Everson Griffen won’t need shoulder surgery despite previous reports to the contrary.
Mike Zimmer cleared up one more bit of business during his tour through combine media land on Thursday: the Vikings coach says Everson Griffen won’t need surgery on his shoulder after all.
The original plan according to Zimmer was for Griffen to have the surgery after the Pro Bowl but that will no longer be necessary (via Minneapolis StarTribune):
"“He’s going to continue to rehab and I don’t know the exact date he’s going back. Unless [something has] changed, he’s not going to have anything,” said Zimmer, who acknowledged that Griffen was “probably” dealing with a torn labrum."
Griffen was among several Vikings defensive stars who dealt with injury issues throughout the final weeks of the season but unlike Harrison Smith, Linval Joseph and Anthony Barr, the defensive end did not miss significant time.
(Sidebar: Looking back on it, isn’t it kind of amazing that the Vikings did what they did late in the year with all those defensive players hurt all the time?)
The news on Griffen is certainly positive. Mike Zimmer dropped plenty of other tidbits yesterday during his non-grouchy time with the media.
Zimmer talked about his plan for the safety position. He also addressed Adrian Peterson’s role and talked generally about how much he likes his football team. He talked to SI’s Don Banks about how he would improve the combine.
Next: Pat Shurmur's real role with Vikings
Zimmer also gave some clarification on Pat Shurmur’s role with the offensive coaching staff.
It was a very full day for Zimmer and I hope at the end of it he was able to sit down and have a nice dinner.