Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2zbDNKrOfIQMpWx2X_NLhKS8rDw7RJU26qNeE-DIg7aFs4ft-bS1UbMRnpOYSfxAkHazoODA2378czWN5AsqGqh0OR6vnlZsqS_GSU9iGsL-5uioh3tpUVnrr8b4uRJ86vRDPAT0AoU/s1600/201401151233452246212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2zbDNKrOfIQMpWx2X_NLhKS8rDw7RJU26qNeE-DIg7aFs4ft-bS1UbMRnpOYSfxAkHazoODA2378czWN5AsqGqh0OR6vnlZsqS_GSU9iGsL-5uioh3tpUVnrr8b4uRJ86vRDPAT0AoU/s1600/201401151233452246212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5771" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" data-rapid_p="8" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/players/179776" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Mike Zimmer</a> is finally a head coach in the NFL. The <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_team" data-rapid_p="9" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/min" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Minnesota Vikings</a> think now is the time for the veteran defensive coordinator.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5783" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><span style="font-size: 15.454545021057129px;">''I'm extremely excited to bring a championship to the state of Minnesota and to the great fan base of the Vikings,'' Zimmer said in a video posted on the team's Twitter account. ''I can't wait to get to work.''</span>The Vikings announced Wednesday night that they had hired Zimmer for their top coaching position.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5803" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Long after reports first surfaced about the hire, the Vikings remained quiet. Their silence was strange, considering a report by ESPN that they had already requested and received permission from Cleveland to interview offensive coordinator Norv Turner for the same position in Minnesota. Finally, the Vikings made the announcement shortly after 9 p.m. local time. Zimmer will be the ninth coach in the franchise's 54 seasons.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">''Fans will appreciate Mike's intensity on the field and his down-to-earth attitude off the field,'' Vikings owner Mark Wilf said. ''We strongly believe he will help us compete for division championships each year and lead us to our ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl championship to Minnesota.''</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Tight end <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" data-rapid_p="10" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/24830" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Kyle Rudolph</a>, center <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" data-rapid_p="11" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8964" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">John Sullivan</a> and defensive end Brian Robison were among the players who expressed excitement about the former Bengals assistant via their Twitter accounts.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp portrait onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="12" data-uuid="309ce144-723b-3832-a80d-42f3eb81aaa2" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/reports-vikings-hire-mike-zimmer-photo-200843587--nfl.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 450px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="450" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/NVUb5CKd7vbbjfoTfFQ6bQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQ1MDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201401151235453556224" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 10.909090995788574px; line-height: 16.500001907348633px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">FILE - IN this Sept. 17, 2013 file photo, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer watch …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">''Fired up about Coach Zimmer! As a Cincy kid he's been fun to watch there and can't wait to work with him!'' Rudolph tweeted.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">For the Bengals, the news was bittersweet. Zimmer, who has been an NFL defensive coordinator for the last 14 seasons, spent six of those with Cincinnati.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">''Today is one of the happiest and yet saddest days for me. Happy Coach Zimm finally gets to be a head coach and spread all of his knowledge,'' cornerback Terence Newman tweeted.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The Bengals were third in the league in yards allowed and fifth in points against this season, though they lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5807" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">''Gonna miss you coach Zimmer! Wish you nothing but the best in Minnesota. You brought out the best in each of your players! So honored to have been coached by you!'' tweeted linebacker Rey Maualuga.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="13" data-uuid="af76a468-90b1-3367-8b6b-4d61ec5bba71" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/ap-source-vikings-pick-mike-photo-210945381--nfl.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="200" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/U3CqgzAcNQoCW3ee9rQiQA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIwMDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201401151234452916220" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 10.909090995788574px; line-height: 16.500001907348633px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">FILE - This is a 2013 file photo showing Mike Zimmer of the Cincinnati Bengals NFL football team. Th …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Zimmer replaces Leslie Frazier, another former Bengals defensive coordinator who was fired Dec. 30 after the team finished 5-10-1 this season.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">General manager Rick Spielman interviewed at least seven candidates. He and Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf settled on the one who was widely considered around the league to be the most overdue for a head coaching job. Zimmer has interviewed for several vacancies in recent years, including this month with Tennessee.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The 57-year-old Zimmer played at Illinois State and spent 14 seasons coaching in the college ranks before being hired in 1994 as an assistant with Dallas. He got a Super Bowl ring the following season as defensive backs coach.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Then he became defensive coordinator of the Cowboys in 2000 and spent seven seasons at that post, the last four under coach Bill Parcells. Zimmer led defenses in Dallas that operated in both the 4-3 and 3-4 alignments, including the 2003 group that surrendered the fewest yards in the league.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The Wilfs, natives of New Jersey, grew up as <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_team" data-rapid_p="14" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/nyg" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">New York Giants</a> fans and are admirers of Parcells from his days coaching that team.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">After one tumultuous year as the defensive coordinator for Atlanta, when Falcons coach Bobby Petrino quit midseason in 2007, Zimmer went to Cincinnati to work for coach Marvin Lewis. In 2009, when his wife, Vikki, unexpectedly died, Zimmer was named the winner of several NFL assistant coach of the year awards.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Zimmer has a fiery personality, as evidenced by his profanity-laced appearances on HBO's ''Hard Knocks,'' which featured the Bengals in 2009 and 2013. That overt intensity is a contrast to Frazier, who went 21-33-1 in three-plus seasons with one appearance in the playoffs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Frazier was a popular figure in the locker room and throughout the organization, but as a former defensive coach his area of expertise became the team's biggest downfall. Despite a carousel at quarterback, the aged, injury-depleted defense was mostly responsible for the sorry showing this season. The Vikings allowed an average of 30 points per game, the most in the league, and 397.8 yards per game, the second-most.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Five of the seven reported candidates who interviewed for the vacancy had defensive backgrounds: Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Cleveland defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, San Francisco defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and Zimmer. The other two were offensive coordinators: Seattle's Darrell Bevell and San Francisco's Greg Roman.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">---</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5913" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5899" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">---</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389869240173_5925" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org</div></div>

Vikings pick Mike Zimmer as new head coach (BLOG)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --  Mike Zimmer  is finally a head coach in the NFL. The  Minnesota Vikings  think now is the time for the veteran defensiv...

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