Souhan: Former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is blind to his own flaws

On the subject of Mike Zimmer, let’s start with empathy.

Zimmer lost his wife when she was 50 and his son when he was 38. The man has suffered.

Let’s segue to appreciation.

Zimmer has the third-most coaching victories in Vikings history and is one of only four Vikings coaches with more than one playoff victory. He was a successful head coach, given that the average NFL coach lasts about three years.

Now let’s get to the broken heart of the matter and accept that Zimmer is acting, and speaking, like a jilted ex.

Star Tribune football writer Mark Craig recently traveled to Cowboys training camp to interview Zimmer, now Dallas’ defensive coordinator. The result was a remarkable exclusive in which Zimmer opened up about the end of his tenure in Minnesota, complete with recriminations.

His targets included former General Manager Rick Spielman, longtime ally Terence Newman, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the many Vikings players who, in his words, got him fired.

What the interview revealed was that the widespread and franchise-damaging dysfunction that we suspected existed in Zimmer’s last years was probably even worse than we imagined.

And that Zimmer at some point in the late 2010s changed from being a good coach who prided himself on toughness to being unfit for his position.

Zimmer displays a remarkable lack of accountability and self-awareness. His words indicate that his players should be able to handle tough, even harsh, coaching but that he is above criticism.

And that everything that went wrong with the Vikings organization was someone else’s fault.

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It’s not that each of his accusations is inaccurate.

Spielman made major mistakes. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs whined his way onto the trade block. Cousins did, indeed, refuse to get vaccinated, which led to him missing a key game in Green Bay when he contracted COVID.

In Zimmer’s last year with the Vikings, his players did, indeed, let him down, finishing 8-9 despite a talented roster.

But at some point in his tenure, Zimmer went from believing it was his job to fix the Vikings to believing that it was his job to blame others for the team’s failures.

Instead of doing what was best for the franchise, he judged every personnel move and management decision by how it fit with his personal philosophy.

The Vikings spent an inordinate amount of money on a franchise quarterback in Cousins and developed Diggs into one of the NFL’s best receivers.

Didn’t matter to Zimmer. He wanted to run the ball, so Cousins became an overpaid game manager and Diggs eventually forced a trade.

(This is where a self-aware Zimmer would thank Spielman for pulling a magic trick. Spielman traded Diggs, then immediately replaced him with the 22nd pick in the following draft, choosing Justin Jefferson, who is even better than Diggs.)

Zimmer tried to prove some kind of point by not starting Jefferson in his first two games in the NFL. Jefferson would quickly prove that he should have started on Day 1.

Zimmer overvalued defensive players who understood his scheme, causing the franchise to overvalue and overspend on linebacker Anthony Barr.

In hindsight, the high point of Zimmer’s tenure was also an indictment of his tenure.

The 2017 Vikings won in Zimmer’s preferred style, dominating on defense and getting just enough out of an undermanned offense to move the sticks.

That team went 13-3 with journeyman backup Case Keenum at quarterback, backup running backs Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon grinding out just enough yards, and Adam Thielen and Diggs turning short passes into first downs.

After a stunningly successful regular season, that formula required a play now known as a miracle to win a home playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, then failed in epic fashion in a 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Zimmer’s best defense was embarrassed, his template for winning a Super Bowl was exposed as fraudulent, and it was all downhill from there.

An NFL head coach’s job is to get the best out of the talent available to him. Zimmer instead searched for scapegoats.

The Vikings are better off without him.