Getty Former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has had it.
The faithful Minnesota native is tired of floundering in mediocrity.
And after arguably one of the most poorly managed games in his stead with his home state Vikings, Thielen did not mince words.
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Thielen: ‘You Shouldn’t Be a Coach If You Aren’t Frustrated’
Following the Vikings’ 20-16 loss on Sunday Night Football to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, Thielen was asked about the team’s frustration due to not fulfilling its potential this season.
Here’s his response with the question asked verbatim for context:
Q: Is there just high frustration, Adam? You have talent, obviously, all around the field. The potential is there for this group to do more.
Thielen: Yeah, I would say if you aren’t frustrated, there’s something wrong with you and you shouldn’t be on this team. You shouldn’t be a coach if you aren’t frustrated. We want to win. We want to put in the effort. We do put the effort in week-to-week, every single day at practice, we have the guys, the quality guys, the good football players on this team to do it. So if you’re not frustrated there’s something wrong. We have to find a way.
There has been speculation surrounding the target of Thielen’s mention of a “coach” and whether it’s a direct attack on Mike Zimmer. Zimmer has been relatively calm in his postgame press conferences after developing a reputation as a surly interviewee. However, Thielen’s comments could be a broader generalization across the entire team.
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Zimmer Responds
A media member shared Thielen’s statement with Zimmer in his postgame press conference, asking how to handle that frustration.
“I think there needs to be some time to think about it, kind of figure out what we need to do from here,” Zimmer said. “This was a tough loss tonight. We had a good crowd. It was loud. Home primetime game. We had plenty of opportunities to win that football game and we didn’t do it.”
Zimmer appeared relatively poised in the press conference despite the mounting pressure for this team to make the playoffs and his job security in question.
While many of the Vikings’ poor decisions on Sunday could be passed down the line, there was one instance Zimmer had to own. Zimmer tried to call back-to-back timeouts that led to a delay of game penalty late in the fourth quarter. The penalty turned a third-and-16 into a third-and-11 that the Cowboys converted. They later scored the game-winning touchdown on that same drive.
“I screwed up,” Zimmer said. “I forgot that I called one. I knew the play that they were running, it was really the same play they hit down the middle against us for a long touchdown. And somebody said, ‘Call timeout,’ and I did. The official wasn’t supposed to grant it. It’s not his fault.”
Star Tribune sports journalist Jim Souhan wrote following Week 8 that whether Zimmer is fired or not, the team will “limp through the rest of the season,” adding that “it is an indictment of his coaching staff” — built on “nepotism” rather than talent, Souhan argued — “that there is no in-house replacement who would bring a measure of hope.”
Judging by their remaining schedule, the Vikings might be lucky to get to 8 wins. Next 3 games alone are at the Ravens and Chargers, then back home against the Packers. Woof.
Hard to know, but Thielen clearly wants to win.