The Essential Characteristic for Minnesota’s 2022 Head Coach
K. Joudry
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Go back and re-read the title. I’m not necessarily saying that Mike Zimmer is a goner – though I do believe he ends up moving on and/or getting fired – I’m saying that Minnesota’s head coach for the 2022 needs to have certain attributes. Perhaps it’ll be Zim who is the 2022 head coach; perhaps it’s someone else.
I’ve been thinking about this topic for a little while now. There are tons of coaches who can scheme up brilliant play designs (see: DeFilippo, John). There are far less who can actually lead a team effectively. To my mind, great leadership is the central characteristic that a head coach needs to have. Admittedly, that’s a somewhat vague term, so I’ll clarify a little bit about what I mean.
A great leader – at least within the context of coaching a football team – will be able to secure buy-in from his players, motivating them to fulfill their on and off-field responsibilities to the best of their abilities. This person will establish a clear vision for the franchise, fulfilling the vision by securing the aforementioned buy-in. It’s that ability to motivate that is central. It’s also crucial to be continually putting the team’s overall health (see: Belichick, Bill) above loyalty to individuals. NFL football thrives on competition. There must be the continual urge to improve, a borderline compulsion that becomes the lifeblood of that motivation.
Over at The Athletic, Sheil Kapadia put together a letter to NFL owners for how they ought to identify their next head coach. His #1 attribute, reasonably enough, is leadership. Here is a little bit of what he has to say:
There’s no perfect way to define leadership in this context. Authenticity definitely matters. Players can spot a phony from miles away. Consistency matters too. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs. An even temperament can be valuable. It usually means the coach is process-oriented, and that should trickle down to everyone else. Volatility can wear on people.
Kapadia goes on to identify the importance of having someone who can connect with the players, can be open-minded, and several other items in his 10-point list. It’s that opening one that is the most foundational, though.
Mike Zimmer, to my mind at least, is a good leader. There comes a point, though, when it becomes time for a new voice to lead. It’s likely Minnesota finds itself in that precise scenario.
There are several intriguing names making the rounds in the media. Minnesota’s next head coach may be among these top candidates, or perhaps they make an outside-of-the-box move. Regardless, they’ll need to find someone capable of taking on a weary, disgruntled fan base. Pursuing success in Minnesota is no easy task. Someday, the team will hire a coach capable of snagging that elusive Lombardi.
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