"I get here, we put a system in place, we go to work, we do a job throughout the course of the year," Kubiak said. "And then one thing changed: One guy got a head coaching job. For me, it's very familiar. I didn't have to go back to work a month ago and, say, start over with a new group of coaches. We're way ahead. We can go back to work and try to make up some more ground here. I think all those things together added a little fuel to the fire, so to speak. It made it easier for me to say, 'Zim, I appreciate the opportunity, and I'm looking forward to it.'"