The Viking Linebackers, Speed and Power and Adam Zimmer
JCarrier
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Adam Zimmer is more than the Vikings’ head coach’s son. This is his 20th season as a coach in the NFL. He is the son and grandson of two football coaches, his family is football. He played college football before beginning his career in coaching. He was a linebackers coach for several years for the New Orleans Saints including when they went to the Super Bowl. He spent another several years as a linebacker coach for the Kansas City Chiefs before joining his dad, Mike Zimmer, in Cincinnati as a DB coach and then came with him to the Vikings to be the linebacker coach.
This year in addition to linebacker coach he has the added title of Defensive Coordinator a duty he’ll share with Andre Patterson. He knows linebackers like his father knows defensive backs. The Vikings selected Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks in part because of Adam Zimmer and he has coached both to become Pro Bowl players. Tamba Hall and Derrick Johnson became Pro Bowl players under his guidance in Kansas City.
He is not just good with high draft picks. Eric Wilson an undrafted free agent was coached up to become a starter worth a second round tender and fourth round pick Ben Gedeon became a starter in his first year.
LB Troy Dye is the Vikings fourth round draft pick. It was Adam’s pick. This was his guy in this draft. He is very high on him and thinks he can be a really good linebacker. Considering his 20 year coaching career and his success with linebackers you’d have to believe him. Like Barr and Kendricks, Dye has speed and power and now has a professional coach to get him to the next level. There is every indication he will be good.
The Viking linebacker corps now includes Barr, Kendricks, Wilson, Gedeon, last year’s pick Cameron Smith, this year’s pick Troy Dye, first year free agent DeMarquis Gates, and undrafted free agents Jordan Fehr and Blake Lynch. The Vikings have one of the best linebacker corps in the NFL. They have speed and power and a coach to get them to the next level.