Kellen Mond on Zimmer: "We never spoke. Not once."

[comet52]

There's been a lot of highly successful head coaches who have been complete douche-canoe's

Highly successful Zim is an oxymoron.  He had a good year or two before it unraveled.  Was his own worst enemy.

[supafreak84]

His adjustments were jokes after his initial seasons. Remember his corners played 5 yards off the LOS when Detroit (or others) were on our 2? This board was on FIRE over his sh*tty clock management, and the NFL had his defense figured out by 2019.

I can't agree with the post about him being "right about Coiusins"...as Kirko was setting records with JJ despite tragically bad IOL protection, and was trying to race the declining defenses' abilities to piss points away.

He was a good DC until his defenses were figured out...but, he infamously didn't talk to his offense and wouldn't do film work with Cousins until his last season. Completely unfit to be HC.

We can bust Zimmer's balls from here to eternity, but again, someone wake me up when OConnell wins a playoff game

[StickierBuns]

Zimmer, lol. Got only one HC gig because he's a red ass and never got another one again. Very good defensive coach. Ego the size of Texas. I was fine with him until I wasn't. He's not the kind of guy that has longevity in his DNA, way too much of an aggro personality.

[MaroonBells]

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Zimmer was right.  He was right about Cousins and he was right about Mond.  Neither should of ever been a Viking.  Zimmer wanted to use very little capital on a QB to run his style of offense to complement his defense. 

After so many QB failures, Spielman was giving up.  Cousins was his white flag.  Don't get me wrong, Zimmer acted like a petulant child in the end, but I believe, to this day, that the Cousins signing more so then anything else, eroded Zimmmers defense, removed the identity of the team that he had built and eventually brought about their own demise.  Zimmer was right on all of that.  My guess is, if Zimmer had his way, maybe Teddy B or Sam Bradford was back, or some other QB is selected and a lot more capital would have been poured in to the defense.  Zimmer had just been to the NFC Championship with freaking Case Keenum.  Why was Spielman not listening to him and giving him everything he wanted?

I think the Vikings go back to the NFC Championship game in 2019 if Zimmer had his way and maybe a Super Bowl.  Alas...it's all supposition now.  Just my opinion.

You're right about one thing, "it's all supposition." We have no idea who Zimmer would have placed at QB. It may have actually been worse. If it was Bridgewater or Bradford, it definitely would have been worse. Both players had career threatening injuries at the time and neither would ever be the same again. 

QBs as talented as Cousins never become available in free agency. When Cousins did, the Vikings jumped. And I'd say they were right to do so. Cousins played well in Minnesota. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 3 times while a Viking, and before you diminish the meaning of that, you might want to contemplate the kind of QB performance we got after he tore his achilles and the kind of QB performance we got this year. About as far away as you can get from Pro Bowl-level.

Did Cousins win us a Super Bowl? Nope. But just because something didn't work out the way we'd hoped does not make it a bad idea. Using that logic, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow are all busts.

[supafreak84]

Zimmer, lol. Got only one HC gig because he's a red ass and never got another one again. Very good defensive coach. Ego the size of Texas. I was fine with him until I wasn't. He's not the kind of guy that has longevity in his DNA, way too much of an aggro personality.

The fact that he was 65 and had a litany of health issues didnt help his cause in getting another job. In a league always looking to get younger, that was a losing combination and hardly surprising.

[StickierBuns]

The fact that he was 65 and had a litany of health issues didnt help his cause in getting another job. In a league always looking to get younger, that was a losing combination and hardly surprising.

That had zero to do with it.

[supafreak84]

That had zero to do with it.

Wrong. Age played a large roll. If he were 20 years younger, guaranteed he would have landed another job.

[purplefaithful]

McCarthy is 61 and just landed the Steelers HC job...I'm not convinced it's age either tbh. I mean it may have played a role, but I strongly suspect there were more important reasons he didnt ever get another hc gig (and never will.)

I think he went nuts at the end of his stint here and he couldn't shower that stench off for his interview. 

Need to remind myself the guy has lost a wife and buried a child, so too many personal tragedies in a lifetime.  I wish him good health and good memories as he spends the rest of his days at the ranch. 

Hopefully his new wife is keeping him feeling young.

[supafreak84]

McCarthy is 61 and just landed the Steelers HC job...I'm not convinced it's age either tbh. I mean it may have played a role, but I strongly suspect there were more important reasons he didnt ever get another hc gig (and never will.)

If you can win consistently, like Zimmer did, more times than not you'll get other opportunities in this league. I think the fact that he was already a "senior citizen" when he was fired had a lot to do with him not getting another chance. Like I said, if he was 20 years younger, he would have absolutely been given another job. Hell, Robert Saleh just got another job and Daboll probably gets the Bills job. Both those guys were awful and couldn't hold Zimm's jock strap when it comes to coaching. Just saying..