Zimmer hurts Everson Griffen’s feelings going into Week 9 Match-Up

Image courtesy of Vikings.com

If Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is known for one thing as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, it’s his ability to find/draft/develop players for his style of defense. One such player is current Detroit Lions defensive end Everson Griffen, who Zimmer drafted in the fourth-round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Griffen was a member of the highly touted, and paid, Zimmer defense up until the off-season, in a “Will they/won’t they” situation on par with other Vikings staples Kyle Rudolph and Riley Reiff. Of the three, though, Griffen ended up leaving the Vikings (although all three had different circumstances) for a short stop in Dallas before landing in Detroit last month via trade.

Zimmer was asked about facing his former player by the media today and somehow during his benign answer, ended up hurting the feelings of a player that could end up having a huge impact on Sunday’s contest and potentially the 2-5 Vikings hopes to claw their way out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves (to potentially make the expanded playoffs, as many have reported).

According to ESPN.com, Zimmer was asked about Griffen’s return to Minny, “Everson was a good player for us. I wish him well, just not this week.”

While that doesn’t seem like much, especially when it comes to some of the other slops of the tongue Zimmer has made about his players during his tenure, it apparently didn’t sit well with Griffen.

“This is the best I’ve felt in a long time, and I got a little frustrated when I read that comment what Zimmer said, ‘Oh, Everson was a good player,'” Griffen said. “Like, Coach Zimmer just wasn’t a good coach, he was a great coach to me, so for him to call me a good player, that kind of hurts my feelings.”

While I don’t agree it was meant to be insulting and thus not something to get upset about (as I’m more of an intent person than a poorly chosen word person (if that is even that, which is debatable)). But, as you may have noticed, I’m not Griffen.

“On Sunday I’m really looking forward to playing the Vikings and showing them that I am a great player. I’m excited, I’m ready to execute, my mental health is strong, my physical health is strong, my mind is strong, and I’m ready to go out there and dominate. I’m ready to create, adapt and go out there and win.”

Ruh roh.

The last thing this Vikings team needs is for Griffen or Adrian Peterson to turn Sunday’s game into a revenge game. While I don’t think Zimmer meant anything by his comment, I’m guessing that Griffen’s hurt stems not just from this comment but perhaps how we was treated on his way out of Minnesota.

As a staple of the Vikings’ defense, Griffen may have resented the wishy-washy feelings about keeping him in purple this off-season and thus latched onto this opportunity to express those feelings. I mean, everyone and their mother already expected Griffen to show up and play hard against the Vikings, so, I doubt this’ll have much impact (as the impact would’ve been there one way or the other).

To be safe, though, let’s hope Zimmer doesn’t say that AP was a good running back.

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