Mike Zimmer is going nowhere, and anybody who thinks he should be on his way out obviously became a Vikings fan only after he took over.
Zimmer took a poor defense and turned them into a Super Bowl caliber defense within a few years. It has actually been an amazing thing to see transform and play Coach Zimmer’s style. Before Zimmer, the Vikings’ defense was a last-place unit. Zimmer has since led the Vikings to two division wins, once even putting them in a position where they were just minutes away from a Super Bowl appearance.
Zimmer will be the Vikings’ coach for now.
As a fan you have to wonder, though: will the fans, players, and owners remain confident in their head coach? It’s easy to say Mike Zimmer is a very good coach, and, if you ask a Vikings fan, a top coach in the NFL. But losing has a snowball effect, and if something similar to last year takes place, someone will take the blame, and unfortunately, in most situations, the head coach is the one that gets chopped. This thought makes much more sense when you see the current make up of the Vikings coaching staff.
Right now the Vikings are made up of Mike Zimmer, Kevin Stefanski, and Gary Kubiak. The pieces have already been put into place for a somewhat smooth transition from coach to coach. You don’t give a former Super Bowl champion coach in Gary Kubiak the assistant head coach and offensive advisor role without having a backup plan if the whole thing goes south.
Not only did the Vikings bring in Gary Kubiak, but they brought in his posse as well. His son, Klint Kubiak, will serve as the quarterbacks coach; Brian Pariani will serve as the tight ends coach; Rick Dennison be in charge of the offensive line.
It’s tough to admit, when the Kubiak reunion is in full effect, that there isn’t a plan if the Vikings don’t come out on all cylinders this upcoming season.
For now, the conspiracy theory will have to remain just that: a theory, because Mike Zimmer is the coach, and will remain the coach.
If Zimmer wins the Super bowl, burn this theory, throw it away, bury it six feet deep. But, if the tides turn for even just a second, “The Gary Kubiak Project” will be a go.
