The Minnesota Vikings took their time and have now found a new head coach in Mike Zimmer from the Cincinnati Bengals, as he is set to take over after serving as defensive coordinator for Marvin Lewis and now he takes over a team with Adrian Peterson and a number of questions heading into the future.
Last season the Vikings ranked last in the league in passing yards allowed per game and 16th in rushing yards allowed and now Zimmer will get the chance to overhaul the unit. According to ESPN.com, the deal is being finalized and should be announced soon and he is hired just over two weeks after the eighth coach in team history in Frazier was fired. Zimmer comes in with a strong pedigree and reports have him bringing in Norv Turner from the Browns to run the offense and that would be a wise move, as Zimmer is known as more of a defensive coach.
Peterson was mentioned in numerous trade rumors during the season since the Vikings had been playing so poorly and now that may be off the table with the hiring of a new and exciting head coach. ESPN.com reports that the team was prepared to bring in Zimmer after interviewing a number of candidates and the ownership felt he was the best man for the job after the way the Bengals performed on defense this season. The Bengals ranked in the top five in both passing and rushing yards allowed per game and now the toughest task for Zimmer will be to bring the offense back to what it once was and he has names like Peterson as well as Kyle Rudolph, Toby Gerhart and Cordarrelle Patterson to work with.
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Here is a report from Reuters.com about the hiring of new head coach Mike Zimmer, who was previously with the Cincinnati Bengals as defensive coordinator and has long been considered a prime head coaching candidate and he has been passed over numerous times in his career and now he will take over for Leslie Frazier after he was fired.
The Minnesota Vikings will hire Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as their head coach, according to a report on the National Football League's website on Wednesday.
Zimmer, who has been the defensive coordinator with the Bengals since 2008, will join a Vikings team that allowed a league-worst 480 points during the 2013 NFL season.
He will replace Leslie Frazier, who was fired the day after the Vikings finished last in the NFC North division with a 5-10-1 record.
Zimmer, 57, who was previously the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys (2000-06) and Atlanta Falcons (2007), has plenty of experience in developing defensive players.
The Bengals are coming off a 11-5 season during which they allowed the equal fifth-fewest points against and won the AFC North Division before losing to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs. (Reuters)