Mike Zimmer had to overcome quite a bit in his first year as a head coach. He lost former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson to legal problems, numerous starters because of injury and had to play outdoors while the new stadium was being constructed. Despite all that, Zimmer’s first year in Minnesota should be considered a success with a 7-9 record, improving on the previous year’s 5-10-1 record.

Mike Zimmer talked about his upcoming second season with the Minnesota Vikings in a recent interview with the Star Tribune:

“I believe in my heart that I’ll be even better next year with everything that I do just because I’ve been through all of these different things,” Zimmer said. “Were there things that surprised me? Sure. During games were there things that happened that the referee had to explain something to me? Yeah, but I don’t think that’s unique with any coach, let alone a first-year guy. The feedback that I got from the players was very positive. Now they might be just telling me stuff, but it was very positive from the ones I talked to.”

Dec 14, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer points down the field during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Based on what Mike Zimmer has been able to achieve in one year with the Vikings defense, it’s hard not to get excited about what he can do with more time with the team and bringing in more players to fit his schemes. The youth of this team is another positive for Zimmer, as he can work hard to develop the team to fit his needs and fill roles as needed.

It’s excellent to see Mike Zimmer placing high expectations on himself. In fact, Zimmer has gone on record as saying that an 8-8 record would only make him an “average” coach. His main goals are playoff births, division championships, and Super Bowl wins.

And we all know how much a Super Bowl victory would mean to the Minnesota Vikings fan base, since it is the one thing that has eluded the franchise so far.