Aaron Rodgers has seen a lot of the Mike Zimmer defense every year. With the Vikings and Packers familiar foes in the NFC North, Rodgers knows Zimmer’s defense well. The Vikings are off to a 1-5 start, so a potential coaching change isn’t out of the realm of possibility. It sounds like Rodgers would be more than happy to see Zimmer leave the NFC North.
The Packers quarterback thinks it would crazy if the Vikings fire Zimmer:
“He’s a phenomenal coach,” Rodgers said of Zimmer. “I was telling a friend of mine, to see (Zimmer) mentioned to be on the hot seat, to me, is absolutely crazy. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league and has been for a long time.
“They don’t all give you the trouble and the scheme that Mike does. I have a lot of respect for the way he coaches and the way he especially coaches defense.”
The Vikings defense has not been up to their typical self. Minnesota currently ranks 28th in yards allowed per game and 30th in points allowed per game. Putting the blame solely on Zimmer doesn’t feel fair. The Vikings lost Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander from the 2019 defense.
Minnesota has failed to generate a pass rush and relies on two rookie corners (Cameron Dantzler & Jeff Gladney). They even traded Yannick Ngakoue midseason, which is another shot to their defense. Outside of Eric Kendricks and Harrison Smith, the Vikings don’t have a ton of dudes.
If Mike Zimmer got fired, he would be hired somewhere else in two seconds. Zimmer is a successful disciple of Bill Parcells. The fact that Rodgers is speaking like this about him speaks volumes.
