Minnesota Vikings cancel last practice of minicamp
By Adam Carlson
Coach Zimmer has seen enough and the Minnesota Vikings feel the last day of minicamp isn’t necessary to evaluate where this team currently stands.
Reputations are hard to lose. Ever since fans of the Minnesota Vikings saw video of their new head coach Mike Zimmer back on Hard Knocks as the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, it was assumed he was a no-chill kind of guy.
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Since then, there have been some moments where Zimmer has shown some softness, but he will never lose that aura of toughness that endeared him to the Minnesota Vikings brass and fan base. However, Zimmer did something very nice for the players on the last day of minicamp.
Rather than taking this opportunity to make the players go through a practice, Zimmer and the rest of the coaching staff gave the team the day off from practice. And it may have shocked the players more than anyone else according to an article on Fox Sports.
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"“They didn’t believe me at first,” Zimmer said. “A bunch of them said, `Did he say go practice or no practice?’So they sat up there for a little while. They weren’t sure and felt like it was a joke or a trick, but I felt like I’ve seen what I needed to see.”"
For Zimmer to come away with not needing to see any more, that must say a lot. This is the guy that sees individuals like Cordarrelle Patterson and Xavier Rhodes working hard during the offseason and appreciates their work, but also tells them there is a lot more left to work on and not to get comfortable.
Still, it’s great to see that this Minnesota Vikings team can work hard and show just how much they want to take that next step toward their ultimate goal.
"“I just like the way this team works. I told them that today that I appreciate the way they go about their business,” Zimmer said. “They’re dedicated to being a good football team.”"
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Don’t expect the Minnesota Vikings to keep being this friendly toward their own players or opponents this season. The team will need to prove that last season’s division championship wasn’t a fluke and make a deep playoff run to show naysayers that there is a real threat to the Lombardi Trophy growing in the land of 10,000 lakes.