Vikings Zimmer and Spielman Taking In Senior Bowl Practices

The Minnesota Vikings hired former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to be their new head coach last offseason. Zimmer’s first task with Minnesota was to help give the team a new voice and direction. Sadly, that task seemed pretty large at the start of the 2014 NFL season.

In a recent article by ESPN’s Ben Goessling, Mike Zimmer spoke about his early task of turning the team around.

"“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness — look at all those holes we have,'” Zimmer said. “We’re way ahead of where we were at that point [last year]. Some of the guys we brought in last year really helped. We’ve still got some spots we’ve got to get a lot better at, but I think we’re going in the right direction.”"

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman and Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer shake hands after the game at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

While Zimmer doesn’t sugarcoat things, he also doesn’t like to give too much praise at the same time. Filling a team with “Mike Zimmer guys” won’t be easy. He demands a lot from his players and expects them to be able to execute in the scheme they are given. General Manager Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer have a focus for the direction of the team.

Yesterday, at practice for the Senior Bowl, Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman were checking out the potential draft picks together. The relationship between the head coach and GM will be essential in ensuring the team has one voice and one focus. Mike Zimmer discussed their relationship in the ESPN article.

"“I like hanging out with Rick, anyway — like last night, we had dinner. We sat in the press box yesterday,” Zimmer said. “We drove over to the other practice yesterday, and he comes in my office, and we’ll talk about things. It’s good being able to hang out — like last night at dinner, I bet we talked for two hours, about things I want to do better, and his impressions of things. It was good.”"

Zimmer will have an opportunity this offseason to get even more guys on the Vikings team that fit what he looks for in players. Whether it is through free agency or the draft, Minnesota will look to improve this team team once again. For 2015, the focus is the playoffs, something that the Vikings haven’t reached since the 2012 season.

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