Rick and Zimmer both gone

[psjordan]

... the wins didn't offset the losses.

True for Rick, Zim, Kubiaks, Pattersons, etc. etc. etc.

I anxiously await your avatar change

[VikingLord]

Here's an interesting side note that I wonder if others caught.

Yesterday afternoon, about an hour after the game, I was monitoring my Twitter feed pretty closely, waiting for any news on Zimmer. Basically, I was pissed at him running the ball in the last 4 minutes when he could have gotten JJ the record. About 4:00 CST, Ian Rapoport tweeted that Zimmer had already been fired. I was amazed that the Wilfs would move that quickly, so went out to search out a second source to verify. About 2 minutes later, I returned to Twitter ... and Rapoport's tweet was gone. I wish I had taken a screenshot of it.

Just kind of interesting. Rapoport is a good reporter, very well informed and not shady like Adam Schefter. Makes me wonder if he got the information, maybe got a report that the Wilfs were angry, then had to retract the firing tweet until it was official. But I swear, he tweeted the firing. Did anyone else see it?

Spielman's firing surprises me, but only mildly. The Wilfs needed to go another direction.

I was really peeved about that too. I was peeved that first Cousins missed a wide open JJ on the Osborn TD that would have not only given JJ the record, but a TD at the same time, and then even more peeved when Zimmer showed how Mr. Roboto he is and just ran it and kneeled it on the last play.

Arg. Good riddance.

As for Spielman, let's all face it - his future was tied to the success of Cousins and his well fed vets he generally overpaid to retain or sign. Some of those deals paid off for him, but most didn't. The team, for all intents and purposes, hollowed out over the latter part of his tenure. The Vikings had some top flight talent, sure, but the depth was a problem. Add to that the misses in the 1st round on CBs which was consistent, and you end up with a sub .500 team two years running and one of the worst defenses in the NFL two years running.

Spielman had to go too. I don't have as much personal animosity towards him as I do Zimmer, but he was as responsible, if not more so, for the results of the last two years as Zimmer.

I did not see the tweet you mentioned.

[VikingLord]

... the wins didn't offset the losses.

True for Rick, Zim, Kubiaks, Pattersons, etc. etc. etc.

I anxiously await your avatar change

OK, hang on... Now is as good a time as any...

[40for60]

According to Pelissero, Spielman was “blindsided” by his firing. Huh, he didn’t think it was at least a possibility?

[Angels Wings]

Cousins needs to be shown the door as well...

[cogitator]

Great news for this franchise. We can finally move forward, for good or for bad, out of this slump of mediocrity that has been going on for the past decade +.

Wonder if this means they have a guy in mind who wants to be a HC and GM? Harbaugh anyone?

I have heard Josh McDaniels name mentioned. I’m not sure how I feel about that though.

I heard a player who played for McDaniels, Pete Carroll, and Mike Shanahan talk about how each coach talked to the team in meetings. Carroll always upbeat, McDaniels always negative, critical, pointed out everything everyone did wrong, Shanahan sometimes critical, sometime positive as the situation required. He liked the Shanahan approach best. Been quite a few years since McDaniels was fired, the question would be if he learned from his first go around.

[makila]

Here's an interesting side note that I wonder if others caught.

Yesterday afternoon, about an hour after the game, I was monitoring my Twitter feed pretty closely, waiting for any news on Zimmer. Basically, I was pissed at him running the ball in the last 4 minutes when he could have gotten JJ the record. About 4:00 CST, Ian Rapoport tweeted that Zimmer had already been fired. I was amazed that the Wilfs would move that quickly, so went out to search out a second source to verify. About 2 minutes later, I returned to Twitter ... and Rapoport's tweet was gone. I wish I had taken a screenshot of it.

Just kind of interesting. Rapoport is a good reporter, very well informed and not shady like Adam Schefter. Makes me wonder if he got the information, maybe got a report that the Wilfs were angry, then had to retract the firing tweet until it was official. But I swear, he tweeted the firing. Did anyone else see it?

Spielman's firing surprises me, but only mildly. The Wilfs needed to go another direction.

I never saw one. Fwiw.

[makila]

I have heard Josh McDaniels name mentioned. I’m not sure how I feel about that though.

I heard a player who played for McDaniels, Pete Carroll, and Mike Shanahan talk about how each coach talked to the team in meetings. Carroll always upbeat, McDaniels always negative, critical, pointed out everything everyone did wrong, Shanahan sometimes critical, sometime positive as the situation required. He liked the Shanahan approach best. Been quite a few years since McDaniels was fired, the question would be if he learned from his first go around.

Plus the whole colts disaster he put them through. That's worrisome on a character level imo.

[VikingLord]

Cousins needs to be shown the door as well...

Yup, but by the new GM and head coach.

With any luck, we'll get good news on both sooner rather than later. I hope the Wilfs already have a short list on the GM candidates and will move aggressively.

[VikingLord]

Great news for this franchise. We can finally move forward, for good or for bad, out of this slump of mediocrity that has been going on for the past decade +.

Wonder if this means they have a guy in mind who wants to be a HC and GM? Harbaugh anyone?

Harbaugh would be fantastic but I don't think they can hire the head coach unless that head coach knows who the GM is going to be. That has to be one of the best relationships on the team.

[J. Kapp 11]

I have heard Josh McDaniels name mentioned. I’m not sure how I feel about that though.

I heard a player who played for McDaniels, Pete Carroll, and Mike Shanahan talk about how each coach talked to the team in meetings. Carroll always upbeat, McDaniels always negative, critical, pointed out everything everyone did wrong, Shanahan sometimes critical, sometime positive as the situation required. He liked the Shanahan approach best. Been quite a few years since McDaniels was fired, the question would be if he learned from his first go around.

Peter Schrager made a great point today on on Good Morning Football.

He talked about Belichick guys — Judge, Flores, McDaneils, etc. — who go in as head coaches and are super critical of their players and surly and negative. He said they act like Belichick ... only they're NOT BELICHICK! Bill Belichick gets to the Super Bowl virtually every year. These other guys can't even sniff a Wild Card.

I'm saying "just say no" to Josh McDaniels.

[cogitator]

Anyone have a favorite replacement candidate for head coach? The chatter in Denver is Dan Quinn is the leading candidate to replace Fangio. I wonder if Flores will be considered, or if he needs a rehab year off. Seems like he had Miami playing pretty well.

So far there are 4 openings, and there will be 2 new coaches in the NFC North with Nagy out too.

[J. Kapp 11]

Anyone have a favorite replacement candidate for head coach? The chatter in Denver is Dan Quinn is the leading candidate to replace Fangio. I wonder if Flores will be considered, or if he needs a rehab year off. Seems like he had Miami playing pretty well.

So far there are 4 openings, and there will be 2 new coaches in the NFC North with Nagy out too.

Actually there are 6 openings ... Denver, Las Vegas (assuming they don't retain Rich Bisaccia), Chicago, Jacksonville, Miami and Minnesota.

For me, it's a "no" for Flores. I want no former Belichick assistants. They never work out.

[cogitator]

Anyone have a favorite replacement candidate for head coach? The chatter in Denver is Dan Quinn is the leading candidate to replace Fangio. I wonder if Flores will be considered, or if he needs a rehab year off. Seems like he had Miami playing pretty well.

So far there are 4 openings, and there will be 2 new coaches in the NFC North with Nagy out too.

Actually there are 6 openings ... Denver, Las Vegas (assuming they don't retain Rich Bisaccia), Chicago, Jacksonville, Miami and Minnesota.

For me, it's a "no" for Flores. I want no former Belichick assistants. They never work out.

Forgot about those two. Meyer anyone? (ha, not a chance) Doug Pederson is out there, I remember when he was fired a lot of people figured it was because the the Eagles owner was a flake rather than Pederson being a bad coach.

[J. Kapp 11]

Actually there are 6 openings ... Denver, Las Vegas (assuming they don't retain Rich Bisaccia), Chicago, Jacksonville, Miami and Minnesota.

For me, it's a "no" for Flores. I want no former Belichick assistants. They never work out.

Forgot about those two. Meyer anyone? (ha, not a chance) Doug Pederson is out there, I remember when he was fired a lot of people figured it was because the the Eagles owner was a flake rather than Pederson being a bad coach.

I'm on board with at least looking into Doug Pederson. He talks openly about the head coach/quarterback relationship being the most important factor in building a Super Bowl team. What a breath of fresh air THAT would be.

And yes, the situation in Philly with ownership and the front office was an absolute mess. My opinion is that Pederson winning a Super Bowl in such madness was quite a feat.