Five weeks into the season and Green Bay Packers fans are scrambling.
Coming off a shocking upset in London to the New York Giants, the three-time defending NFC North champion Packers (3-2) are behind the Minnesota Vikings (4-1) in the division standings.
The 27-22 loss to the Giants has left Green Bay fans reeling with pleas for the team to fire defensive coordinator Joe Barry and hire one of the most respected defensive minds in the league, former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.
Packers Fans Call for Team to Hire Mike Zimmer
Packers fans took to Twitter following Sunday’s loss to New York, an embarrassment for Green Bay that resulted in the most-watched London game ever with 5.5 million viewers reached.
The pleas to hire Zimmer have come with the recent news that former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who was also fired last season, was hired as a defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This might be my finest suggestion EVER,” one fan tweeted. “The Green Bay Packers should fire Joe Barry and hire Mike Zimmer. You know who agrees with me.. 1000%…Aaron Rodgers. It will not happen because Chris McIntosh is not in charge.”
This might be my finest suggestion EVER. The Green Bay Packers should fire Joe Barry and hire Mike Zimmer.
You know who agrees with me..1000%…Aaron Rodgers. It will not happen because Chris McIntosh is not in charge.
“Two words to fix defense. Mike Zimmer,” another fan tweeted.
“Joe Barry, it turns out, is not the answer. Cut ties and go get Zimmer or [Vic] Fangio. Do it now, don’t waste this talented roster. #Packers #GoPackGo,” another fan tweeted.
While Zimmer isn’t exactly sitting on a couch as an analyst for Jackson State, the point remains with this fan.
The Packers defense hasn’t even played that poorly, ranking 11th in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed. However, they haven’t faced a top-10 offense, other than the Vikings, who rank 10th in yards, yet this season.
But the point remains that fans are fed up with Barry and have Zimmer atop their wishlist.
“zimmer is underrated.. packers gotta make a move on him.. those blitz packages are crazy” one fan tweeted.
@Soren_Sodergren @packers @coreybehnke @hooltras1944 @IKE_Packers @AndyHermanNFL @CoachMLaFleur zimmer is underrated.. packers gotta make a move on him.. those blitz packages are crazy..
Kevin O’Connell is Getting More Out of the Vikings Than Mike Zimmer
While Packers fans continue to call for the mutiny of Barry and the onboarding of Zimmer, Vikings fans are reveling in the team’s best start since 2016.
While Minnesota has been here before, only to watch things fall apart later, Vikings fans can find solace in the fact the team is winning games and making plays when they needed.
Should they have crushed the Chicago Bears after taking an 18-point lead by the second quarter? Sure. But in their past three games, the defense has made stops late and the offense has converted in the clutch.
There’s plenty to be improved upon just five weeks into a new scheme, culture and philosophy under Kevin O’Connell.
The last two seasons, the Vikings got out to poor starts and had to claw their way into playoff contention. It felt like they were fighting themselves just as much as they were fighting the other teams.
But this year’s Vikings are, at the very least, fighting for each other.
Clinching their last three wins with fourth-quarter comebacks, the Vikings haven’t helped their fans’ blood pressure.
But they are helping each other, and learning along the way while winning is a recipe for future success.
“If you can learn while you’re winning, that’s pretty awesome. It doesn’t happen all the time. I think that kind of shows you how good we can be. We’re just scratching the surface,” Harrison Smith said in an October 8 postgame interview. “We need to get better but we’re going to savor these wins. They’re hard to come by. Look around the league every week. Stuff happens that you don’t think should happen. It’s just how it works.”
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Vikings Rival Fans Call for Mike Zimmer Revenge Hire