Kevin Stefanski is about to call his first game as the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator after the sudden firing of Jon DeFilippo. Stefanski realizes that taking over with just three games left in the season is not exactly the way he would’ve liked to get his first shot at the coordinator job, but he claims he’s primed to step up to the plate.

“That’s the tough part,” said Stefanski per Andrew Krammer of The Star Tribune. “These are not ideal circumstances to do this. I’m ready for the challenge.”

Stefanski, who has been with the Vikings since 2006, says he’s been mentally preparing himself to call plays while working under several coaches during his time in Minnesota.

“You’re always thinking about what you may be calling in that situation,” said Stefanski. “I’ve tried to do that since day one as a coach. I think that’s incumbent upon you to take yourself through what you may do here.”

Stefanski said head coach Mike Zimmer has “been pretty clear” about what he wants to see from the offense. Based on Zimmer’s recent remarks, he likely wants more improvement from the Vikings’ anemic running game, which is averaging a mere 85.4 yards per game, which is 30th in the league.

Stefanski will have a great opportunity to improve upon that number in his debut this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who are giving up 139.5 rushing yards per game, tied for 29th in the league.