Mike Zimmer, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was supposed to be the guy that squeezes lemons into lemonade – no matter the group of cornerbacks in his holster. The same mentality applied to his general defensive acumen, too.
That wasn’t entirely true.
While Zimmer maintains the moniker of defensive guru or defense-first coach, a plot twist in the 2020 season ostensibly proved that he cannot overcome widespread injury to personnel. Zimmer lost Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Anthony Barr, Mike Hughes, and even Eric Kendricks toward the end of the season – all to some form of injury or coronavirus opt-out.