MINNEAPOLIS -- The perception that Mike Zimmer is an unyielding taskmaster is a bit of an oversimplification, and the Minnesota Vikings' coach proved during his first two years on the job that he has more tools at his disposal than just a cattle prod. Still, when Zimmer canceled the Vikings' final minicamp practice on Thursday, his players didn't quite believe it.

"A bunch of them said, ‘Did he say "go practice" or "no practice"?’ So, they just sat up there for a little while," Zimmer said. "They weren’t sure. They thought it was a joke or a trick, but I felt like I’ve seen what I needed to see."

The Vikings had a barbecue with team alumni on Thursday afternoon, so players lingered into the early afternoon on a sunny June day in Eden Prairie, Minn. But they were able to skip their final practice for six weeks because they'd done enough for Zimmer to reward them.

"If we’ve been crummy, I wouldn’t have canceled it. I’ll tell you that," Zimmer said. "I just like the way this team works. I told them that today, that I appreciate the way they go about their business."

Before the Vikings sent players home on Thursday, Zimmer gave them the customary summer speech about staying out of trouble between now and training camp, and each player met with his position coach to develop a plan for the next few weeks. The character of the group, though, has Zimmer optimistic the Vikings will be able to get off to a smooth start when they reconvene at Minnesota State University on July 28.

"I was telling one of the coaches, our guys love to practice. When you watch them come out here, they’re having fun," Zimmer said. "They’re not in the locker room complaining and talking about how bad I am or how mean I am or things like that. They just go work. I’m surprised that they’re not sad that we didn’t practice today, because they like to practice. This team likes to practice, and I just watch them – compared to other teams or other guys or other players – when they come out here, they compete. I’ve said this before, the first day I got here, I thought I was going to have to raise a whole bunch of heck, and I didn’t have to. They go about their business and work, and I think we have a good group."