What Grade would you Give Mike Zimmer for Year One?

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Some would say the Minnesota Vikings are beneficiaries of Mike Zimmer’s less-than-perfect interviewing skills. Why? Because they seem to be the only reason he wasn’t given an NFL head coaching job sooner.

He was understandably frustrated. After being turned down by several organizations, it seemed this 57 year-old might have missed his window to be the leader of an NFL franchise.

“I almost didn’t go (to the second interview with Minnesota), yeah. I was so disappointed,” Zimmer told Fox Sports. “It was like, ‘Why even do this?’ It was to that point. I figured I was getting too old. I thought, ‘Forget this.’ ”

Well, fortunately for Minnesota, he went. After being named head coach Zimmer was showered with praise from current and former players saying the Vikings picked the right man.

Now that his hiring was exactly a year ago, how did he handle his first year at the helm? Most would say very well.

His impact doesn’t lie in how well the team did, but how poorly the team didn’t do. Mike Zimmer has one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of the NFL and his imprint on the Vikings defense is already blatant. Here is a nifty little table comparing the Vikings defenses in 2013 and 2014:

[table id=16 /]

As you can see, almost every category across the board has improved. The one that stands out to me is ‘points allowed’. After all, it is the most important category. The Vikings went from dead last in 2013 to 11th in 2014, even though the offense struggled at times and put them in tough spots.

Grade: I give Mike Zimmer a B+ for his first year as a head coach. He took a franchise looking for answers and gave it serious direction. The defense looked completely different and he used several of the same players who looked awful in 2013. Everson Griffen and Xavier Rhodes had breakout seasons and Anthony Barr showed he will be a mainstay at the linebacker position for years to come.

After years of ambiguity on defense, at the QB position and with the head coach, the Vikings finally have a stable base to build something special. In Zimmer we trust. I’ll leave you with this:

"I had a heck of a dream last night. I dreamed that we won the Super Bowl. It was amazing. It was real, too. I was getting ready to get up on that podium, and then I woke up.” –Mike Zimmer"

Next: Where does PFF rank Teddy among rookies?

Dec 21, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer looks during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 37-35. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports