When did you give up on Zimmer?

That Teddy injury was such a horrible turning point for this franchise. It was really the catalyst for Rick and Zim getting fired.

Teddywas Zimmer's guy and he was going to be the exact kind of QB Zimmer wanted, a Leader who wouldn't kill the team and could make plays but within the system.

If we couldve played football like we did in 2015 I wouldve been all for it. It wasnt pretty by any means but that team fought and always had a chance. I bring it up all the time by wouldve loved to see what wouldve happened if Blair makes that kick. That team just had a funny feeling to me. Dont anyone take this thinking im a teddy lover, he is a backup at best. Kirk is 10x the QB of Teddy. Im not a Zim guy either his time was up. But chemistry does matter and I have to say Zim ended up being right even if he was part of the problem of not adapting and welcoming Kirk. Im just glad this mess is over with a fresh start in site. 

Forgot about Brees.  To be fair, I suspect we were the mystery team offering him 30M... I know I'd have done that in that situation.  Brees wanted to stay though. Understandable. 

But he didn't get back to the conference championship with Cousins either - they went 8-8. Keenum, starting over with the Broncos, went 6-10. Yeah, 6-10 is a bad season...but it's only a couple games less than 8-8, folks. Hey, I have no illusions that Case was a great QB long-term, but would he have only won 6 games here, with better receivers and RB and the familiarity of his teammates? Fair odds he gets about 8 wins here that year. How are you worse off with that, or even 7-9? They would know it was time to start hunting for QBs in 2019.

I gave up on Zimmer when it became apparent he was nothing more than a Parcells lap dog. He so desperately wanted Parcells
to appreciate him more than Belechick that it sickened me. Zimmer ultimately ended up being nothing more than a bitter, out-dated defensive coach with nothing to add to the game

My choice of the word 'utopia' was deliberate and correct.  It's not what players need to be successful; it's what Zimmer would have to be providing for them by now if he were to somehow to have overcome the objective arguments in favor of his dismissal by compensating with subjective and intangible personal qualities that would have made his team THE prime NFL destination for athletes and staff.

In other words, in order to make up for his postseason track record that portended future failures in that area, Zimmer would need to have by now established a work environment and culture that would have free agents & assistants lined up around the block to work for the Vikings, and for less money than they'd ask for from other teams.

This isn't some personal axe that I have to grind with Zimmer, or you for that matter.  It's just that a considerable amount of the Vikings/social media wagons that circled in defense of Zimmer (including PP posts) have played up the culture he supposedly fostered and the loyalty and effort that was supposed to have resulted from it, and this would have been the perfect time for players to universally confirm that.

But rather than a unanimous reaction of support and exclusively positive comments about Zimmer's tenure upon the news of his dismissal, we got at least two highly respected veterans very candidly telling us that being a Viking under Coach Zimmer left some things to be desired.  That seems like an important thing to be accurate about, both now and when the Vikings' likely initial struggles next year cause some to look back at Zimmer and his tenure through very purple-y glasses.

I get it, but I'm also saying that's over now. With the recent rule changes - and hopefully things being better by next season - I hope we can put THIS part of the discussion in the background, where it has always belonged.