Matt Blair Thinks Mike Zimmer Will Be A Great Head Coach
By Adam Carlson
Younger fans may not know very much about Matt Blair. That’s a shame, because he was one of the best linebackers ever to suit up for the Minnesota Vikings. He played with the team from 1974-1985 after being a second round draft pick by the team. Along the way, he accumulated 6 Pro Bowl nods and ended up in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.
Recently, Blair spoke with WKBT TV about the future and the direction of the team. The most interesting thing he said was about new Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Here’s a quote from the interview.
"“Mike Zimmer I think is going to be a great coach. We got some differences, he’s a defensive coach and you win games with the defense. If the defense does not let the other team score, then you have a chance. If you work at that part on defense, like we did back in the Purple People days, that’s how you win games.”"
Oct 25, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings former player Matt Blair salutes the crowd as he is honored before the game between the Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Metrodome. The Buccaneers win 36-17. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Those words should make Vikings fans drool a little bit. A return to dominance for the Minnesota defense like back in the Purple People Eaters days would be an amazing accomplishment for this team that has struggled defensively for the past couple years. Too many games were lost by the defense in the closing minutes over those years and that is something that shouldn’t happen with this new system in place.
Matt Blair went on to talk about the weather and how it will have an impact on the team over the next two years:
"“The one thing about it is they’re going to be outdoors. In the winter, and I remember being outdoors in the winter, and you work a little bit harder but when you go play other teams outdoors, in the winter, you’ll be better. It’s just a way of trying to get something that they wanted to get, a new stadium, but they have to play outside and it’s gonna happen, that’s all.”"
He makes it sound like a win-win situation for the Minnesota Vikings while they play outdoors. Getting better against other teams in the elements while motivating the players to give it their all sounds fantastic. Plus, now that they have an aggressive motivator as a head coach in Mike Zimmer, the sky could be the limit for this team’s future potential.