Tag: Mike Zimmer

Deion Sanders says Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman haven’t spoken in months

This can’t be good.

Leave it to Deion Sanders to drop a mini bombshell packed within an opinion. According to the Pro Football Hall of Famer, former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman hadn’t spoken in months in the lead-up to both men being fired last Monday.

“[Me and Zimmer talked]. We spoke the other day. He and the durn GM hadn’t spoken in months, and it was just a downward spiral,” Sanders said, during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ The Pro Football Show.

Even an outsider could tell it wasn’t all sugar and rainbows within the Vikings organization considering how badly the team has underachieved in recent seasons.

Despite having one of the league’s more talented rosters, the team has missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons with a losing record. But the thought of the coach and GM not talking for months brings new levels of concern for what was really going on behind closed doors with the Vikings.

It might be one of those situations where we’ll have to wait until someone writes a book to get an answer. The Vikings have clearly moved on, and they are already neck-deep in interviews and evaluating potential replacements for the jobs.

Perhaps change really was needed in Minnesota.

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Deion Sanders points to Kirk Cousins for Mike Zimmer firing

Deion Sanders isn’t letting Kirk Cousins off the hook.

Deion Sanders isn’t letting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins off the hook when it comes to the firing of former head coach Mike Zimmer.

During an appearance on Barstool Sports’ The Pro Football Show, the Hall of Famer pointed his finger directly at the quarterback position for coaching firings across the league.

“When you look back on this, guys, just look at the commonality of the guys that have gotten fired,” said Sanders, when giving his thoughts on Zimmer. “Look at all of the guys that got fired and then look to the quarterback play. And there’s a common thread to each and every durn one of them.”

The Vikings have one postseason appearance in the last four years with Cousins as the starting quarterback. They missed the playoffs in the other three seasons and have finished with losing records in the previous two years.

There truly is a commonality between great quarterback play and job stability. So “Prime” does make a solid point there.

But to be fair, the defense has struggled significantly for the Vikings in recent years with the unit finishing 31st overall this season. There have also been problems along the offensive line, particularly at right guard and center.

Cousins isn’t without culpability, but he also isn’t completely to blame, either. Of course, that still won’t change the minds of those that believe he isn’t the answer in Minnesota.

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Kellen Mond reportedly unbothered by Mike Zimmer’s dismissive comments

Kellen Mond was reportedly unbothered by Mike Zimmer’s previous comments.

Rookie quarterback Kellen Mond became a topic of conversation last week when former head coach Mike Zimmer casually shot down any hope he had of playing in Week 18.

“Not particularly,” Zimmer responded, when asked if he wanted to get a look at Mond. “I see him every day.”

Per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Mond was unbothered by Zimmer’s comments after the team’s 37-10 loss on the road to the Green Bay Packers.

“They didn’t bother him at all. Kellen’s got thick skin,” said the source in Tomasson’s post.

Zimmer actually clarified his comments ahead of the season finale against the Chicago Bears. He admitted the timing of the question didn’t help with the team coming off a loss that essentially ended their postseason hopes.

There’s also the fact that Mond was the third-string quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion. With Zimmer opting to play the starters in Week 18, there would have been no reason for Mond to get reps on the field. Whether people believe that was the right decision or not is entirely subjective.

You also have to wonder if Zimmer could feel the walls closing in at that point. He was out of the playoffs for a second consecutive season, and the rumor mill was buzzing about his job status. It’s a tough time to be answering tough questions.

In any case, it’ll be a fresh start for Mond and the rest of the Vikings organization as they welcome a new head coach and general manager in 2022.

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Should the Houston Texans hire Mike Zimmer as coach?

The Minnesota Vikings are done with Mike Zimmer. Should the Houston Texans swoop in and make him their next coach?

The Minnesota Vikings are moving on from the Mike Zimmer era.

As part of a housecleaning move, the Vikings fired Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman at the end of Minnesota’s regular season. For the second consecutive year, the Vikings have failed to make the playoffs, and the worst part is the Vikings never went a game over .500 since their 2019 divisional playoff loss at the San Francisco 49ers.

Just because it didn’t end well in Zimmer doesn’t mean it can’t have a joyous chapter in another NFL city.

Here is what the Texans would get if they decided to move on from David Culley and hire Zimmer.

Adam Thielen not laying all of the blame on Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman

Thielen isn’t putting all of the blame on Zimmer and Spielman.

Adam Thielen is looking forward to seeing what the change a new regime brings to the Minnesota Vikings organization, but at the same time, he isn’t willing to lay all of the blame for the team’s struggles at the feet of former head coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman.

When speaking with media members in the aftermath of the Black Monday firings, Thielen spoke about looking in the mirror and self-improving for the team to get to where it wants to go.

“Everyone has kind of got to look themselves in the mirror. Everyone has to figure out a way that they can individually get better,” Thielen said. “At the end of the day, a coaching change alone or a new GM isn’t going to just automatically bring you to the Super Bowl. Us as players, we have to do our part. We could have all done better this year to help this team get over the hump.”

The GM handles the personnel side of things, and the coaches game plan and handle the playing side. But at the end of the day, the players are the ones actually on the football field competing. They have to go out there on a weekly basis and figure out how to consistently win games.

That isn’t an attempt to absolve Spielman and Zimmer from allowing the team to devolve into this stale state of mediocrity over the last few years. It’s simply a reminder that it takes everyone working together to build and sustain a winning culture.

“I’m looking forward obviously to a new freshness and excitement around here,” said Thielen. “We’ll see what that brings us. We don’t know what that’s going to look like in a month or two, but I’m excited about what that could be.”

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Fans react to Vikings firing Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman

Fans react to Vikings firing Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman.

There are more questions than answers now that the Minnesota Vikings have basically wiped the slate clean with the Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman firings. Excitement, anxiety, sadness—Vikings fans are feeling every emotion right now.

Zimmer didn’t exactly walk into the best of situations in the aftermath of Leslie Frasier’s departure, but he was able to roll up his sleeves and turn the team into something respectable enough to win two division titles and clinch three playoff appearances.

Meanwhile, Spielman has served as the general manager for the organization for a decade. That amount of time on the job isn’t given to just anybody. It just shows the deep amount of faith the organization had in him to get the job done.

The reactions from fans over Monday’s firings are still coming in. Here are some of the things they’ve been saying:

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Mike Zimmer: ‘I’m sorry we didn’t get it done’

Mike Zimmer releases a statement following Monday’s firing.

The Minnesota Vikings never got over the hump in the Mike Zimmer era, but that doesn’t mean the former eight-year head coach didn’t give the organization, team and fans everything he had.

After being named among the Black Monday firings, in a released statement, Zimmer took the time to be thankful and reflect on his time in Minnesota.

“I have given my heart and soul to this organization and the players. I have had outstanding assistant coaches who have worked tirelessly. I’m sorry we didn’t get it done. The fans make this place truly special,” said Zimmer. “On Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium, it’s an unbelievable atmosphere. I’ll miss coaching the players, some who have been with me for all eight years. I want to thank the players who welcomed me in 2014 and believed in me that I could lead them to be great.”

There will obviously be some mixed opinions on Zimmer’s exit.

It’s no secret that he dealt with his fair share of adversity over the years that was completely beyond his control.

Losing former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a first-round pick on the rise at the time, to a devastating knee injury in 2016 and former offensive coordinator Norv Turner walking out on him midway through the season of the same year are two of the biggest examples.

And then there were those eyebrow-raising comments from veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks on Monday. He put the ball in Zimmer’s court to speak on their relationship standing, and then he went to talk about how a “fear-based” culture isn’t the way to go about things.

Whatever anyone felt about Zimmer’s run as head coach is obviously in the rearview at this point, as the Vikings look to turn the page and start anew.

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Eric Kendricks comments on ‘fear-based’ culture and former coach Mike Zimmer

Eric Kendricks had some interesting things to say on Mike Zimmer and locker room culture.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks didn’t hold back when asked about his relationship with former head coach Mike Zimmer, along with giving his thoughts on what makes for a good culture in a football locker room.

“A culture where communication is put at the forefront,” Kendricks told media members on Monday. “No matter what your role is on the staff, you having a voice and being able to communicate things you think could facilitate wins. I think just having that voice, no matter how big your role is—it’s important to listen up and take each other’s opinions into account. I don’t think a fear-based organization is the way to go.”

News of Zimmer’s firing, along with former general manager Rick Spielman, sent shockwaves throughout the Vikings fan base.

Kendricks was drafted by the team in 2015, and he has been around for nearly all of the Zimmer era in Minnesota. He was there for the highs of riding the Case Keenum train all the way to the Conference Championship game in 2017 to the lows of finishing in back-to-back seasons with a losing record.

“We put a lot of work in together, and we had a great run,” Kendricks said on Zimmer. “I feel like there’s some things left out there as far as our relationship is concerned. I think that’s a question you have to ask him.”

The smoke has yet to clear from Monday’s firings, but it’ll be interesting to see what others have to say about the last two years in the Zimmer era.

 

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Dear Mike Zimmer, Thank You For Everything

Thank you, Mike Zimmer.

The Mike Zimmer era is officially over. After going 71-56-1 along with 2-3 in the playoffs in three appearances, his time has come to a close. There are many reasons why the organization is choosing to move on from Zimmer, but his contributions should be celebrated today.

When Zimmer took over for Leslie Frazier, this was a team in disarray. Having gone 5-10-1 the previous season, star receiver Percy Harvin was demanding a trade, and the defense was the worst in football the prior season. In his introductory press conference, Zimmer said he “was born to do this” and called himself a fixer. It turns out that he was right on both accounts.

You can’t tell the story about Zimmer without discussing the trials and tribulations that he endured each season. Most coaches face one or two major calamities in their tenure. Zimmer had the unfortunate luck to face one nearly every season.

2014: Adrian Peterson suspension

2015: Blair Walsh 27-yard field goal

2016: Teddy Bridgewater knee injury/Norv Turner debacle/Nearly going blind

2017: QB injuries/38-7

2018: Everson Griffen’s absence

2019: Stefon Diggs drama

2020: Danielle Hunter

2021: COVID struggles with star players

Every year, Zimmer has had to deal with something, including a tornado of scenarios in 2016 where he nearly lost his vision in one eye, which resulted in over a dozen surgeries. The issues that he had to deal with constantly were arguably unfair, but it comes with the job.

Nothing is ever going to be completely fair for any head coach, but to say that Zimmer had to deal with more than the average head coach is unequivocally true. While most will remember him for the end of his tenure, we should celebrate Zimmer for the job that he did to fix this team.

After Leslie Frazier left the team in near shambles, Zimmer’s no nonsense, blunt mentality proved to be endearing to his players. He flipped the Vikings’ future in just one season, taking the worst defense to the 11th ranked unit in football. By 2017, the Vikings were the top unit in football in both points and yards allowed.

Week in and week out, Zimmer had the Vikings playing their tails off for him and each other, staying competitive in every game, minus a few clunkers. He risked his eyesight for weeks to be on the field with his players, including multiple players who came back to play for him after leaving the team—and attracting former players from other teams.

In his press conferences, he was known to be curt and blunt, but you always knew what he was thinking and where he stood. This was a stark change from what we saw from Brad Childress, who was ornery but never felt genuine. Zimmer gave everything he had to the franchise and the fanbase.

We know the issues he had, and they are a big reason why he has been let go. But I want to propose a toast. Thank you for putting this franchise back on a winning path. Thank you for putting every ounce of your being into this team to try and bring a Super Bowl to a starving Vikings fanbase. Thank you for reminding us what a great defense looks like. Thank you for being honest with us and speaking your mind. Thank you for being you, Mike Zimmer. I wish you nothing but success in your future endeavors. You deserve the absolute best.

 

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5 best options to replace Mike Zimmer as Vikings head coach

Who will replace Mike Zimmer in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Vikings just might have the best head coaching vacancy in the league following Monday’s firing of Mike Zimmer.

They have two of the top offensive skilled position players in football with running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Justin Jefferson. The team has a quarterback that has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns in back-to-back seasons with Kirk Cousins.

And while the defensive numbers were in the dumps this year, there’s plenty to be salvaged on that side of the ball by the right coach.

But who is the right coach?

The team obviously has Super Bowl ambitions, and it would be ridiculous to replace a good coach like Zimmer with just anyone. But there will obviously be plenty of interest from all coaching candidates to join a team with one of the more talented rosters in the league.

Here are the five best options to replace Zimmer as the Vikings head coach.

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