Many of Daily Norseman’s readers laughed at me in November when I called for Mike Zimmer to be on the hot seat. Many of those same readers were SILENT when I called for 2019 to be the ‘Super Bowl or clean house’ season. Yet, many other readers were still critical of my opinion. Why should I care? The Vikings proved my point over and over again, and I’m still getting paid to do this.

Now, the Vikings are extending a coach who doesn’t deserve the ONE playoff win he has in five years as head coach of this semi-relevant, but cursed, and borderline incompetent organization.

What exactly is going on here? What has Mike Zimmer done to earn this extension of his contract?

Absolutely NOTHING. Zip, zilch, zero.

It’s disgraceful, at best.

Two division titles? Brad Childress did that CONSECUTIVELY, and his team was actually competitive when they played in an NFC title game. Yet, he was fired the following season. Zimmer’s teams only perform every other year, and certainly not often in big games against top-flight teams. (Week 17 2018, 2017 NFC title game, 2016 in Green Bay, 2015 wild card vs. Seattle).

The standard this organization has for it’s teams performance has reached one of it’s all-time lowest points. From the fans, to the players, to the coach, to the general manager, all the way up to the owners. Do you not think Zimmer’s extension went through without ownership approval? Who are you kidding?

Many Vikings fans like saying, “Cousins was with a new team, and a new offense. It was natural there was a learning curve.”

Stop the stupid nonsense.

2017: Case Keenum had a new team, led the team to the NFC title game. 2018: 2nd year Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, new offense, leads his team to winning the division, and shreds Zimmer’s ‘vaunted’ (mediocre) defense in a win-or-go-home game IN MINNESOTA. Please, enough, it’s sickening already for goodness sake.

“But Zahorsky, the Vikings lost their offensive line coach right before the season started.”

Seriously? You’re going to use the loss of an assistant coach as an excuse for poor performances? Everything that happens on a football field starts and ends with the head coach.

“But Zahorsky, Zimmer is a defensive coach. He can’t control the offensive line giving no lanes for the running backs or them protecting Cousins.” Newsflash: if Zimmer is purely a defensive coach, then maybe he isn’t cut out to be a head coach, period.

Spielman said in his presser at the NFL Combine regarding Kirk Cousins, that free agents often perform better in the second year with their new team. If that’s the case, why let Case Keenum walk following his stellar 2017 campaign? Does Rick Spielman actually think about what he does? Or is he just guessing? If that’s the case, most of us could do his job. Seriously, how many of us would not bring a championship to Minnesota? Just like this regime. Pathetic.

Whether you readers like it or not, a consistent lack of SUPER BOWL, not NFC North, SUPER BOWL championships warrant long and critical questioning of the operations of this organization, and the Vikings don’t have any legitimate evidence (aka multiple playoff wins) that Mike Zimmer deserved to have this option exercised. If anything, it’s the opposite. Answer this in the comments: does a 2-3 record in games following a bye week not set off alarms to the fans? What about Rick Spielman or the Wilfs? If not, what exactly does? It’s not like the Vikings would let their division rival keep the ball 9+ minutes and score a punch-in-the-throat touchdown in the 4th quarter, in their building- OH WAIT. Apologies that I came back to that game, but it PERFECTLY sums up exactly why this is not a championship regime at the helm, coaches and front office.

This is the third consecutive article I have ripped this organization to shreds, and honestly, why should I stop? It’s clear though that watchable football is more important than championship football to whoever it is pulling the strings for this team. Until that changes, why should Vikings fans be happy?

Simply put, they shouldn’t be, at all, until the Lombardi trophy is lifted. Then again, Vikings fans have too often settled for mediocrity, and being happy with the successes of individuals, but never the big picture, never for championships.