Deion Sanders Suggests Things Got Bad Between Zim, Spielman
K. Joudry
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By the end of their tenure in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman ensured the Minnesota Vikings were a kingdom divided against itself.
In Matthew 12, Jesus has yet another showdown with the Pharisees (the antagonists throughout the Gospels). The issue resides in Christ’s ability to heal a demon-possessed man. The Pharisees insist that Jesus possessed this power because he was, in a sense, possessed. Their claim is that Jesus is gaining his power from Beelzebub. How does Jesus respond to this accusation? Take a look for yourself: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”
Jesus, quite evidently, is concerned about spiritual matters and not NFL football, but there is a lasting takeaway for us. If we can trust what Deion Sanders is saying, things got bad for the Vikings’ two main leaders. The Vikings were a kingdom divided.
Sanders claims that Zimmer and Spielman “hadn’t spoken in months” and that their relationship was in “a downward spiral.” Obviously, it’s hard to maintain a franchise’s health if two of the most important leaders aren’t in a good spot.
The reasons for this friction – assuming Sanders is correct – is likely multiple. For the most part, I think Spielman did a nice job of molding the roster into what Zimmer wanted. This past offseason featured a fresh infusion of defensive talent. Pulling that off meant borrowing from future years to make the numbers work in the short term. Would Spielman really go through all that trouble to retain Anthony Barr and then sign Patrick Peterson, Sheldon Richardson, Mackensie Alexander, Bashaud Breeland, and Dalvin Tomlinson unless he was respecting what Zimmer was telling him? Likely not.
Now, things can change over the course of the season. The team underpeformed in a significant way. What was so discouraging about that is that it was primarily the defense that let the team down. Fans can and should be critical of the offense for their ineptitude at various stages, and yet the numbers don’t lie. The Vikings were 30th in yards allowed per game. They ranked 24th in points allowed. Most troubling of all was that the run defense was horrendous all season. It was an embarrassing reality for an old-school defensive coach.
I don’t think Zimmer and Spielman are bad their jobs. I do think that the Vikings became a bad team, largely because of being a kingdom divided against itself. The NFL is ultra competitive; it’s hard to overcome this competition when their is internal discord and strife.
Moving forward, the Vikings need to ensure their new top two are aligned in their perspective. It’s best to avoid complete uniformity in thought. A little friction is positive, but it’s a fine line. Hire a pair who can sharpen one another, not work against one another.
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