http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post ... snt-add-up
I'm also going to share this line from the end of the Souhan column I linked to above:The personal attributes that many people love about Zimmer -- his blunt assessments, his honest answers, his salt-of-the-earth demeanor -- have not served him well this season as a head coach. It's fair to question the environment his program has created, and it is a reminder that running a football team is similar in many ways to a leader in the business world. You should have deep knowledge of the product, of course, but more importantly you must connect with and properly manage your people.
When a respected coach quits and veteran players are in open defiance, the tendency, of course, is to redirect. But don't be fooled here. Sometimes, a fire is in fact a fire.
I think Souhan's absolutely right in that assessment and to borrow the phrase Seifert used, I think in the case of Zimmer and the Vikings, the apparent fire is, in fact, a fire. The attributes Seifert described above do make Zimmer likable and I think they're among the main reasons fans have been quick to believe in him and remain eager to defend him but let's face it, when a season goes off the rails like this one did for the Vikings, in the various ways it did, there's more to it than just bad luck or injuries. The clear warning signs of bigger problems are there. Hopefully, Zimmer and company can get a good handle on things this offseason and come back with their best season in 2017 but frankly, he's fortunate he was in a position to survive a collapse like this.Zimmer is 25-22 and 0-1 in the playoffs as an NFL head coach. He built up enough goodwill in 2015 to survive this implosion, but let’s not kid ourselves:
His performance over the past 10 games would have gotten Brad Childress, Leslie Frazier or Mike Tice fired.
Amidst all the rationalizations and explanations in his defense, let's not forget that Zimmer's team barely showed up, at home, for arguably the most crucial game of their season, with their playoff hopes on the line. By halftime against the Colts, in a game the Vikes desperately needed to stay in the playoff hunt, Zimmer's vaunted defense had allowed 27 points and the Vikings had failed to score. A week later, with a slim window still open to make the playoffs, we saw insubordination from key players and another blowout loss. Don't let an easy win over a Bears team that already had one foot out the door fool you: with the season on the line in December, Zimmer's team was barely competitive against teams that finished with more than 3 wins for the season. If they hadn't been fortunate enough to have Jacksonville and Chicago on the schedule near the end of the season, I wonder if they would have even won another game.
There are problems with this team that go FAR beyond injuries to the o-line, Blair Walsh failing to execute in a few games or Adrian Peterson making too much money. Coaching problems.