MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was vexed with his defense's embarrassing performance on Christmas Day. It wasn't just the 52 points allowed to the New Orleans Saints that made him call this the worst defense he has ever had.
Youth was no longer a legitimate excuse for players missing tackles, failing to cover receivers, not aligning the proper run fit or not generating a shred of a pass rush.
"If you look at the playoff game last year [against the Saints] and you look at the guys who were playing in that game and the guys who were playing [Friday], it's completely, 100 percent different.