All the talk is now focused on former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and the toxic culture he influenced in his final days. People were talking, and almost all that was being said painted Zimmer not in a flattering light.
Longtime NFL fullback Terance Newman played under Zimmer in Minnesota for three years. Newman was part of the 2017 squad that made it to the NFC championship game, losing to the Eagles.
“It becomes toxic,” Newman said To go Long Tyler Dunne. “It’s a trickling effect. If the players are scared to be eliminated and walk away like that, it will be a long day for everyone. After the ’17 season, Newman joined the “defensive” coaching staff. Newman spoke specifically about what it was like dealing with Zimmer during his tenure.
Newman also said countless players were “scared to work” in Zimmer’s final years because of the joy that was withdrawn from the organization.
An anonymous former “coordinator” predicts immediate success from the new regime led by Kevin O’Connell. This anonymous assistant is gone therefore as far as tell Dunne that is because “the devil is gone. Satan out of the building”.
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Upon hearing these accounts and rumors that have circulated since Minnesota let Zimmer go In the off-season, it looks like the past few years have been mostly miserables around the Viking base.
Like anything else, there are many sides to any story. Not everyone feels like Newman, this unnamed assistant coach, and apparently many players. Adam Patrick, the team curator for “The Viking Age,” feels these are no different than works that hit Zimmer.
“I wonder why people like Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Linval Joseph or Kyle Rudolph are never interviewed for these Mike Zimmer hits? Hmmm… Never mind, they could really say something good about him, and we wouldn’t want that to happen, obviously.”
It may have something to do with what Patrick mentioned in his Twitter post. I’m sure some guys like Zimmer and don’t take his behavior seriously. But just because a few players are okay with what feels like old-fashioned coaching doesn’t mean everyone will. Obviously, many players feel the dressing room and worshipurea of the group has become toxic. After eight years and very little success, once things are as toxic as they are, it’s time to move on.
Like most franchises, Minnesota went in the opposite direction with O’Connell. Zimmer is a typical tough defensive play coach. O’Connell was offensive-minded and felt like a player’s coach from an early age. He has not coached a regular game in any season, but there have been high expectations for what he can do with this team. At the very least, he will need to rebuild a positive culture and make people forget the last days of the Mike Zimmer era.
