Tag: Mike Zimmer

What Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told Adam Zimmer when he hired him in Cincinnati

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wasn’t going to be easy on his son Adam when the two were with the Bengals.

Before Mike Zimmer was head coach of the Vikings, he spent time as the defensive coordinator for the Bengals.

When he was in Cincinnati, Zimmer hired his son Adam, who is now co-defensive coordinator in Minnesota. Here is what Mike first told Adam when he hired him in Cincinnati:

“He told me … ‘I’m going to treat you harder than everybody else, not because I’m trying to prove anything but because I want you to be the best you can be.’ And that’s exactly what I wanted. I don’t want to be the guy who just has a job; I want him to make me the best I can be,” Adam Zimmer said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Adam is in his first season as co-defensive coordinator with the Vikings. He’ll have to orchestrate a turnaround of sorts if he wants this first season in that role to be a successful one.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook and coach Mike Zimmer talk about the loss

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook and coach Mike Zimmer talk about the disappointing day against the Indianapolis Colts.

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The Minnesota Vikings redid its roster this offseason, but were still tabbed by fans and analysts to contend for a playoff spot.

To do so, the team will need to get a lot better in a short amount of time. The Vikings fell to 0-2 when they lost to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday. The offense scored just 11 points.

Asked about why the offense is struggling, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said “I’m not sure why exactly. But we’ve got to get better fast,” per Chad Graff of The Athletic.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was asked about what on offense has to get better. Here’s what he said:

“Everything. … We can get better, period,” Cook said, via Graff. “There’s a lot of things out there for us to go correct.”

Cousins said that Sunday was not a sharp day for the team. That might be an understatement. Here’s what he said:

“It was just one of those days where we couldn’t get anything going,” Cousins said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

Mike Zimmer has nothing but love for Xavier Rhodes

After seven seasons with the Vikings, Rhodes is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The two teams will face off in Week 2.

After seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, cornerback Xavier Rhodes is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

Rhodes’ run in Minnesota was mostly successful, making three Pro Bowls while being named to the 2017 All-Pro team.

However, 2018 and 2019 weren’t as kind to Rhodes and both sides decided to move on this summer.

The Vikings will go up against Rhodes and the Colts on Sunday.

While things didn’t end in Minnesota the way both sides probably would have liked, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has nothing but love for Rhodes.

We tend to think of Zimmer as this grumpy old man, but he is a coach who cares about his players. This is another example of that.

Rhodes started in Week 1 for the Colts against the Jaguars. Rhodes didn’t have a great game. He played 43 snaps and finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 48, just a 0.1 improvement from last year’s score (which was a career-low) with the Vikings.

We’ll see if the Vikings try to expose him on Sunday.

NFC North Week 1 recap: Packers crush Vikings, Bears shock Lions

Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers, Mitch Trubisky leads a comeback and the Vikings might be in big trouble.

It was an NFC North bloodbath in Week 1.

Here is how Week 1 went down and what’s next for each team:

Packers, 1-0

Results: Packers 43, Vikings 34

Aaron Rodgers is back. Did he ever leave? We’ll let you argue that with your friends.

Rodgers tore up Minnesota’s young defensive backs for 364 yards and four touchdowns.

This was a huge win for Green Bay, a team that many predicted to regress in 2020 after finishing 13-3 last season.

Up next: vs. Lions (9/20)

Bears, 1-0

Results: Bears 27, Lions 23

The Bears trailed 23-6 heading into the fourth quarter against Detroit. The last quarterback anyone in the world would want to have in this situation would be Mitch Trubisky, right?

Maybe not.

Trubisky threw three touchdowns in the final quarter to bring the Bears back. By doing so, Trubisky likely held off the START NICK FOLES chants for a few more weeks.

Up next: vs. Giants (9/20)

Lions, 0-1

Results: Lions 23, Bears 27

Right when you think the Lions are good, they start to get all Lions-y.

Even with the Bears coming back in the fourth quarter, the Lions had a chance to win it in the fourth.

D’ANDRE SWIFT JUST CATCH THE BALL!

In his Lions’ debut, Adrian Peterson nearly hit 100 rushing yards, proving that he indeed is not human.

Up next: at Packers (9/20)

Vikings, 0-1

Results: Vikings 34, Packers 43

Boy, oh, boy.

There were positive reports from Minnesota’s young cornerbacks throughout camp, so we all thought that maybe the group would be OK.

Nope. This could be a very, very long season for Mike Zimmer’s defense if Week 1 is any indication.

The good news is that the Vikings will travel to play the Colts in Week 2, a team that just lost to the Jaguars.

But wait . . . The Vikings are listed as underdogs in the game? Uh-oh.

Up next: at Colts (9/20)

Vikings LB Cameron Smith looks ‘like he’s going to be in great health’

The second-year linebacker underwent heart surgery after doctors found he had an enlarged heart after a false positive test for COVID-19.

Vikings second-year linebacker Cameron Smith had quite the health scare.

After having a false-positive for COVID-19, it was discovered that Smith had an enlarged heart and would need to undergo surgery.

The surgery went well and Smith is recovering, per Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.

“He talked before he left about trying to help out in any way possible: coming to meetings, he’ll draw cards, help with the scout teams, anything,” Zimmer said via ESPN. “We’re hopeful he’s able to come back and play football, but more importantly, he looks like he’s going to be great in health.”

Smith will surely miss the 2020 season, but he has his sights set on a return for the 2021 season.

Vikings news: USA TODAY releases predictions for each NFC North team

See where the Vikings and their NFC North opponents end up in USA TODAY’s projections.

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis picked the Packers to regress in 2020, but that’s where the good news stops for Vikings fans.

Minnesota was tabbed as an 8-8 team by Davis. Under Davis’ prediction, the team would miss the playoffs and finish second in the division. He picked the Packers to win the division at 9-7. Davis picked the Lions to come in third at 7-9 and the Bears to come in last at 5-11.

Here’s what he said about the Vikings:

Mike Zimmer has long been one of the league’s most formidable defensive coaches. But aside from Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter, this group is virtually unrecognizable up front and on the corners, decimated by free agency and DT Michael Pierce’s opt-out. An offense sans WR Stefon Diggs might also be overly dependent on rookie WR Justin Jefferson. Just too many questions – while throwing in a schedule that includes four 2019 playoff teams in the first five weeks – to hope the Vikes build on last season’s playoff progress.

The schedule will be tough and there are some question marks. However, an unrecognizable cornerback corps is probably a good thing considering the group’s struggles in pass protection this past season. I think a lot of it will come down to whether the defense got better or worse in the offseason. It remains to be seen.

Vikings DE Danielle Hunter misses second consecutive practice

Hunter has a “tweak” that has kept him out for two straight practices.

The Vikings were without star defensive end Danielle Hunter for the second straight day on Monday.

Per Mike Zimmer, Hunter has a tweak that has forced him to sit out.

What is a tweak? Well, it could be a variety of things and more than likely it’s  nothing too significant.

Hunter, 25, hasn’t missed a game over the last four seasons. Last season, he matched his career-high with 14.5 sacks.

With Everson Griffen signing with the Cowboys, all eyes will be on Hunter to bring the pressure to opposing quarterbacks in 2020.

We’ll update you on Hunter’s health if any other news becomes available.

How Sean McDermott’s contract extension with the Bills impacts Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson

Bills agree to a multi-year contract extension with Sean McDermott

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The Bills were the joke of the NFL before Sean McDermott landed the job as head coach and as we prepare for the 2020 NFL season to start, he’s being rewarded for making Buffalo relevant in the AFC East again.

Doug Pederson is one of the top head coaches in the NFL and also one of the most underpaid.

After leading the Eagles to their third straight playoff appearance in 2019, Pederson might be scratching his head after the Buffalo Bills joined the Vikings, extending head coach Sean McDermott.

McDermott helped the Bills snap an 18-year postseason drought — which was the longest in the NFL — in his first season as the head coach in 2017 and through three-seasons with Buffalo, he’s compiled a 25-23 record with two playoff appearances.

It’ll be interesting to see how McDermott’s deal impacts Pederson, who is a top-five head coach in the league and a prime reason why the Eagles are Super Bowl contenders.

As we sit here today, Pederson isn’t in the top-10 highest-paid coaches in football or the top-20 highest-paid in sports despite his playoff prowess.

1. Bill Belichick: $12 million
2. Pete Carroll: $11 million
3. Jon Gruden: $10 million
4. Sean Payton: $9.8 million
5. John Harbaugh: $9 million
6. Matt Rhule: $8.5 million
7. Sean McVay: $8.5 million
T-8. Mike Tomlin: $8 million
T-8. Dan Quinn: $8 million
T-8. Andy Reid: $8 million

Pederson is 38-26 over his first four seasons and hasn’t had a losing season since his first season as a head coach back in 2016.

The Eagles rarely have contract disputes with coaches but it’ll be interesting to see how Howie Roseman proceeds with Pederson having two-years remaining on his current deal as coaches around the league get paid.

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For the Vikings brain trust, now was not the time for a hot seat

The Vikings giving extensions to Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer were moves the team had to make. Here’s why

When this offseason started, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman would both have their contracts run out after the 2020 NFL season.

That all changed recently, though, when the Vikings finalized multi-year extensions with  Zimmer and Spielman.

A compelling argument could have been made that Minnesota should see what Zimmer and Spielman could do in their final year. The two have built a team that is consistently making the playoffs, but has yet to win a Super Bowl.

However, there are a plethora of reasons why Zimmer and Spielman being on short-term deals might not have been the best idea for Minnesota.

For one, the Vikings will need continuity — now more than ever. Minnesota retooled its roster this offseason, and those new players will have to adjust to the Vikings’ various schemes as the NFL tries to play amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Minnesota has so many young players that are stylistic fits for the current Vikings system, that it doesn’t make sense to let Zimmer or Spielman walk after 2020 unless the team is shockingly bad. A hypothetical new coach coming in would inherit a team that is probably not going to fit their schematic ideas.

Zimmer and Spielman need time with this young roster, and overhauling the Vikings brain trust would have had a diminishing effect on the team as a whole. This is clearly a Vikings team in a new phase. A team in transition doesn’t need to go through a new coaching staff or front office, at least not right away.

The Vikings aren’t rebuilding necessarily; they’re just adding young players while still having the hope of playoff contention. What better options would Minnesota have than a coach and general manager who helped pick these players, who have built teams in the past that were more than capable of playoff berths?

Former offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski became the Browns head coach this offseason. In April, Stefanski had to stay in his Minnesota home, due to the pandemic. Despite a good roster on paper, uncertainty surrounds Cleveland as the team heads into the 2020 NFL season.

With Stefanski gone and young players in big roles, the Vikings don’t need any more uncertainty than they already have, so locking in Zimmer and Spielman for the future makes sense.

Could Everson Griffen join list of players to play for both Vikings and Packers?

If Griffen were to sign with the Packers, he wouldn’t be the first player to jump ship between the rivalry and he won’t be the last. 

Reports surfaced this week that defensive end Everson Griffen and the Green Bay Packers have mutual interest in each other.

Every Vikings’ fan holds back tears and blames Aaron Rodgers.

Griffen has spent all 10 seasons of his career in Minnesota after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has 74.5 career sacks and has made the Pro Bowl four times throughout his career.

If Griffen were to sign with the Packers, he wouldn’t be the first player to jump ship between the rivalry and he won’t be the last.

The most famous example is Brett Favre, but there’s also been Greg Jennings, Darren Sharper, Ryan Longwell and Robert Ferguson.

The hope for the Vikings is that this move falls through, especially since Mike Zimmer said that he’d love to have Griffen back on the team in 2020 opposite of Danielle Hunter.

We’ll see if those two games against the Packers this year hold any more importance to them than they already do.