POLL OF THE WEEK: A World Without Mike Zimmer

Image courtesy of Vikings.com

If I were to ask any Vikings fan what they thought of Mike Zimmer, they’d likely tell me he’s the greatest head coach since Bud Grant. In one season, Zimmer has started to erase memories of the past 12 seasons, when Mike Tice, Brad Childress, and Leslie Frazier led the Vikings to a combined 92 wins and 99 losses. It may be too early to proclaim Zimmer a top-flight head coach, but he’s well on his way to a long career in Minnesota, and that starts with a winning season in 2015.

But, what if the Vikings had never hired Zimmer? What if, in some cruel, twisted universe, the Wilf brothers were forced to choose one of three head coaches — Tice, Childress, or Frazier — to lead this team? What if Zimmer had never inherited Xavier Rhodes, or even worse,  what if Teddy Bridgewater was forced to operate from Musgrave’s minuscule play card?

Optimism around the team definitely wouldn’t be as high, and Minnesota’s faithful sports fans would suffer yet another year of futility. Luckily, that’s not the case, but it’s always fun to look back and remember our favorite head coaching blunders and mishaps. After the jump, I’ll share a few quotes that encapsulate everything that made each of the Vikings’ last three coaches such disastrous hires:

Mike Tice

“His ridiculous ‘Randy Ratio’ and Super Bowl ticket scalping scandal brought him a lot of bad press, and the Love Boat scandal sunk (boat, sink, get it?) his ability to get an extension from new owner Zygi Wilf in 2005.” — Ted Glover

Our friend Ted, a staple on Twitter and former front-page columnist at The Daily Norseman, didn’t mince words when describing the fall of Mike Tice. In four full seasons as the head coach, he went 32-32, leading the team to one playoff victory while maximizing the talent of players like Daunte Culpepper and Mewelde Moore. But he also showed an ineptitude in off-the-field management, letting his team go wild on a party boat and entrenching himself in a scalping scandal that led to his exodus from the team. While one of the league’s best offensive line coaches, Tice was not ready to lead the Vikings and ultimately failed as their head coach.

Brad Childress

“We know that [Brad] Childress doesn’t have our backs, so why should we have his?” one player told the newspaper. “We’re playing for us, and we’re winning despite him.” — ESPN Report

Like Tice, Childress lasted just four seasons as the Vikings’ head coach. Though he won a playoff game, his teams succeed in spite of his shortcomings as a head coach. Childress was lucky enough to roam the sidelines during Brett Favre’s resurgent 2009 season, and inherited rookie phenomenon Adrian Peterson in 2007. Once Favre’s play declined and the roster thinned, Childress made countless questionable decisions, like bringing a volatile Randy Moss back to the team and retaining the ever-unpopular Darrell Bevell as offensive coordinator. According to the report, six players wanted Childress fired, and their wish was granted when the team parted ways after Week 11 of the 2010 season.

Leslie Frazier

“He stuck with some bad coordinators and an outdated defensive system for way too long, and we’ve been over the quarterback situation ad nauseum. He might have been the nicest guy to ever patrol the sidelines for the Minnesota Vikings, but unfortunately it’s not the National Congeniality League.” — Christopher Gates, SB Nation

Christopher hits the nail on the head here — Frazier was well-liked by players and the organization, but the Vikings floundered under his watchful eye. He went 18-29 in three full seasons as head coach, losing his only playoff appearance in 2012 and sticking with the Tampa-2 for far too long. Maybe Frazier was just unlucky; Spielman handed the keys over to Christian Ponder when he drafted the Florida State quarterback in 2011, and Vikings fans remember how the Ponder Era went (though we try to forget). If anything, Frazier will be remembered as the coach who was too nice, too passive, and too committed to his old ways to succeed in Minnesota.

Pick one — Mike Tice, Brad Childress, or Leslie Frazier — to lead the Minnesota Vikings.

For the sake of this post, pick one of these coaches to lead the Vikings in some nightmarish alternate universe — a universe where Mike Zimmer does not exist. Make your selection in the post below, and share your favorite bumbling memories in the comments section!

 

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