Past co-workers describe the head coach as everything from “a very disgruntled, pissy old man” to “joyless” to “a big blamer” to “an equal-opportunity ####” to “pissed about everything.” One source close to the team’s inner-workings believes his intensity worked initially with so many young players dying to prove themselves but, as time passed, it became white noise.
“Everything is everyone else’s fault,” this source says. “Or the answer is always, ‘You have to work harder.’ Maybe it’s your scheme. Maybe it’s your stubbornness. Maybe it’s your inability to adjust. Maybe it’s your lack of communication. If you keep bringing Zimmer back and Spielman back and Cousins gets extended for $30 million a year, you’re going to lose the locker room because you’re losing some guys.”
Don't worry, Zimmer lovers, the author gives a pretty measured take. There are plenty of named sources who go to bat for Zimmer's style too. Overall, this is a really solid piece that I strongly recommend.
OK since I myself am a writer (with pretty much zero notoriety, at least these days) I was very skeptical at first when I saw this post. I thought, “Here we go. Another ‘article’ by a disgruntled fan with absolutely no credentials and no access to players, coaches or staff.”
But this is more. It’s extremely well-written. It’s balanced. It’s detailed.
That being said, I can’t help but ask some important questions and feel some hesitations.
- Who is the author? The post gives me nothing but a name with no credentials.
- He uses a lot of quotes. For example, Terrence Newman is quoted at length. But did this guy actually talk to Newman? Or did he repurpose quotes from other sources?
- Not a single quote criticizing Zimmer comes from a named source. That’s a red flag for me.
A lot of my concerns could have been alleviating simply by the author telling me who he is, and to whom he has access. The quality of the writing and reporting suggests he’s a professional. But curiously, he doesn’t tell me.
Some of you may ask, “Who are YOU to criticize?” It’s a legitimate question that I’ve never addressed. I’ve always tried to let the quality of my posts be the determining factor in what you all think of me. But this particular situation warrants some explanation. In 1997, my first year out of college, I was the South Carolina Journalist of the Year. In 2001, I was hired to be the Editor of a medium sized weekly newspaper — at the end of that year, my paper was named Best of the States by the National Newspaper Association. As a result of those accomplishments, my college, founded in 1753, named me a distinguished alumnus. They have a Nobel Prize winner, yet they named little ol’ me to be part of that fraternity. In other words, when it comes to journalism, I know what I’m talking about.
So why am I not “somebody” in journalism? Because it was a second career that I didn’t start until I was 38. And to be honest, some might say that having the best weekly newspaper in the U.S. is kind of like being the best surfer in Nebraska. At my age, bigger papers weren’t interested. So I got out and went into marketing. But I can say with confidence — I was good.
Why all this about myself? Because I could write an article like this, even though I have access to exactly nobody. I’m skilled enough to search the internet for quotes and use them in my writing as if they were quotes I’d obtained myself. And with no context, you’d never be the wiser.
Has this author done that here? I wish I knew. I wish he’d provided context. Because it’s stupendously well-written.
Here’s what I can say. It’s a great read. And it does make you ask some important questions. Is Mike Zimmer a tyrant? Or do his methods simply motivate players to give their very best. Is Rick Spielman afraid of Zimmer? If Zimmer is an equal-opportunity a$$hole, why do some players feel like they owe their life to him? When the article says he’s always grumpy and pissed off, who is saying that? Players, who are used to tough coaches? Secretaries, who have frail sensitivities? The article doesn’t say. Only “people in the building.” More unnamed sources.
All in all, I would recommend this as a read for any Vikings fan. Be prepared, though. If you’re optimistic, you might lose that. If you hate Zimmer, you’ll find ammunition to hate him more. If you love Zimmer, same thing.
It’s an eye-opener. Time will tell if it’s true.
EDIT: I guess I don’t listen to enough Sirius XM. Tyler Dunne covers the Packers for Bleacher Report, which these days is about as legitimate as any other organization. He’s appeared as a guest on several national radio shows. Still doesn’t answer how he has any inside knowledge of the Vikings, nor does it absolve him of not giving his credentials in the article, but at least he’s employed as a journalist. And now I’m not so woefully uninformed.
I'm not really sure what this was trying to point out. Every coach like every person has his own personality and ways of doing things. All HCs are like that. So far with us Zimmer is 61-44-1 which is not bad in the parity NFL. Our team is currently developing a bunch of young players and they haven't packed it in our given up.That tells me all I need to know about Zimmer.
CharVike wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 2:58 pm
I'm not really sure what this was trying to point out. Every coach like every person has his own personality and ways of doing things. All HCs are like that. So far with us Zimmer is 61-44-1 which is not bad in the parity NFL. Our team is currently developing a bunch of young players and they haven't packed it in our given up.That tells me all I need to know about Zimmer.
This season is Zimmer's best as a HC in my opinion.
CharVike wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 2:58 pm
I'm not really sure what this was trying to point out. Every coach like every person has his own personality and ways of doing things. All HCs are like that. So far with us Zimmer is 61-44-1 which is not bad in the parity NFL. Our team is currently developing a bunch of young players and they haven't packed it in our given up.That tells me all I need to know about Zimmer.
Yeah, that’s kind of what I was trying to point out in my admittedly long-winded response. WHO says Zimmer is always grumpy, nasty or whatever else the writer asserts? If it’s somebody inconsequential who works in the building who simply doesn’t like Zimmer, it’s nothing. If it’s half his coaching staff, that’s something. But the writer doesn’t tell us that. He’s done what so many so-called journalists do now, which is to write anything they want, even if they can’t get it on the record, citing “unnamed sources.” Or “sources within the organization,” which could be the guy who puts chips in the vending machine.
It’s the biggest reason I got out. Journalism has gone from “get it right at all costs” to “be the first at all costs.”
Also, WTF is a Packers beat writer doing writing an expose’ on the Vikings?
I’ve made it abundantly clear I want to move on from Zimmer (and Rick). So with that qualification in mind, I’ll say that I think the article has merit. We don’t have the insight of the locker room but there is a lot of things we know that leads one down the road the author is taking us.
Let’s start with Yannick. He was tired of the dysfunction in Jacksonville and seemed to buy into the Vikings culture. A defensive minded head coach that has had a lot of success coaching up edge rushers. And in a matter of weeks, maybe a month, he had seen enough and was out. Think about that, from happy to be here, to trade me I’m not signing a long term deal in a couple weeks. That’s a lot of smoke.
How about Rhodes, Waynes, and Alexander. We knew we would lose at least one maybe two of them. But all 3? Show me a single post on this forum that predicted that. Or what about Harris not signing a long term deal and needing to be tagged? Then there’s Zimmer’s open criticism of Barr. His slight against Everson that he took great exception to and of course, Diggs. And before we talk about Diggs being a diva, let’s not forget Thielen’s open frustration on the sidelines and screaming matches with Cousins. That’s just a lot of smoke to me for there to not be some sort of fire. The author’s point about the many exodus’s of coaches is also telling.
If Zimmer is a guy where you’re in or out, where lining up a few inches wrong is enough to get chastised, then that sort of preparation can’t end with him. You can’t act like General Patton and then lose the big battles. Look, 31 teams are going to lose their last game of the year but how this team loses is a big problem. You can’t lose big to Nick Foles, Mitch Trubisky, and Jimmy G in three consecutive years and expect people to keep buying in.
I think Zimmer’s shiny new defense carried him for the first few years and players bought in. But when the chinks in the armor started getting revealed, rather than adapt, he pointed fingers. And that doesn’t even touch on the fact that he’s the HEAD coach. Not the DC. The offense and special teams are also units he is accountable for. Zimmer isn’t a bad coach, but he’s stubborn and antiquated. If he runs this team as a boot camp, and players bought in, then how is it they are so badly outmatched in big games? Something doesn’t add up.
S197 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 6:18 pm
You can’t lose big to Nick Foles, Mitch Trubisky, and Jimmy G in three consecutive years and expect people to keep buying in.
To be fair, the Saints said the same kind of thing about losing to our QBs in 2017 and 2019.
Re: the concerns about anonymous sources for the negatives comments directed towards Zimmer, someone raised the same question on Twitter, and Dunne responded:
Milky Manchester
@milkymanchester
Replying to
@TyDunne
Great article, thank you for the insight. One question - it seemed all of the negative comments on Zimmer were anonymous, is that a common practice in a story like this?
7:23 PM · Nov 27, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
1
Like
Tyler Dunne
@TyDunne
·
Nov 27
Replying to
@milkymanchester
There’s a fear of backlash/repercussions for folks in the NFL. Which is understandable. They are willing to answer questions and willing to share their experiences so, sure, as a reporter I think you need to use your judgment to get all sides. Thanks for reading.
The mission here is pretty simple: To bring you all as close as humanly possible to the NFL. To tell you a story you haven’t read before. To make your valuable time worth it. Go Long will have a vintage feel with longform football stories steeped in reporting that cuts through the minutia filling our timelines daily.
The voices that make this game go will fuel this publication. I am very fortunate to have cultivated many relationships around the league this past decade-plus that, I believe, help me cover the game in a unique way.
S197 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 6:18 pm
You can’t lose big to Nick Foles, Mitch Trubisky, and Jimmy G in three consecutive years and expect people to keep buying in.
To be fair, the Saints said the same kind of thing about losing to our QBs in 2017 and 2019.
The Saints lost those games on a Hail Mary and in overtime, respectively. They’re not really comparable to the embarrassing efforts the Vikings put up in their losses.
CharVike wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 2:58 pm
I'm not really sure what this was trying to point out. Every coach like every person has his own personality and ways of doing things. All HCs are like that. So far with us Zimmer is 61-44-1 which is not bad in the parity NFL. Our team is currently developing a bunch of young players and they haven't packed it in our given up.That tells me all I need to know about Zimmer.
This season is Zimmer's best as a HC in my opinion.
Zimmer runs the defense and let's his OC take control of the offense. The defense has been awful and the offense has been pretty good. If you're going to be impressed with someone it should probably be Kubiak.
This season is Zimmer's best as a HC in my opinion.
Zimmer runs the defense and let's his OC take control of the offense. The defense has been awful and the offense has been pretty good. If you're going to be impressed with someone it should probably be Kubiak.
I have not been impressed with the offense at all this season outside of what Cook is doing. You have the best RB in football, 2 great WRs, very few injuries compared to the rest of the NFL on that side of the ball, and the offense goes from 6th in 2019 to 11th in 2020 in scoring? That is unacceptable. Plus, we saw against GB, Indy and Atlanta what this offense is without Cook making a significant impact, and it is pathetic. I would be happy with Kubiak retiring after this year and bringing his stooge Dennison with him.
The defense on the other hand lost its best player and 2nd best dlineman prior to the season. They then lost Barr, Hughes and Hill from a D that was not very deep to begin with after losing 5 starters to free agency. At the moment, this D is only fielding 3 guys who any team would want as more than a rotational, backup player. You would be hard pressed to find a less talented group on defense, yet they have held their own against Wilson and Rodgers, and essentially shutdown Stafford and Foles. I know the last two aren't having great years but the D did to those guys what a solid D should do, and this D has no business being solid. Those 4 games are far more impressive to me than shutting down teams with pro bowl caliber players at 10 of 11 spots on defense like he did in 2017. He still can coach, he just doesn't have the talent.
Any time I read about Mike Zimmer, its about he's ferocious and surly and a Hardass Drill Sergeant. You have to do 100 things right or you're benched, show me the results...but Zimmer and Spielman and Cousins doesn't practice what Zimmer preaches. Its the Trio of Rules For Thee, Not for Me. The Wilfs let these guys off the hook. All of them should have had a dose of what Zimmer has been dishing out with meager results in 2020 as a contract year season. Instead, they all got contract extensions.
Remember when Childress was talking about the Triangle of Accountability? This is the Triangle of No Accountability in some Mutually Assured Destruction pact against a hands-off, feckless ownership. The Triangle of M.A.D.
Hunter Morrow wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:03 pm
Any time I read about Mike Zimmer, its about he's ferocious and surly and a Hardass Drill Sergeant. You have to do 100 things right or you're benched, show me the results...but Zimmer and Spielman and Cousins doesn't practice what Zimmer preaches. Its the Trio of Rules For Thee, Not for Me. The Wilfs let these guys off the hook. All of them should have had a dose of what Zimmer has been dishing out with meager results in 2020 as a contract year season. Instead, they all got contract extensions.
Remember when Childress was talking about the Triangle of Accountability? This is the Triangle of No Accountability in some Mutually Assured Destruction pact against a hands-off, feckless ownership. The Triangle of M.A.D.
How did they let them off the hook? The stadium is a sell out. The Wilfs are not in this to lose every nickle they have. The current product has been selling out the stadium. If every fan felt the product was terrible the place would have about 20000 people at each game. Then they would be gone. I've been a fan since 1971 and I'm running out of time for a Super Bowl. The new coach in Green Bay is considered great and he to just got his arse kicked out in SF also. And that's with the best NFC QB. I wouldn't want that guy. It's no different. The guy from the Saints is considered one of the best ever. Zim beat him last year in his backyard. I wouldn't want that guy. I don't see the next Lambardi out there. Maybe you do. Obviously the Wilfs don't see it either.
