Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is scheduled for eye surgery this upcoming Monday.
Last season, injuries hindered the Minnesota Vikings chances of success. The team lost several linemen, a star running back, and a starting quarterback among other key pieces. That kind of situation is enough for any squad to throw in the towel by itself.
In addition the player injuries, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer scratched his right eye in an embarrassing loss to the Bears during a week 8 match up. A number of surgeries to fix his eye have since followed.
Ben Goessling of ESPN reported the following about Zimmer’s upcoming procedure which is scheduled for Monday, April 17, 2017:
"“Zimmer has another surgery scheduled for that day, the first of two operations he hopes will resolve the right eye issues that bothered him through the 2016 season. On Monday, doctors will remove the oil bubble that’s been on Zimmer’s eye since last December and replace it with an oxygen bubble to help allow his detached retina to heal.”"
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Zimmer’s eye has been a nuisance for a while. Hopefully, after the upcoming procedures, he can return to his aggressive coaching style.
Minnesota was very successful when Zimmer was healthy on the sidelines. The Vikings were 5-1 before Zimmer injured his eye. The defense that Zimmer coached was recognized as the best defense in the NFL at the time.
After the injury, the team only won 3 more games and finished the season 8-8. He wore an eye patch for a number of weeks after surgery that likely made it hard to navigate around the sidelines and see the game, making in-game adjustments with one eye is not an easy task.
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A coach’s health may not seem like it is important to a team’s success but many fail to realize that a coach can be the heart and soul of a team. That is especially true with a coach like Mike Zimmer, who was taken out of his element after experiencing eye problems.