After Dan Quinn was hired as the head coach of the Washington Commanders, the Dallas Cowboys had to revamp their defense. Jerry Jones’ decision to bring former Cowboys DC and Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer back to Dallas may have appeared like a huge victory, but some recent remarks from an interview with Zimmer reveal how despotic he can be in a position of authority.
In an intense interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Zimmer publicly criticized a number of his former teammates and executives from the Vikings. One statement stuck out among jabs at cornerback Kris Boyd after he was called out and criticism of former general manager Rick Spielman.
After being fired, Zimmer declined to speak with any of his Vikings teammates, claiming that their subpar play was the reason for his dismissal. Being a competitive coach is one thing; going too far is quite another. He was being aggressive even as he was leaving the building.
QB Kellen Mond, whose selection infuriated Zimmer to the extent that he departed the draft room and claimed he never spoke to his head coach once in Minnesota, is another example of Zimmer’s approach. Might this lead to an issue in Dallas?
Mike Zimmer of the Cowboys says things about Vikings players that are contentious.
By all means, Zimmer is a good coach. Before taking over as defensive coordinator under Dave Campo and Bill Parcells, he spent 12 years coaching the Cowboys, guiding Deion Sanders and the defensive backs during their heyday in the 1990s. While leading the Vikings, Zimmer achieved success.
As the head coach of the Vikings, Zimmer was 72-56-1, three-time playoff participant, and a winner of at least seven games per season. But in a league where building relationships with players is more crucial than ever, an old-fashioned, tough coach like Zimmer might rub some big names the wrong way.
After Minnesota parted company with Zimmer, no NFL team was eager to hire him, despite his prior success as a defensive coach. He was engaged for two seasons as a consultant for Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado. Is it possible that the NFL, outside of Dallas, has had enough of him?
The Cowboys are counting on a no-nonsense strategy to prevail in 2024, and Jones will turn to Zimmer, one of his most dependable defensive coordinators. Similar to Zimmer’s Vikings teams, the outcome will either be a broken locker room that performs poorly or a tough club lead by a standout like Micah Parsons that eats nails for breakfast.
