You are correct, at least in my humble opinion.losperros wrote: I agree. I think Zimmer is a top notch defensive coach. However, as a Head Coach he has lacked vision for the offense, which has been a big disappointment since he took over.
I think it's possible Shurmur may actually have a sensible scheme this particular offense can use (if they repair the OL - a big IF). It seems Zimmer is on board and he claims to share Shurmur's vision, so perhaps we'll see the offense moving the ball and putting more points on the board. I sure hope so.
I think Mike Zimmer learned the hard way that his total trust in Norv Turner was misplaced. Turner was still living in the Glory Days of 1995, and constantly tried to put square pegs into round holes as a result. I'm guessing Zimmer kept him around because of their long history together, but when the offensive ineptitude made it apparent that a talented roster might blow apart at the seams, Zimmer finally put pragmatism ahead of friendship. I could imagine a conversation along the lines of, "Your system is failing in epic ways ... make serious changes or walk." Norv walked. (Purely speculative, of course.)
Defensively, Zimmer has shown that he can grow and adapt to compete against the NFL's ever-changing offensive systems. My hope is that Zimmer can adapt as a head coach, as well. Let's see what happens with Shurmur in charge. I'm cautiously optimistic. Despite being forced to run an adjusted version of Norv's system, and despite playing with an inept offensive line, the Vikings made marginal gains offensively after Shurmur took over. My hope is for a bigger step forward with Shurmur having an entire offseason to install his own system.