Is Vikings' Zimmer too blunt?

When Mike Zimmer said, bluntly, that Blair Walsh should have made that field goal on Sunday, it struck some of my colleagues as crass.

When Zimmer said, bluntly, on Tuesday that he didn't bring back his offensive line coach ``Because I didn't want to," it struck some of my colleagues as - you guessed it - crass.

I think we've all become so used to over-processed news - bland press released, vetted statements - that Zimmer's bluntness can appear shocking.

Let's review:

Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal to lose a playoff games. However you want to qualify that - saying there were other missed opportunities, that one play never loses a game - guess what? That one play lost the game. Every other missed opportunity in that game altered the course of the game, but only the missed 27-yard field goal decided the game.

Zimmer was right. And if Walsh can't handle being called out by his head coach, he's not strong enough mentally to be an NFL kicker.

As far as the Vikings not renewing the contract of offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, Zimmer could have given us the corporate line - that Davidson ``left to pursue other opportunities," or that the Vikings ``were moving in a different direction." Instead, he was honest. Davidson won't be back because the head coach didn't want him back.

Isn't that better than Zimmer acting like the decision was made by the front office, or by a focus group?

There is also this: We can all second-guess an NFL head coach when they blow a timeout or a clock management situation. We can all second-guess a play call or player usage. When it comes to a coach who is not known for scapegoating people firing one assistant coach who presided over the most problematic position on an otherwise good team, I'll take the head coach's word for it.

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New shows from MalePatternPodcasts.com are up, with Roy Smalley and Michael Russo. Up tomorrow: The You Betcha Basketball Show with Jon Krawczynski. Up soon: The season wrapup with Viking Update publisher Tim Yotter.

Also, Russo and I will be doing our show at 6 p.m. Thursday at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub with FSN announcer Anthony LaPanta. So, it's basically a roast. Please stop by. We'll have giveaways.

@Souhanstrib