Resilient Vikings have taken their cue from Zimmer
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. » Mike Zimmer was already smiling more than usual, sporting a relaxed look of satisfaction rarely revealed in public during the NFL season, when he really let his guard down a few minutes into his postgame news conference deep inside Minnesota’s still-buzzing stadium.
“Hey, let’s open these things up!” Zimmer blurted out mid-sentence, prodding a Vikings official to push the button that removes the window shades and allows the premium ticket-holders in an adjacent lounge to peer in the room. His wish to interact with the customers who cheered the Vikings on to a lastplay divisional round victory was granted.
Zimmer then proceeded to slowly and rhythmically clap above his head, dignifying the ritual “Skol” chant performed by the purple-clad fans at each game honoring the area’s Scandinavian heritage and the team’s nickname.
“You deserve it!” Zimmer said, again interrupting his own answer to acknowledge the crowd.
From peers around the league to players in the locker room to people up and down the organization, there’s a strong sentiment that Zimmer has earned this, too, pulling within one win of a Super Bowl appearance.
The way the Vikings finished their 29-24 victory over New Orleans on a 61-yard TD pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs suggested they’re on some kind of charmed path, uncharted territory for this championship-deprived franchise. Zimmer, for his part, has experienced his own share of painful setbacks.
“I just think he was so proud of us,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “Proud of us for fighting until there were zeros on the clock.”
Zimmer is only here, preparing the Vikings for the NFC title game in Philadelphia on Sunday, because he himself resisted the urge to quit.
After being passed over for so many head coach vacancies during a six-year run as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator, Zimmer nearly canceled a second interview in Minnesota in 2014 after a different team that considered him chose a different candidate. He ignored the discouragement in his head, instead accepting the offer to become the ninth head coach in team history at age 57.
“Sometimes you wonder, but I have a lot of confidence in myself,” Zimmer said at his introductory news conference. “I feel like I was destined to do this.”