Vikings Make Loney Coordinator

The Minnesota Vikings named Steve Loney their offensive coordinator Thursday. He replaces Scott Linehan, who left to become the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator.

Loney, 52, also will retain his position as offensive line coach, the team said.

“We are happy to be able to keep some continuity on our offensive staff by promoting Steve Loney,” Viking Coach Mike Tice said. “He has proven himself during his coaching career and has been key to our success here during the previous three seasons.”

Loney was offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota in 1998 and ’99 and at his alma mater, Iowa State, from 1995 to ’97 and 2000 and ’01. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa State in 1974.

He inherits one of the league’s best offenses. The Vikings ranked second in the NFL in 2002, first in 2003 and fourth in 2004 in total yardage.

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Baltimore quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell was promoted to assistant head coach of the Ravens.

Caldwell was the coach at Wake Forest from 1993 to 2000 and was on Colt Coach Tony Dungy’s staff at Tampa Bay in 2001. He came to Indianapolis with Dungy the next season. He will continue coaching the Colt quarterbacks.

“Jim is one of the foremost coaches I have been associated with during my career,” Dungy said. “On more than one occasion he has drawn interest from other teams, but Jim always elected to remain in our program.

“It is easy to see his influence on our quarterbacks in the level of their play, in the quality of their mechanics and in their production on the field.”

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Offensive tackle Todd Weiner and cornerback Kevin Mathis did not practice for the Atlanta Falcons because of sore ankles, leaving them questionable for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive end Travis Hall also is listed as questionable because of a chest injury.

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Former Oakland Raider offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was hired as a senior assistant with Tampa Bay, a move that reunites him with Buccaneer Coach Jon Gruden.

Gruden hired Kromer as an offensive assistant with the Raiders in 2001. He was promoted to offensive line coach in 2002.