When the Minnesota Vikings hired Mike Zimmer as their new head coach prior to the 2014 NFL season, a new generation of football began for fans. Zimmer was a major change from former head coach Leslie Frazier, who had a much more relaxed and loose style of leadership. Loose and relaxed are two words that shouldn’t be used to describe Mike Zimmer and this Minnesota Vikings coaching staff.
Respect is a hard thing to earn from your employees. Personally, I’ve worked several jobs where I felt that the management of the company lacked the direction and knowledge to be an effective leader. From the sounds of the players on the Minnesota Vikings roster, that doesn’t seem to be an issue at all with Mike Zimmer and his coaching staff.
Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd had some great praise for the team’s coaching staff and game plan according to a recent article on Vikings.com. Here’s what he had to say about working within the coaches’ confines:
"“We’ve got to lock into our keys. If we play the technique that Coach Patterson is putting forth for us, them boys should be fine, and I think we already do a good job of keeping them up. We can do a better job this year of making that step forward and going from good to elite.”"
May 27, 2015; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer speaks to his team at practice at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Executing the game plan is something we’ve already seen Mike Zimmer get fired up about. There were times we’ve seen Zimmer on the sidelines in a fit of rage after a Minnesota Vikings player doesn’t use good form on a tackle or is out of position on a play. It’s that kind of accountability that fans have grown to love about Zimmer.
Sharrif Floyd continued talking about the team’s coaching by discussing what he loves about Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
"“He has an aggression about what he does and is passionate, and that’s a guy you’ve got to love. You’ve got to respect him, and I always feel that you move as your head coach moves, and that’s his personality and what he brings to the table. That’s who I need to be on the field.”"
With proper coaching, this young Minnesota Vikings team is heading in the right direction. In just one year, the Vikings saw improvement on both offense and defense as well as brought back hope that this squad could be contending sooner rather than later. Hopefully, Minnesota has found their coach for a long, long time in Minnesota and the days of musical chairs is over.
Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews
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