Mike Zimmer Isn’t Looking Too Shabby
The NFL, the league where Mike Zimmer found employment for a long time, is down to four teams: the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots in the AFC alongside the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC. Is it a coincidence that these four teams all finished in the top half of the NFL for rushing yards? And what of the tremendous defenses for each team?
Mike Zimmer was a long-time defensive coordinator before finally getting his shot to be an NFL head coach when the Vikings leaned on him from 2014 through to 2021. The eight years didn’t deliver the ultimate prize — that elusive Lombardi — but Coach Zimmer led Minnesota to the NFC Championship while also winning a playoff game in 2019. Are his ideas fashionable again?
The Mike Zimmer Strategy in the NFL
Run the ball and play great defense. When needed, the quarterback needs to do what only a quarterback can do: an unusual amount of heavy lifting to go win a game. Otherwise, lean on that old fashioned strategy that does have a pile of merit.
The NFL, a passing league, becomes more difficult without balance. A team that only boasts a potent passing attack — think back to the 2022 Vikings that got beat by the Giants in the playoffs — can get shutdown once the games get difficult in the final tournament. Wise teams cultivate multiple strategies to overcome an opponent.
So, Coach Zimmer demonstrated some wisdom within his proclamations about the merit of complementary football that’s built around elite defense and ferocious running.
Just consider some of the basic statistics for the four teams that haven’t yet been knocked down. The fine folks at Pro Football Reference with the info:
| Team | Defensive Points Ranking | Rushing Yards Ranking |
| Broncos | 3rd — 18.3 PPG | 16th — 119 YPG |
| Patriots | 4th — 18.8 PPG | 6th — 129 YPG |
| Rams | 10th — 20.4 PPG | 7th — 127 YPG |
| Seahawks | 1st — 17.2 PPG | 10th — 123 YPG |
In particular, there’s the effort that Seattle has put together, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.
Sam Darnold, the passer inspiring tons of envy among Vikings fans, played what was a mostly modest game when securing a huge win over San Francisco last week. He went 12/17 for 124 yards and 1 touchdown while getting sacked a pair of times. Not exactly vintage Tom Brady.
Aiding Mr. Darnold was running back Kenneth Walker III, someone who turned his 19 carries into 116 yards and 3 touchdowns. Consider, as well, that the special teams chipped in with a return touchdown, further lessening the load on the QB1.
Mike Zimmer would have stepped away from that Seattle victory very pleased.
In reality, the Vikings don’t need to wholly adopt the Mike Zimmer ethos moving forward. What is needed, however, is a commitment to balance that makes Minnesota multifaceted in its attack. Oh, and retaining Brian Flores to keep that defense playing at a high level would help, too.
