Did Zimmer burn the village on his way out?

[StanM]

I have been following everything Vikings on YouTube (advantage of retirement) on a daily basis. I haven’t seen this discussed in much detail but the more I hear the more it sounds like Zimmer was a handful the past couple years. Some of what’s coming out is resentment over drafting Mond and not developing him along with throwing him under the bus. He comes in for one series while Mannion is getting his ankle looked at and Zimmer throws him under the bus. Not to predict where Mond will end up but it appears that his worst offense was being a Speilman pick.

Then we have the talk about workplace environment being toxic. On top of that all reliable sources speculate that Rick would stay, Zim spends a few minutes with the owner getting fired and the next thing we find out is that Rick is gone. Zim “took care of his guys” on defense and contributed to a cap mess that is due to hit the fan.

Zimmer gets fired and leaves the building, Rick gets fired and addresses the team. I think that more will be coming out about the toxic situation where coach and GM were not speaking. A toxic work situation with questionable moves certainly seems to be a factor. I’m just putting this out there to see if anyone else thinks Zimmer operated under a scorched earth policy in his final months and what effect that had on the team.

[StanM]

PS, The Vikings owners are not based locally. I wonder how much they knew about what was going on between Zimmer and Spielman. What happened between them that they weren’t speaking to each other? My opinion is that there’s a fine line between tough old no nonsense coach and curmudgeon with a closed mind. It sounds like Zimmer behaved more like an angry adolescent than a pro football coach. His press conferences were some of the most confrontational disasters I have seen from a coach.

[JJBreaksRecords]

I am so glad Zimmer is no longer with the Vikings. Lets hope the new Gm and Wilf's make better choices.

[Pondering Her Percy]

He 100% burned the village down. He was as bitter as they come towards the end. He was defiant towards the offense and seemed to have an ongoing pis#ing match with Spielman and I still believe it's why we saw very little draft picks participate this year. Spielman practically called him out in that interview on move the sticks regarding him not adapting and solely honed in on what fit his scheme.

[VikingsVictorious]

I kind of liked Zim over the years, but maybe he was losing it. At this point I am hopeful we can find a new coach that can do better. Not counting on it, but hopeful.

[psjordan]

I kind of liked Zim over the years, but maybe he was losing it. At this point I am hopeful we can find a new coach that can do better. Not counting on it, but hopeful.

Well you may have to be patient with whoever they hire. Zac Taylor of Bengals seems to be doing OK in season 3, but he won 2 games first year and 4 the second year. Big swing factor of course is they got their QB of the future.

Sometimes it's worth it to stink it up for a bit.

[VikingsVictorious]

I kind of liked Zim over the years, but maybe he was losing it. At this point I am hopeful we can find a new coach that can do better. Not counting on it, but hopeful.

Well you may have to be patient with whoever they hire. Zac Taylor of Bengals seems to be doing OK in season 3, but he won 2 games first year and 4 the second year. Big swing factor of course is they got their QB of the future.

Sometimes it's worth it to stink it up for a bit.

if the Vikings have a bad season I will probably forget about them and do other things on Sundays until they have a good season.

[vikeinmontana]

Well you may have to be patient with whoever they hire. Zac Taylor of Bengals seems to be doing OK in season 3, but he won 2 games first year and 4 the second year. Big swing factor of course is they got their QB of the future.

Sometimes it's worth it to stink it up for a bit.

if the Vikings have a bad season I will probably forget about them and do other things on Sundays until they have a good season.

You must be a younger guy.

[VikingsVictorious]

if the Vikings have a bad season I will probably forget about them and do other things on Sundays until they have a good season.

You must be a younger guy.

63 years young. I've been following the Vikings through mostly successful seasons since 1970.

[vikeinmontana]

You must be a younger guy.

63 years young. I've been following the Vikings through mostly successful seasons since 1970.

So what gives this year? You’ve been watching the Vikings do Vikings things for 6 decades…..

[VikingsVictorious]

63 years young. I've been following the Vikings through mostly successful seasons since 1970.

So what gives this year? You’ve been watching the Vikings do Vikings things for 6 decades…..

If the Vikings suck like what was suggested I've simply got better things to do.

[StanM]

So what gives this year? You’ve been watching the Vikings do Vikings things for 6 decades…..

If the Vikings suck like what was suggested I've simply got better things to do.

I look at it differently. I am old enough to remember their first ever game in 1961 and have followed ever since day one through thick and thin. I might only keep one eye on the TV in bad years but I’m on this ride for the duration including all the ups and downs.

In a perverse way I have actually followed them closer this year. Kind of like driving by a train wreck and I can’t stop looking. Watching the front office and coaching changes will keep providing entertainment right up to the start of the 2022 season. Following the nuggets of information post meltdown is as entertaining as any Mini Series I have streamed. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see a Super Bowl win too but a meltdown this massive has been interesting to follow.

[CharVike]

So what gives this year? You’ve been watching the Vikings do Vikings things for 6 decades…..

If the Vikings suck like what was suggested I've simply got better things to do.

What you say holds true for many. I was die hard since 1970 and always went to bars to watch then got the direct TV package when it first came out to watch at home and how they played actually impacted me some. I'm 61 and the all in stuff is starting to wear off. I think when you start getting older you know you are coming to the end of the tunnel and time goes by very quickly. The major milestones are out of the way and I get more reflective. I liked to at least get to another Super Bowl of course winning would be the ultimate. As Bud Grant said it's entertainment so take it for that. I agree with what you say about better things to do. It's cool talking Vikings because there is alot of knowledge on this board. Different views but it's always been like that for fans. I don't let this stuff impact my mood or other activities as it once did. Maybe that's just old age.