Mike Zimmer: The Man Who Made It Happen
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- You could see it on the players' faces. For veterans like Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson and Brian Robison, this one meant a whole lot.
And for the coach who'd waited so long to be a head coach he thought it might never happen? You wondered how much personal satisfaction and validation he took in winning a division title in his second season on the job.
"Well I hope this is just a step, honestly," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday, a day after winning in Green Bay to clinch the NFC North. "I don't want this to be the defining moment of my career, for sure. I hope that there's a lot more on the horizon. I hope that there's a lot more things to accomplish."
For the first time since 2009, there will be a new banner going up here at Vikings headquarters. And if you're looking for a place to place the credit, it'd be hard to look anywhere other than Zimmer.
Two years ago (their final year without Zimmer), the Vikings had the worst scoring defense in the NFL -- giving up 30 points per game.
This year, they were fifth.
It was Zimmer's defense that drove the Vikings' success this season. And it was Zimmer's leadership that gave fans a title to celebrate for the first time in six years.
"People say nice things to me," Zimmer said when asked if he has a good grasp on how much fans appreciate what he's done for the franchise. Then he shrugged. "But if we lose to Seattle, it might change."
Ah yes, the same Seattle team that throttled the Vikings 38-7 just four weeks ago. But Zimmer says something has changed since then – his team's mentality.
"I think you can just tell how we're playing," Zimmer said. "I think if you watch us play…. it just looks different to me."
What does he think caused that?
"I think they figured out how they have to play," Zimmer answered.
But make no mistake, how Zimmer coaches has a lot to do with that. That mentality comes from him. And it is?
"We haven't earned anything, really," he said. "We have to go out and take it."