Even with upset of Saints in playoffs, Vikings have had season full of complications
From afar, all appears right with the Minnesota Vikings these days. They’re coming off a thrilling, upset playoff win in New Orleans and now head to Santa Clara with a shot to play in the NFC Championship game for the second time in three years.
But look closer and you’ll see a head coach unhappy with his own contract situation and who called one of his defensive player’s behavior “idiotic.” Look again and you can’t miss the star wide receiver who, after reportedly demanding a trade earlier this season, again caused a stir by throwing his helmet in disgust Sunday after not getting the ball thrown to him — even though the Vikings were winning their playoff game. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see a quarterback who’s faced year-long criticism — including some from his own coach — and who was so beaten down at one point he publicly apologized to another of his star receivers for not getting
the ball to him enough.
Then take a glimpse at a Minneapolis police report from October that will show you how a Vikings player was arrested one late night with a loaded handgun and more than two dozen rounds on the floor of the car he was accused of drunkenly driving onto a closed freeway.
And we thought Season 6 of the “Vikings” on History Channel has had drama?
These kinds of conflicts certainly weren’t in the original script for coach Mike Zimmer’s sixth season with these Vikings. The journey to the NFC divisional playoff hasn’t been a real smooth one for Minnesota, which comes into today’s game as 7-point underdogs against the 49ers. But, given all the drama the Vikings have dealt with during this ride, who says they’re not up to pulling off another plot-twisting finish this weekend?
Zimmer, who has overseen this long, strange trip, has felt disrespected along the way. During his six seasons in Minnesota, he’s led the Vikings to a 57-38-1 record that includes three postseason appearances, a pair of NFC North titles and only one losing season. Four months ago, the Vikings picked up his option for 2020 and owner Zygi Wilf recently gave Zimmer a vote of confidence, but there’s still been doubt about his long-term future with the team.
“Truth? Sometimes it bothers me,” Zimmer said last week when asked by Deion Sanders about the speculation over his job security. “I mean, we won 10 games this year. I’ve won 60 percent of my games in six years. Third winningest coach in Vikings history. And I have to listen to this crap?”
Speaking of messes, Stefon Diggs stepped into another one In New Orleans on Sunday. The speedy star who authored “The Minneapolis Miracle” in the playoffs against the Saints two years ago was this time conspicuous by his absence on the stat sheet midway through the third quarter. Facing constant double-teams, Diggs had yet to be targeted by quarterback Kirk Cousins even though the Vikings were leading 13-10 at the time. Diggs appeared frustrated enough that he threw his helmet after one drive and had to be consoled on the sideline.
Diggs, though, did compose himself enough during the game to tell Cousins not to worry about appeasing him.
But the outburst was just more of the same for the 25-year-old, who was angry about not being more involved in the offense earlier this season, reportedly prompting him to go to general manager Rick Spielman to demand a trade. “I feel like there’s truth to all rumors, no matter how you dress it up,” Diggs told reporters in October. “I can’t sit up here and act like everything is OK. It’s obviously not.”
Bear in mind, this was three months after the Vikings gave Diggs a five-year, $72 million contract extension.
For the man in Digg’s crosshairs, Cousins, the pointed criticism and doubts about his ability to carry this team have been as constant as his ability to calmly deflect those barbs. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been sensitive about what folks are thinking and saying.
Even before Diggs’ unhappiness over Cousins’ choice of passing targets, the quarterback dealt with the perception he was ignoring Adam Thielen, his other star wideout. After Thielen had one of his worst statistical games in years with two catches for six yards in a 16-6 loss to the Bears in September, Cousins felt bad enough to issue a mea culpa two days later during his weekly “Under Center” podcast.
“I really want to apologize to (Thielen), because there were too many opportunities where we could have hit him on Sunday.”
His coach, though, felt Cousins made a huge mistake by apologizing to Thielen, especially in such a public manner.
“I’m not a fan of it,” Zimmer told reporters then. “Maybe he should get off the podcast.”
Zimmer saved his harshest criticism for safety and special teams captain Jayron Kearse, who was arrested in late October and charged with five counts, including two drunken driving counts and a gross misdemeanor charge of carrying a gun without a permit. The St. Paul Pioneer Press also reported Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes was among the two passengers riding with Kearse. A report said Hughes was so intoxicated during Kearse’s arrest that he was vomiting outside the car.
It was the kind of incident synonymous with the Vikings organization before Zimmer took over in 2014. During a five-year period before Zimmer was hired the Vikings had the most player arrests in the NFL with 18.
“I’m very, very ticked off,” Zimmer told reporters then. “Since I’ve been here the last six years, I’ve worked extremely hard to clean up the reputation of this organization, this team off the field. We’ve put in a lot of resources for them to not have these kind of issues, and for them to do that is really idiotic.”
In truth, it was just another maddening part of a drama-filled season that’s somehow still rolling along.