Mike Zimmer Could Be in Trouble in Dallas

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Mike Zimmer
Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings have been on an upward trend since they moved on from Mike Zimmer. The former head ball coach is still upset as to how his tenure ended. He doesn’t have much of a track record with the Dallas Cowboys, but he may not be able to establish one either.

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on the outs?

If you haven’t noticed, the Dallas Cowboys are currently struggling. Mike Zimmer took over as defensive coordinator for Dan Quinn this season. The former Minnesota Vikings head coach is currently overseeing one of the worst units in football. It isn’t going unnoticed either.

The Dallas Cowboys believe they are going to win the Super Bowl every year. Similar to the New York Yankees, the national brand is not supposed to struggled. That’s why a 1-2 record having them at the bottom of the NFC East is problematic. Plenty of things have gone wrong, but Mike Zimmer’s defense is amongst the worst of them.

“If I were Dallas, I’d be worried. I don’t know how they stop anybody. They lost their best run defenders. They have a bunch of front-seven players that can’t get off blocks and get knocked back.”

Anonymous evaluator on the Cowboys defense (The Athletic)

“Here is the problem for Zimmer. Everything was positive all the time with Quinn. Now, it feels like everything is negative. He is coming into a place that has been so successful on defense that the last coordinator got a head-coaching job. The new guy comes in and tries to change things, and the players sometimes say, ‘Wait a minute, we won 12 games last year.’ This can become a tailspin.”

Opposing coach on Mike Zimmer’s defense (The Athletic)

These things are legitimate problems for the Cowboys. As The Athletic’s Mike Sando points out, a sizable shift in personality was always going to be a risk for a team that was successful previously. Zimmer will always want to do things his way, but it’s clear that approach isn’t working out of the gate.

Related: Mike Zimmer Embarrassed by His Former Minnesota Vikings OC

Three weeks in is probably too soon to make a drastic change. Time is quickly running out for Zimmer though, and he’s not the type to change his approach.

Just how bad is it for Cowboys Mike Zimmer?

Bad is a general term, but among the worst in the NFL is a reality for Mike Zimmer’s defense. Dallas is 28th in yards allowed. They give up the third most points per game, and no unit has been easier to run against this season. Every aspect of his defense has been a flop.

Zimmer has traditionally pushed his players to perform better. In a situation like this, it may be on him to get creative and find ways to get more from the assets he has to work with. That hasn’t been his style, and would be a significant deviation to this point in his career. It could also be a job-saving one.

Related: Stefon Diggs Would Never Go Full Mike Zimmer on Vikings Past, “Because I’m a Professional…”

Again, Dallas is not out to settle of be ok with whatever level of mediocrity comes their way. The offense hasn’t been good enough to this point. It won’t matter if they can’t keep up with the points they allow, however.

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