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?
