Zimmer

[Aggies7]

What is happening with Mike zimmer? Still in the game but seemingly intent on burning bridges. He really does believe his Vikings defenses were so good that they could have won a Super Bowl with a Case Keenum type of quarterback. Forget the fact that Case had two utterly horrendous interceptions in the playoffs that year. One kept the saints comeback going and the pick 6 against the eagles changed the entire game. Plus, his defense got worked after halftime of that saints game and especially the NFCCG and they were never the same. Sounds like a guy way over evaluating his production. I really thought he was going to be the guy, but apparently there was a reason he never got a whack at a HC job until he came to MN.

I did chuckle when he said he walked out of the room when Spielman drafted Mond 😂

[gunnarthor]

My general thoughts.

1) I was amazed that the Vikings were the first time he was fired in his career. That's just unheard of nowadays.

2) I didn't really care that he wasn't lovey-dovey with all his players - his comments about Boyd made me chuckle. We knew who he was but being a hardass coach doesn't nec. mean that your players should be scared of you. Bill Belicheck was a hardass but didn't have these problems. Same with many good coaches. That Zimmer couldn't figure that out is not good.

3) Also, it was completely inexcusable that he couldn't create a good relationship with Cousins and build a team around him. Sure, you didn't want him but you got him. Play to his strengths. I will go to my grave thinking that the 2019 Vikings should have been a pass-happy offense that ran up leads, that should have gone for it on 4th down most of the time, and then leaned on Cook to finish games while the defense was stifling. Instead, Zimmer wanted to play ballcontrol/field position football. Somehow a team that was top 5 in defensive points and top 10 in offensive points only went 10-7.

4) The Speilman/Zimmer relationship was much worse than anyone thought. That they weren't speaking speaks very poorly of both men. Grow up, you're both paid millions. Figure **** out.

5) Lastly, one of the reasons I like our current FO/coaching staff is that they all seem to be on the same page and complement, rather than compete with, each other.

[Aggies7]

37 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

My general thoughts.

1) I was amazed that the Vikings were the first time he was fired in his career. That's just unheard of nowadays.

2) I didn't really care that he wasn't lovey-dovey with all his players - his comments about Boyd made me chuckle. We knew who he was but being a hardass coach doesn't nec. mean that your players should be scared of you. Bill Belicheck was a hardass but didn't have these problems. Same with many good coaches. That Zimmer couldn't figure that out is not good.

3) Also, it was completely inexcusable that he couldn't create a good relationship with Cousins and build a team around him. Sure, you didn't want him but you got him. Play to his strengths. I will go to my grave thinking that the 2019 Vikings should have been a pass-happy offense that ran up leads, that should have gone for it on 4th down most of the time, and then leaned on Cook to finish games while the defense was stifling. Instead, Zimmer wanted to play ballcontrol/field position football. Somehow a team that was top 5 in defensive points and top 10 in offensive points only went 10-7.

4) The Speilman/Zimmer relationship was much worse than anyone thought. That they weren't speaking speaks very poorly of both men. Grow up, you're both paid millions. Figure **** out.

5) Lastly, one of the reasons I like our current FO/coaching staff is that they all seem to be on the same page and complement, rather than compete with, each other.

It’s also not like they didn’t draft defensive players, they just totally whiffed on developing any of them. How many secondary guys did they take that were out of the league in a couple years? 

I’ll never understand the cousins animosity. It’s not like the Vikings are the only team to pay a lot for a quarterback. And he was good! But zimmer had a **** on for him from the start. I guess that push cousins gave him wasn’t just goofing around 😂

[nicksaviking]

Yeah, Zimmer's reluctance to spend big on a QB makes no sense. If I was a reporter, I'd ask him, "If your special ability is to elevate a defense, shouldn't you spend your free agent money on the position you DON'T have the skills to improve?"

 

[TheLeviathan]

This interview reinforced that we fired Zimmer at least 1, probably 2, years too late.

And I say that as someone who very much appreciated him early on, but if you can only work magic with 90% of the payroll spent on defense.....that ain't magic.

KOC is winning with Dobbs and Darnold and Mullins.  That's a real coach.  B-Flo had the defense playing well last year with a completely wrong set of talents in the front 7.  That's a real coach.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

This interview reinforced that we fired Zimmer at least 1, probably 2, years too late.

And I say that as someone who very much appreciated him early on, but if you can only work magic with 90% of the payroll spent on defense.....that ain't magic.

KOC is winning with Dobbs and Darnold and Mullins.  That's a real coach.  B-Flo had the defense playing well last year with a completely wrong set of talents in the front 7.  That's a real coach.

And as far as I can tell, half of the players don't hate their coaches.

Well, except for Tua I guess.

[Vanimal46]

The 2019 playoff win against New Orleans stunted this organization in a number of ways. If we lose that game, maybe Kirk Cousins walks after his 3rd fully guaranteed years in 2020. Zimmer should have been fired after 2020 and that brutal defense. 

[nicksaviking]

13 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

The 2019 playoff win against New Orleans stunted this organization in a number of ways. If we lose that game, maybe Kirk Cousins walks after his 3rd fully guaranteed years in 2020. Zimmer should have been fired after 2020 and that brutal defense. 

It does seem the Vikings always end up on the bad luck side of the good QB draft years. 2020 was Burrow, Herbert, Tagovailoa and Love. Last year they probably chase Anthony Richardson if the season before they weren't unexpectedly 13-3. If they choose to keep Moss instead of Culpepper they probably draft Aaron Rodgers (and heck, there's a legit scenario the Vikings draft Rodgers AND Demarcus Ware instead of Troy Williamson and Erasmus James).

And while Zimmer is completely wrong about the need for a top end QB, had he gotten his way and not signed Cousins in the first place, they probably draft Lamar Jackson. Who of course would have been wasted on Zimmer, as he'd spend most of his time getting screaming at for running all over the field instead of just handing it off to the RB.

[TheLeviathan]

Watching Carr light his defense up was a pretty delicious piece of schadenfreude.  

[nicksaviking]

25 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

Watching Carr light his defense up was a pretty delicious piece of schadenfreude.  

I would have enjoyed it regardless of who was Dallas' DC!