Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive line coach Jim Tomsula against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve been watching all these somewhat predictable names come up in the Vikings coach search, sort of wondering when a wild card candidate might emerge. Is the name Jim Tomsula wild card enough for you?

Jim Tomsula is the current defensive line coach with the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings have reportedly asked San Francisco for permission to interview Tomsula.

Unlike most of the guys in the coach search, Tomsula has head coaching experience. He was interim coach for the last game of the 2010 season after San Francisco fired Mike Singletary. Oh incidentally, the Niners won that game. Tomsula was also a head coach of NFL Europe’s Rhein Fire for one year, going 6-4.

If you’re keeping score, that’s a 7-4 career record as a head coach. What’s Mike Zimmer’s career record as a head coach? 0-0. Just saying.

Okay so Tomsula isn’t exactly going to shoot to the top of the list for most Viking fans. But I like that Rick Spielman is thinking outside the box. I like that he’s not boxing himself in with these candidates, sticking to the big name assistants. Sometimes you have to reach a little bit.

It could be that Jim Tomsula is a great coaching talent just waiting for his chance to be unleashed. Let’s not dismiss him just because he’s not Mike Zimmer or Darrell Bevell or Ken Whisenhunt. Let’s not shun him just because he’s never been a coordinator or full-time head coach in the NFL.

This guy could be THE guy. He could finally lead the Vikings to the promised land.

Or maybe Spielman is just worried that all these big time coaches think Minnesota is a lousy landing spot and he figures he better build a book on lesser candidates? It might be that too, I suppose.

But let’s think positive. Team Tomsula? Who’s in?

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