Bill Zimmer coached football and wrestling for 35 years at Lockport (Ill.) Township High School, where Mike Zimmer played quarterback in the early 1970s.
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But Vikings ownership still seems to like the experience of going to Mankato, and if the head coach – whether it’s Mike Zimmer or someone else – still wants to go off-site by the time the Vikings build their own practice facility, the Mankato tradition could continue into the next decade.
“He (Bill) was the original coach in the Zimmer family and obviously the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree”, linebacker Chad Greenway said, via the Pioneer Press. For the Vikings, Thursday was the last day of practicing in Mankato before the Vikings play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their second preseason game this weekend.
“It’s been rough”, Zimmer said.
“You’ve got to ask Coach, man. I don’t know”, he said. “The best way to honor him was to go out and have a great practice to honor him”.
The Vikings are nearing the end of the team’s training camp, so a poor practice could be chalked up to exhausted players looking ahead.
Mike Zimmer, who had been visiting his father last week, told reporters Wednesday he will stay at the Vikings training camp. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner would likely take over during any absence that Zimmer might have, though there has not been any word yet on whether or not that will happen. “We’ll come back later today for the walk-through with the right mindset”. It was Terance Newman, Marcus Sherels and DeMarcus Van Dyke (2 times) who got in on the action surely putting their coach in a good spot walking off the football field.
“I lean, ” he said, “on my size 10”.
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If the Vikings do decide to move on from Munnerlyn before the start of the regular season, they can save $3 million in cap space by cutting him.
