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Mr. Ed -> RE: Vikes talk for Twins Fans (9/27/2016 10:18:38 AM)
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What Zimmer has done in Minnesota has been Patriots-esque, to the point that “Do Your Job” is a phrase commonly uttered around the Vikings’ Winter Park headquarters.
The identity that Zimmer wanted to establish when he took over the team in 2014 started with the simple idea that winning is the result of playing fundamentally sound football. A deep roster and an aggressive trade for Sam Bradford helped the Vikings withstand critical personnel losses, but Zimmer’s philosophy has been the driving force behind their early-season success.
“We are going to be technicians, and we are going to do our job better than anyone else in the league,” says defensive line assistant Andre Patterson, who has coached with Zimmer at four different pro and college stops since 1988. “It doesn’t matter who is out there, your technique and doing your job is going to allow us to be successful. So when somebody goes down, and the next guy goes in, we all believe that guy is going to do things correctly. Your players don’t panic, and no one thinks, I’ve gotta make more plays because someone is missing.”
That was the message in 2014, when Peterson was suspended one game into the season following child abuse charges. (The Vikings finished 7-9, a few close losses away from the postseason.) That was the message last season when they nearly won at Arizona despite missing the anchor player at each of the three levels of their defense. (It was the last loss in an 11-5 regular season that resulted in a playoff berth.) And that was the message going into last Sunday’s game.
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/09/27/nfl-minnesota-vikings-mike-zimmer-kyle-rudolph-sam-bradford
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