EAGAN, Minn. – Whomever the Minnesota Vikings hire as their next head coach has an important order of business: fix the disconnect between players and coaches.
When Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday, it became clear that players, ownership and many inside the organization felt a culture shift was needed to move the franchise in the right direction.
Spielman spoke to the team Monday after his dismissal, thanking players in an emotional impromptu address. Zimmer did not address his former team but released a statement thanking “the players who welcomed me in 2014 and believed in me that I could lead them to be great.