The Vikings 9th Head Coach is...

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Thaaaank you. I love Greenway, but he gets a pass from most casual fans because of his high tackle count. He did not play well at all last season.

Lol you should have read my posts the past couple of years. I am a Hawkeye for life and yet, I have been extremely hard on Chad. He has not been playing good football for a couple of years now.

[Eli]

But how doesn't that relate to a head coaching vacancy? Don't you want your head coach to not be a tad fiery, a great motivator, a strategist, and can put his players in a position to succeed?

You want all of those things. I'm just pointing out the obvious - that Zimmer's demonstrated skills as a strategist have been purely on defense. Also keep in mind the fact that the Vikings last head coach also had a background as a defensive coordinator, and we saw all that did for the defensive play. The Vikings will still have a defensive coordinator and that coordinator will be putting together game plans and calling the defense. Zimmer will no doubt have a lot of input on it, but that's not going to be his job.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

You want all of those things. I'm just pointing out the obvious - that Zimmer's demonstrated skills as a strategist have been purely on defense. Also keep in mind the fact that the Vikings last head coach also had a background as a defensive coordinator, and we saw all that did for the defensive play. The Vikings will still have a defensive coordinator and that coordinator will be putting together game plans and calling the defense. Zimmer will no doubt have a lot of input on it, but that's not going to be his job.

True and fair. I don't know, I just see the defense becoming 'night and day' better with Zimmer at the helm as opposed to Lesile. Zimmer is going to bring a big cultural change to Minnesota. I think it is going to benefit our team greatly.

[PacificNorseWest]

I'm almost hoping that bringing in Zimmer will make Jared Allen want to stay. No way should they pay him market value though, so he'd have to take discount on his contract, but it was ease the pressure on needing to potentially replace him.

[PurpleScout]

There is a DE that is a FA for the Bengals right now who has already stated in a blog that he would prefer to follow Zimmer if he left rather than stay with the Bengals. Also Greg Hardy may not be resigned in Carolina. He is a better option than Jared. I have the Allen jersey but just like with Doleman when I had his....sometimes you have to know when to cut bait.

[Orion]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Even sweeter if he brings Norv Turner in. I think Zimmer is also the man to finally turn this defense around into a top NFL defense.

[PacificNorseWest]

If they can get Hardy, then heck yes. Him and Griffin would be a great start. I agree, that cutting bait is sometimes the best option. Especially at Jared's age and his decline in production.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

There is a DE that is a FA for the Bengals right now who has already stated in a blog that he would prefer to follow Zimmer if he left rather than stay with the Bengals. Also Greg Hardy may not be resigned in Carolina. He is a better option than Jared. I have the Allen jersey but just like with Doleman when I had his....sometimes you have to know when to cut bait.

Michael Johnson is the DE from Cinci you are talking about. Michael Johnson is freak. I have always wanted him in Purple since he was drafted. He had a down year this year, so hopefully his market value isn't as high. Michael Johnson and Everson Griffen on the same defense would be crazy.

[dkoby]

Love the Hire. I prefer a more animated coach and one that will hold people accountable.
I just don't see this guy allowing his OC to under utilize gifted and talented rookie players for two weeks in a row.
Accountability is everything.

[smoothoperator]

Love the Hire. I prefer a more animated coach and one that will hold people accountable.
I just don't see this guy allowing his OC to under utilize gifted and talented rookie players for two weeks in a row.
Accountability is everything.

exactly. i cannot imagine those 5 games we lost in the final minutes would have happened with zimmer under control. im guessing zimmer would light a fire under everyones #### while frazier just sat there emotionless

[mosscarter]

i agree frazier just stood there with a blank look on his face. at least look like you want to be there. give zimmer a chance the vikings ship, so to speak, has been directionless for a long time and that will be hard to change in one season. i feel like if we can somehow get 1 legit corner and 1 legit linebacker it would be a major upgrade. as far as the qb situation goes, no matter who was hired was going to have a difficult time addressing that situation. 8th is likely too late and trading up is probably too much of a risk.

[MountainGirl]

Zimmer isn't a miracle-worker. We need more talent on the defensive side of the ball.

He really does know how to get the best out of a player, but I would bet money that Bengals DE Michael Johnson, who is a free agent, will come to the Vikings if they can spend the money on him. He's already turned down a 6 year $40 million contract from the Bengals. He was franchised this year for about 10 million or so. I doubt he is franchised again.

[PurpleScout]

I would like to see us trade for the Patriots backup QB Ryan MAllett. he has had some good years learning how to be a QB under Brady and Billicheck. I think if we could get him and draft best defensive palyer at 8. I would be happy. Maybe our 3rd this year from Seattle and a 3rd next year that could become a 2nd depending on his stats. Keep Cassell for a year to learn from or at least as a backup with new system. Who knows the new OC might have his own ideas for a QB.

[Texas Vike]

Zimmer is going to bring a big cultural change to Minnesota. I think it is going to benefit our team greatly.

No more lutefisk? Ice fishing? MN Nice? Any other Scandinavian-German based habits that will be traded out for, say, Italian or Inuit or Zapotecan customs? As a scholar of culture I am intrigued!!! The mighty Zimmer brings his own zeitgeist!

(Just giving you a hard time , I knew what you meant, and I'm stoked for the hire too )

[DanAS]

I'm listening to KFAN right now and Judd Zulgad was just pointing out that Zygi essentially hired the first coach he met with again. I thought was an amusing observation but the difference, of course, is that Spielman interviewed several candidates first.

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). 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.