The Vikings 9th Head Coach is...

[Orion]

I think we finally have a coach that will win a super bowl.

[Mothman]

That's one difference. The other is that decision appears, at least at the outset, to be a favorable one. And I'm understating my enthusiasm with that word.

Honestly, Jim, this team has a lot of holes, but I think we just filled a gaping one with a guy who can fill a lot of other holes (by motivating good players to become great ones, by inspiring potential free agents to come, and by significantly upgrading the strategizing on one side of the football).

I hope you're right.

He does, of course, need to bring in a great OC. And we need to do well in selecting talent going forward. But this is the happiest I've felt about personnel acquisition in years.

That's one of the areas I'm uncertain about. I haven't read enough to know how much input Zimmer may have had into the personnel acquisitions the Bengals made while he was there. I assume he had input but how much? What sort of offensive philosophy will he have? How much of a voice will he have in personnel acquisition for the Vikings?

I'm neutral-but-openminded regarding this signing. I like Zimmer's resumé as a defensive coordinator and I'm hoping he'll have what it takes to be a terrific head coach but as we all know, being good at the former offers no guarantee of quality as the latter and I'm not among those who think a fiery personality makes a bit of difference. Right now, I'm just hoping for the best...

[Eli]

I'm neutral-but-openminded regarding this signing. I like Zimmer's resumé as a defensive coordinator and I'm hoping he'll have what it takes to be a terrific head coach but as we all know, being good at the former offers no guarantee of quality as the latter and I'm not among those who think a fiery possibility makes a bit of difference. Right now, I'm just hoping for the best...

Yeah, the whole fiery personality thing is cross your fingers and flip a coin. It works for some guys, but others accomplish nothing more than getting under everyone's skin. We don't have to go back very far and look at Mike Singletary's head coaching career. He also had a fiery personality, and it wasn't pretty.

Hopefully this hiring works out a little better.

[purpletinted66]

The Lions hired their new head coach before the Vikings. The Vikings only got their pick in ahead of the Browns, which is far and away looking like the worst head coaching job in the NFL. At least two candidates have already pulled their names out of consideration for that job.

but they are the Browns of Cleveland, not career low wage workers who get no mandatory sabbath days weeks nor years....

here's to Z's snake eating the other snakes and becoming a rod in the hand of a lawful man!

[Mothman]

http://nfl.si.com/2014/01/15/mike-zimme ... ?eref=sihp

Thanks for the link. This was interesting too:

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Vikings interviewed Zimmer over the last couple of days and didn’t let him leave before agreeing to a deal, even though they had plans in place to have second interviews with other candidates.

I'm betting Parcells endorsement had something to do with this hiring since Zygi is known to be a big Parcells fan. I wouldn't be surprised if Zimmer broke out a few good Parcells stories during his second interview yesterday to help seal the deal.

Zimmer: "Zygi, I know it's been a long day but before we go home, I have one more story to tell you about Bill..."
Zygi to Spielman as soon as Zimmer left: "Hire that man!"

[psjordan]

I hope you're right ...That's one of the areas I'm uncertain about...I'm neutral-but-openminded regarding this signing ... I'm hoping he'll have what it takes to be a terrific head coach ... Right now, I'm just hoping for the best...

Geez loweez James. If you were in front of my I'd slap you silly, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

There are a LOT of reasons to be optimistic with this hire and I am hoping you find a few to grab on to. No one on the planet knows whether Zimmer will work out well for the Vikes or not. I don't want to go all "Dean Wormer" on you, but "pessimistically neutral" is no way to go through life son!!! Grab on and be positive!

[Captain]

Maybe its just me but I've become jaded by all these coaching searches and hires the last few times. (I wonder if this i show the browns fans feel all the time? ) I'm happy for the guy. Welcome to the Vikings family. Now don't screw it up!

[smoothoperator]

@AdamSchefter Vikings have requested and received permission to interview Browns OC Norv Turner for Minnesota OC job, per source.

[Mothman]

Geez loweez James. If you were in front of my I'd slap you silly, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

There are a LOT of reasons to be optimistic with this hire and I am hoping you find a few to grab on to. No one on the planet knows whether Zimmer will work out well for the Vikes or not. I don't want to go all "Dean Wormer" on you, but "pessimistically neutral" is no way to go through life son!!! Grab on and be positive!

I didn't say I was pessimistically neutral, just neutral and openminded.

I'm generally optimistic so I understand the virtues of being positive. I see reasons to be enthused about this hiring and reasons to doubt whether it will make the difference people clearly believe it will make. Sorry, I just don't share the unbridled enthusiasm that's racing through the board right now. I wish I did but I'm not sitting here being pessimistic and saying this won't work out or that it's a bad move. I'm just in "wait and see" mode.

[Eli]

There are a LOT of reasons to be optimistic with this hire and I am hoping you find a few to grab on to. No one on the planet knows whether Zimmer will work out well for the Vikes or not.

There may be reasons, but that second sentence certainly doesn't elicit much optimism.

[Texas Vike]

I didn't say I was pessimistically neutral, just neutral and openminded.

I'm generally optimistic so I understand the virtues of being positive. I see reasons to be enthused about this hiring and reasons to doubt whether it will make the difference people clearly believe it will make. Sorry, I just don't share the unbridled enthusiasm that's racing through the board right now. I wish I did but I'm not sitting here being pessimistic and saying this won't work out or that it's a bad move. I'm just in "wait and see" mode.

Jim, you are, far and away, the most circumspect and measured poster on this board, so this approach with Zimmer only makes sense. The excitement is due in part to the novelty, fresh air shall blow through Winter Park! But I think the optimism is well founded. At the very least, I approve of the more deliberate approach they took this time and I think Zimmer has a decent shot at improving our team significantly.

[psjordan]

I'm just in "wait and see" mode.

I don't want to pick nits, but "lack of optimism" is seen by many as pessimism. But I am hoping you will see positive signs as time unfolds.

I am with Dan, quite excited and very optimistic, most I've been in a long time for this team. This does not mean I see any guarantees, I simply see a very good probability of improvement over the recent past.

[frosted]

There may be reasons, but that second sentence certainly doesn't elicit much optimism.

Nobody in the planet really knows anything about anything that hasn't already happened yet. We must be pessimistic about all things, lest we are mistaken.

[Webbfann]

Best news I've heard since Ponder sold his Minnesota house recently. Let the post-Frazier post-Ponder era begin. And it better begin with the hiring of a first rate OC. Well, right after Musgrave is shown the door.

[Eli]

I hope the Wilfs know what they're getting into. I think if Zimmer was our coach this year, we wouldn't be getting company line answers about Ponder and Freeman.

We'll see. Those company line answers are every head coach's defense mechanism. I suspect that if Zimmer finds himself 1-7 in the future that he may voice his frustration more than Frazier did, but we won't get any more answers about what's going on behind the scenes.