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We all know that Minnesota Vikings’ head coach Mike Zimmer is one driven individual. If he wants to be on the sidelines when the Vikings take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on 11 December, he might have to be a driven individual.
And it sounds like the Vikings might be willing to do it.
According to a story from Pro Football Talk, there has been discussions within the Vikings’ organization about driving Zimmer to Jacksonville for the Vikings’ next game. The reason for that is that Zimmer’s eye is likely going to be very sensitive to pressure changes following the emergency surgery he had on it this past Wednesday. Obviously, when flying in an airplane, pressure changes are a necessary evil. If Zimmer is going to be on the sideline this Sunday, it appears that his only means of getting to Florida is going to be on wheels.
I’ll be honest. . .this sounds like a certifiably insane idea to me. I know that Mike Zimmer wants to be with the team and everything, but this seems extreme. This is a 20+ hour trip under ideal conditions. Not only that, but the Vikings’ next game after the Jaguars game is against the Indianapolis Colts in Minneapolis. So, that means another 20+ hours back the other direction. Unlike the Jaguars’ game, where the Vikings have extra days to install game plans and that sort of thing, the Colts’ game is taking place on a normal week, which could throw a wrench into preparations for Andrew Luck and company.
The Vikings are going to have to win out and get some help if they want to be playing this post-season. Zimmer knows that this team isn’t dead yet, and I’m sure he wants to be there to help guide his charges through the rest of the season. If the Vikings can pull this off, great. . .but Rick Spielman said that Zimmer’s ability to see clearly is more important than any football game. If an extra week, or even taking the rest of the season off, would help in that healing process, I would hope that the coach and the team would take those things into consideration.
We’ll have to see what happens with this as the week progresses.