Mike Zimmer treating Bengals coaching staff to ribs

Mike Zimmer has a special treat in store for the Cincinnati Bengals’ coaching staff when they join him at his Kentucky ranch this weekend.

Everything is buddy-buddy between Mike Zimmer and his old pals with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not only will Zimmer’s Vikings and Marvin Lewis’ Bengals participate in joint practices this week ahead of their preseason game on Friday, Zimmer also has something big planned for Lewis and the Bengals coaching staff.

Per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Zimmer has invited the Bengals coaches to accompany him to his ranch in Kentucky where they will chow down on ribs from the Montgomery Inn.

Located in a suburb of Cincinnati, the Montgomery Inn is noted for the succulence of its ribs.

How famous are the ribs at the Montgomery Inn? Five presidents have gone there to partake (according to Wikipedia). Luminaries from the entertainment industry have also stopped in for a bite of rib, including Tom Selleck, Elizabeth Taylor, Britney Spears and Elton John. Even Neil Armstrong once ate there.

And if there is one thing Neil Armstrong was noted for, it was his fine taste in ribs (I made that up).

But before Zim and the boys can head off to the wilds of Kentucky to eat some ribs and possibly shoot some guns, there is some business for them to take care of in Cincy. Namely, practicing and playing a preseason game.

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Hopefully the Vikings and Bengals will remember to be on their best behavior as they practice. Some folks still talk about the Chiefs-Vikings practice that once degenerated into violence.

Given the friendliness between Zimmer and Marvin Lewis, I doubt we’ll see any fireworks. Then again, when you get a bunch of really big football players out there banging around, sometimes stuff just happens.

But we’re absolutely not rooting for anything to happen. At all.