Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer sat through two months of press conferences as members of the media became weary of the winless team.
After dropping five consecutive games, including the preseason, the Vikings picked up a resounding 30-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The win snapped the Seahawks’ seven-game winning streak over the Vikings — five of which came with Zimmer at the team’s helm.
Despite the significance of Sunday’s victory, Zimmer did not entertain any excess symbolism of the win.
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Zimmer Peeved in Press Conference
Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson asked Zimmer during Sunday’s postgame press conference, “How does it feel to finally get a win over Seattle and Russell Wilson.”
Zimmer did not let Tomasson build him up, responding simply: “It’s a win.”
But then Zimmer aired out his grievances over past questioning from Tomasson before walking out on the press conference.
“You always ask those kinds of things, and you always ask questions like ‘Well, you haven’t beat these guys in 17 years, so what do you think about this time, this time. Just ask the question. Let’s go,” Zimmer said prompting his exit from the press conference.
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Mike Zimmer loves winning. I think. Maybe he hates it. Either way, yay #Vikings
Zimmer Still Has Plenty to Prove
Despite a signature win over an NFC rival — the team that ended the Vikings season in the 2015 NFC Wild Card round — Zimmer still has plenty to prove.
The defense is far from its former glory, currently ranking 27th in yards allowed per game (409.7) and 20th in points allowed per game (26.0). The defense did hold Wilson and the Seahawks to their lowest point total in the past three meetings.
That came mainly on the legs of the offense that dominated time of possession in the second half. The Vikings possessed the ball for 20 minutes, 35 seconds, compared to the Seahawks’ 4 minutes, 54 seconds of offense in the final half.
The defense allowed just 80 passing yards in the second half and sacked Wilson twice.
“Well, they’ve got two great receivers in (DK) Metcalf and (Tyler) Lockett. We were trying to focus on those guys and trying to back them down a little bit. When Lockett went out for a little bit, then we put a lot of our concentration on Metcalf, but we just kept plugging away,” Zimmer said. They hit us on a couple boots early and a trap pass, so we kind of messed up a couple of those things, and we settled down, and I think the players did a good job of adjusting today.”
Zimmer’s biggest test so far this season lies ahead in the Kevin Stefanski-led Cleveland Browns. Facing his former offensive coordinator and one of the league’s most ball-dominant run games, Zimmer will have to once again rely on his own offense to play keep away or get his defense to win the turnover battle.
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Vikings’ Mike Zimmer Slams Media, Walks Out During Press Conference [WATCH]