LONDON, England -- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who will face his good friend Hue Jackson on Sunday here at Twickenham Stadium, hates watching Jackson endure all the losing with the Browns, but says he has what it takes.

"Hue and I are really close,'' Zimmer said on a conference call Wednesday. "We've been in the same room a lot of times and been together. He went to my daughter's wedding. When we're in the same town, we always end up seeing each other. Hue is a heck of a football coach. He is tough. He is smart. He is a great competitor.''

Zimmer worked with Jackson in 2012 and 2013 in Cincinnati, including directly together in 2012 when Zimmer was defensive coordinator and Jackson coached the secondary as well as helped with special teams.

Zimmer is one of Jackson's confidants during these tough times of 1-22 in Cleveland, including 0-7 this season. Jackson's buddies from Cincinnati and Baltimore, including Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and Ravens coach John Harbaugh, have all watched him coach winning and prolific offenses, and know that he suddenly hasn't forgotten how.

"I know that it's taking him a little bit longer than what he's anticipated, but he's going to get that thing turned around,'' said Zimmer. "That is the kind of guy he is. He'll never stop or relax until he gets it all right.''

Zimmer, who's studied the Browns all week, surmised that "really, they're not that far away. They're really good on defense, and they just turn the ball over offensively."

Asked what Zimmer's remarks mean, Jackson quips, "It means I paid him. No, just kidding. Mike is - and he said it - he is one of my really close friends and I have a lot of respect for him. He's one of the best football coaches in pro football in my opinion because he can get guys to play, and they play hard.''

Zimmer, whose team is 5-2, presides over a defense ranked fourth in the league overall, and third against the run. They're also No. 2 in the NFL in third-down defense, which will make it tough to keep drives alive. Their right defensive end Everson Griffen has a sack in seven consecutive games, and will go against first-time starting left tackle Spencer Drango.

"He has a vision for his football team and the way they play on defense is Mike Zimmer style,'' said Jackson. "They're a really talented, really good football team. I appreciate the things that he says, but I think he knows me extremely well. I don't like being in the situation I'm in, and I want to do something about it as fast as I can and we will. We're just not there yet, but we'll get there."

Zimmer can relate to the challenges of starting a rookie quarterback. He did so in his first season in Minnesota with Teddy Bridgewater. But Bridgewater, the No. 32 overall pick in 2014 who's recovering from a serious knee injury, had a much better supporting cast and went 6-7 as a rookie.

"I think a lot of it is really with the nature of your football team,'' said Zimmer. "I was fairly fortunate that we had (former Vikings RB) Adrian Peterson and the defense was pretty good when we kind of brought along Teddy that first year, and I think that is what Hue is trying to build there, too, but every situation really is different."

The Browns lead the NFL with 19 turnovers -- including a league-leading 11 interceptions by Kizer. They're last in the NFL with a minus-11 turnover differential, and every coach knows that's the kiss of death.

Kizer, for one, doesn't think the losing is getting to Jackson.

"Not at all,'' said Kizer, who's been benched three times. "That is the most interesting thing about him. Although we're not off to a great start and although we are not heading down the path that we thought we would in these first seven games, he is very committed to the process.

"Obviously, we have had quite a few games that are one-possession games that could have easily gone our way. That continues to motivate him to just get over that hump because once we get our first win here, we're going to win for a long time.''

Jackson, who's pulled Kizer twice for turning the ball over, especially in the scoring zone, insists he's not coaching for his job.

"I don't feel like that at all because I have a direct line with Mr. (Jimmy) Haslam and Dee Haslam,'' he said. "I think there are some things that we have to fix and that we need to continue to get better at. No, I don't feel like I'm coaching for my job. I have never felt like that, and if I did, I would tell you. That is the last thing that is on my mind."