07-30-2017, 09:55 PM
Mike Zimmer's random game simulations aim to help Vikings in clutchRandom simulated game situations have become more common at Vikings practices as Zimmer tries different teaching tools to improve his team’s "clutch gene."
MANKATO — Mike Zimmer ordered his Vikings offense to its own 2-yard line.
“Make them punt the ball!” Zimmer said to his defense.
In this situation Zimmer concocted — or rather copied from previous NFL games during a summer study of his — the offense had a two-point lead and looked to run the clock out in the fourth quarter while backed up to its own end zone.
“If we gave up a safety, we’d be in trouble,” center Nick Easton said.
The defense needed to get a stop. Eager to thwart the run on third-and-1, defenders bit hard on Bradford’s play-action handoff to Cook.
Then Bradford found Kyle Rudolph over the top on a 25-yard strike down the left hash marks. Rudolph likely would’ve scored a 90-yard touchdown past safeties Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo.
“The defense is not doing well right now,” Smith said after the play. “It was a good play call, honestly. We should still be able to cover everything now matter what the play call is. That was a good one there and we just got to tighten it up a little bit.”
Random simulated game situations have become more common at Vikings practices as Zimmer tries different teaching tools to improve his team’s ‘clutch gene,’ if you will. This comes after the Vikings lost a handful of close games in a 3-8 skid that soured a 5-0 start.
Each practice provides a new setting from Zimmer’s list...
http://www.startribune.com/how-mike-zimm...437481693/
