Mike Zimmer has Vikings on track for success
With Mike Zimmer, change has come to the Minnesota Vikings. He is responsible for turning around one of the worst teams of the last decade and should largely be attributed for the team’s recent success. Zimmer took a 5-11 squad and in just two years had transformed them into an 11-5 competitor.
Zimmer took over head coaching duties of the Vikings in 2014 and by the time the 2015 season was over, they had won their first division title since 2009; earning themselves a playoff berth in the process. Zimmer has taken this team from the cellar of not only the NFC North, but the NFL as a whole, to legitimate Super Bowl contenders in just a few short years.
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The next step for Zimmer and the Vikings is to join the league’s elite and become perennial playoff attendees. He has established an atmosphere that breeds success and from that success comes winning. Under Zimmer, the Vikings have proven themselves as a superior team on the rise. He has built the Vikings into a strong, reliable franchise capable of competing with the league’s top contenders.
The Vikings appear certain to reign as back-to-back NFC North Division Champions. Given their schedule, it is not out of the realm of possibility for them to have it decided by a two or three game margin and locked up weeks in advance. With the guidance of coach Zimmer, the Vikings are on their way to being the most dominant team in the division and supplanting the reeling Green Bay Packers two years in a row.
They have progressed each year under the tutelage of Zimmer. He can establish the Vikings as an elite franchise by holding court over the NFC North and by at least advancing to second round of the playoffs. To accomplish this the Vikings will have to prove the defense actually has improved against the run, the offensive line has gotten deeper and that they can get greater production from the quarterback position.
For Zimmer and the Vikings, the path to establishing themselves won’t be without its trials and tribulations. Teams are not going to just roll over because the Vikings got better; this is the NFL after all. This year there are several must win games for this team if they’re going to prove they are among the league’s best and that they have progressed beyond the limitations of last year.
Two of the biggest games for the Vikings obviously come against the Green Bay Packers. If they are to win the NFC North again, it first starts with beating the Packers at home in week two, in what will be the Vikings very first regular season game to debut in U.S. Bank Stadium. Their next contest with the Packers will come in Green Bay on Christmas Eve. Nothing would be more convincing for the Vikings to prove they are an elite powerhouse than a regular season sweep of the Packers.
The Vikings also need to prove themselves against elite competition, something which they failed to do last year. They need to win at least two of four between the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, if they are going to be taken serious as legitimate contenders, proving they belong. Getting a win against the defending NFC Champions would be a major boost to their resume and credibility.
If Zimmer and the Vikings are going to accomplish the task of legitimacy, they are going to have to improve upon their 2015 campaign. For most teams an 11-5 record with a trip to the playoffs would be considered a successful season. For Zimmer it is merely a step in the right direction of where they are ultimately headed.
The offense, and in particular the passing game, is in need of vast improvement, especially after ranking near the bottom of the NFL last season. Teddy Bridgewater will have to play better and pick up his production after averaging less passing yards per game than 30 other quarterbacks. He is going to have to show that he is capable of more than just quietly checking down.
If Bridgewater is to grow, the Vikings’ offense cannot continue to rely solely on Adrian Peterson and the running game for production. For this team to be more respectable in the passing game, they need to take more downfield risks and stretch the field vertically. Doing this is going to keep defenses honest, forcing them to respect the pass and keep defenses from loading the box. With the improvements made to the offensive line and the addition of Laquon Treadwell, there are no excuses for Bridgewater and the offense not to perform.
In order for this team to prove their mettle, they are going to have to show more consistency as a unit and find ways to stay healthy. Throughout Zimmer’s tenure, the Vikings have struggled with injuries on both sides of the ball. Despite all the injuries amassed last year, they still managed to come up with a winning record and a playoff berth.
The absence of key players, lost to injury, played a huge impact on the Vikings’ seasons over the past decade and helped attribute to many of their losses. Too many times they found themselves having to rely on backups and unproven guys in key game situations, only to ultimately be marred by inconsistent play.
Had the Vikings been healthy and gotten better play from their quarterback, they could have easily won an additional two or three games during the regular season last year. There is no telling how far they would have gone in the postseason; perhaps all the way to the Super Bowl. If the team can remain healthy in 2016, the Vikings should be a much more consistent unit and not drop meaningful games in disappointing fashion. To be considered an elite contender, the Vikings will have to be more consistent.
Zimmer and the Vikings should be on their way to earning a first round bye in the playoffs this year. Looking ahead at their schedule, that is more than a possibility for this talented group. They should have little trouble duplicating last year’s success and should actually be able to improve their record to 13 or 14 wins this season.
For this team to be taken seriously, they will need to win consistently in the playoffs. Once Zimmer and the Vikings have cleared that hurdle, they will have established themselves as one of the most bonafide Super Bowl contenders in the league.
– Miles Dittberner, is a Managing Editor at cover32 and covers the Minnesota Vikings. Like, follow and upvote vikings32 on on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit.
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