6 biggest Vikings distractions during the Mike Zimmer era

Norv Turner quitting

The 2016 season was a doozy for Mike Zimmer and the Vikings. After already losing their franchise quarterback for potentially forever, they also lost their offensive coordinator about halfway through the year.

Minnesota got off to a hot start during the 2016 season, winning their first five games. After their bye week though, things began to go south for the team.

The Vikings lost their next two contests and after the second defeat, offensive coordinator Norv Turner quit. Turner was the man calling the plays that year, but after Sam Bradford became the starting quarterback, the fit just wasn’t a great one.

Turner said it was a hard decision and that he just didn’t think the offense would work with him there, so he removed himself.

Apparently, there was a disagreement in what the Minnesota offense had to do each week in order to give the team the best chance to win. Turner denied it was a major rift between him and Zimmer, but it was enough for the assistant coach to realize the Vikings were better off if he wasn’t a part of their staff.

After Turner left, Zimmer promoted Pat Shurmur to offensive coordinator and he was a much better fit for Bradford’s style of play. Shurmur was able to tweak the offensive line to better protect the immobile quarterback.

Minnesota wasn’t able to turn things around in time to make the playoffs in 2016, but Zimmer handled this distraction well. Shurmur went on to remain the Vikings offensive coordinator for the 2017 season and he was a huge reason why the team almost made it to the Super Bowl that year.