Minnesota Vikings: 4 things the Vikings should be thankful for
Mike Zimmer
How blessed are the Vikings to have one of the top coaches in football? If you aren’t able to take it that far yet, there’s no doubt Mike Zimmer is at least one of the most respected coaches in football. Over his four-year tenure as coach, there’s been definite highs and lows, but one thing that stands out is the caliber of coaches he’s been able to put around him. A testament to how beloved he is in the football community.
Specifically, he’s been able to recruit top offensive minds to Minnesota. It started with Norv Turner as the offensive coordinator and while that didn’t work out as imagined, it still was viewed as a high-profile move at the time. A move that many were excited about.
Nevertheless, Zimmer was able to add former head coaches like Tony Sparano and Pat Shurmur to the coaching staff prior to last season. The latter proved a worthy addition when Turner resigned midway through last season. Taking over for Turner, Shurmur has put his twist on the offense and the results have simply been phenomenal.
Not only does Shurmur lead the fifth-ranked offense, but he’s done it with Case Keenum. To the quarterback’s credit, he’s played superbly, but it’s also fair to say Shurmur has adjusted the offense to fit his skillset. Not to mention, Shurmur has set up a strong rushing offense behind Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray to help the quarterback out.
On the defensive end, Zimmer has been the mastermind behind a top-five defense. In four years, Zimmer’s defenses have ranked 14th, 13th, 3rd and 5th. The latter ranking is where they stand currently, but after shutting down the top-scoring offense to seven points last week, there’s reason to believe they’ll finish higher than that.
Alongside Zimmer, he has a cast of defensive coaches that are considered some of the best in the business. Defensive coordinator George Edwards has worked himself into head coaching conversations, whereas position coaches Jerry Gray, Adam Zimmer and Andre Patterson are no slouches either. Specifically, Patterson has been instrumental in the growth of the defensive line. Just look at how players like Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter and Linval Joseph have grown over the years.
Overall, Zimmer deserves much credit and thanks for creating one of the top coaching staffs in the league. As a result, we’ve seen players on both sides of the ball flourish into some of the top players in the NFL.