Mike Zimmer wants tougher practices for 'blue-collar' Vikings

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- At the end of last season, Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said the team's fall from a 5-0 start to an 8-8 record would lead him into a period of "soul-searching" as he tried to pinpoint what went wrong.

"I met with a lot of people this offseason, a number of head coaches, talked to them about how I can do things better," he said Friday.

Coach Mike Zimmer is aiming to have the Vikings play a more physical style next season.The upshot of that stretch of self-examination, apparently, is that the Vikings need to be tougher.

Zimmer said he plans to set a more exacting standard in his fourth season, returning to the way he'd coached at the start of his tenure in…