Vikings: Is Mike Zimmer’s motivation style out of date?

There’s no doubt that head coach Mike Zimmer is an old school coach, but does he need to update his motivation technique with the Minnesota Vikings players?

When asked about head coach Mike Zimmer, most fans of the Minnesota Vikings will reply with very positive things. His old school mentality when it comes to hard work, practice, and no-nonsense on the field has become a staple of what the team is today.

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However, there is one part of his coaching that has drawn the attention of the mainstream media. The way that Zimmer lights a fire under his players has recently been scrutinized by Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune.

In an article titled Mike Zimmer’s no-respect angle is out of date, Reusse argues that the Minnesota Vikings head coach is trying to re-use a cliché that doesn’t quite fit with the team anymore.

His major issue with the method Zimmer is using is that he feels it is a bit dishonest. Saying that people are dismissing the Vikings and using an underdog angle when the boys from Minnesota are often in the middle of most playoff discussions doesn’t make a lot of sense.

"“Apparently, he still believes players can be motivated by lying over what’s being said about them — still believes that in an age when players can find out in a minute on their phones what’s actually being said about their team,” Reusse wrote."

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Most Minnesota Vikings fans will agree that this current squad entering the 2016 season has the most positive buzz surrounding it since Brett Favre was at the helm. Coupled with last year’s success, trying to sell the players on this team being an underdog may be an uphill battle.

Zimmer was even called out about this during interviews at training camp. The head coach replied by saying that he’s been reading that “People are saying we’re not even in the top half of the NFC.’’

Reusse wasn’t buying it. And he doesn’t think the players in the locker room are either.

"“That didn’t stop Zimmer from trying to sell the no-respect angle to players, even though anyone in the locker room with a half a brain knew it was nonsense,” Reusse wrote."

Relying on old school techniques to fire up his players may make Mike Zimmer look like a bit of a dinosaur in today’s technological age, but it might be less of what Zimmer is saying a more of what he means.

Next: Vikings game-by-game 2016 season preview

The team’s head coach as gone on record multiple times saying that making the playoffs is nice. Winning a division is great. But there is only one thing that really matters in the NFL: Winning a Super Bowl. And that is one area where the Minnesota Vikings are still truly underdogs.