Minnesota Vikings: Observations from Mini-Camp
Zimmer Rewards the Team
On the last day of Minnesota Vikings Minicamp, players came in ready to put in another day of hard work. When they arrived, they thought they heard Head Coach Mike Zimmer say something to the tune of “Go Practice.”
What Zimmer really said was “No Practice.” Some did not believe those were the words that came out of his mouth. This was not like Zimmer, who has always had the smash mouth hard working attitude. Zimmer said this was his way of rewarding the team for their hard work so far this offseason. Zimmer sent the players on their way telling them to behave themselves and show up for training camp.
"“This team works their rear ends off,” Zimmer said while describing why he cancelled practice. “They work real hard. I like their attention to detail. I like the way they go about their work. And I felt like I’ve seen enough that I need to see this time of the year. Get ready to go down to Mankato healthy and get back to work.” “If they had been crummy, I wouldn’t have cancelled it, I’ll tell you that,” Zimmer said. “I just like the way this team works. I told them that today. I appreciate how they go about their business. They’re dedicated to being a good football team and so I just felt like they needed [to take the day off]. They didn’t believe me at first. A bunch of them said, ‘Did he say, ‘Go practice,’ or, ‘No practice?’ They sat up there for a little while. They thought it was a joke or a trick. But I felt like I’ve seen what I needed to see.”"
Zimmer seems happy with the team and the place that they are at. Rewarding them with an extra day to rest their bodies does not seem like a lot, but with the amount of abuse an NFL player takes on a daily basis, one day matters.
Next: Vikings Announce Training Camp Dates
This team is ready for a break before putting in the work for the final stages of the offseason. The next stop is training camp and all the dates have been announced. The team now needs to stay in shape over their summer break and be ready to compete for their jobs in the fall. Here comes the boring part of the season Vikings fans!