys that haven’t really faced too many offenses like his.”

One of those tips the 30-year-old cornerback can pass on to Denver’s young secondary is how many disguises Kubiak’s offense will have.

“Everything looks the same,” Chris said, speaking more like a coach than a player. “Kube runs that zone, and off the zone, he has five different plays off of it.”

Although Kubiak isn’t technically the Vikings’ offensive coordinator—he’s listed as an offensive advisor and assistant head coach—there’s no doubt Minnesota’s running Kubiak’s system.

“They do way more zone than our offense,” Harris Jr. said, breaking down the differences between the two team’s similar offenses. “You know how Kube is—he runs that zone offense, try to make everything look the same, and that’s what they’ve done a good job at. Kirk [Cousins] has done a good job at playing out the fakes, having great plays that look similar to draw up the screens and get them open.”

Another tidbit, although one that doesn’t take an insider like Chris to see, is how Kubiak stretches the field early and often.

“You got to be able to cover the deep ball,” Chris said plain and simple. “When you play Kube, he takes big shots. He likes to go down the field, so you got to be ready to take that away. That’s just what he does. He takes shots, and he likes to go deep.”

In fact, the last time the Broncos played a Kubiak-led offense, that’s exactly what happened. In Peyton Manning’s third game as a Bronco, Kubiak beat his former team in Denver 31-25, capitalizing on a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 60-yard touchdown strike through the air.

“That’s what he did—he took us up top,” Harris Jr. said, recalling the game in 2012. “That’s what he does.”

That message will surely be pounded into the minds of everyone that encounters the four-time Pro Bowler this week.

“Kubiak wants to throw the ball over our head, and we can’t let that happen,” he said with certainty.

Vic Fangio will be dialing up Denver’s defense against Minnesota’s offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. But behind the scenes, there are two other major players in Sunday’s game.