The Ringer NFL Show recently discussed the NFL’s 10 best coaches. While Kevin Clark and Danny Kelly left Vikings coach Mike Zimmer off their respective lists, Patrick Daugherty had Zimmer at No. 10.
Here’s what Daugherty said about Zimmer:
“The first bar you want any head coach to clear is take care of his side of the ball,” Daugherty said. “You’re not worth your salt as a head coach if you’re not taking care of your side of the ball, and Mike Zimmer always takes care of the Vikings defense, so he clears that bar. And then, you know, the next step after that is you need to find the right leaders for the side of the ball you don’t lead, and he’s consistently done that.”
Though Daugherty ranked Zimmer high, he did mention that the Vikings coach was a borderline pick, and that he was debating whether to have Sean McDermott instead.
Daugherty later talked about how Zimmer’s offensive coordinator from 2019, Kevin Stefanski, got a head coaching job with the Browns.
“Even after losing Stefanski, he has Gary Kubiak, one of the better coaches of the 21st century. He has Kirk Cousins; he has Dalvin Cook, so he takes care of his business, and he’s got the right people in charge on the other side of the ball.”