*Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer *
I'm in a good mood, because this is my last one for a long time. We're disappointed that we didn't finish the season, that we're sitting here right now. When you go back and reflect on a lot of things that happened throughout the course of the season, I think there was a lot of good things. The players, give them credit, they played extremely hard all year long. They studied, they worked. They did the things that I try to get them to do. They stuck together as a team, which I think was important throughout the different adversities that we had. We, obviously, have to get a lot better. I have to do a much better job than what I did. I think collectively, as an organization, we need to continue to look at every possible thing that we can improve at. We started the evaluation process, really yesterday, of everything that's going on. Starting to look back on a lot of the football things this morning. Been meeting with people today. We will be on a mission to get this thing fixed to where we need to get to go. I do think we have a good nucleus on this football team here. I think Rick's [Spielman] done an unbelievable job of bringing the right kind of guys in. All the meetings that we had with the players yesterday, they believe that we have an extremely strong locker room. We have the right kind of guys here. Obviously, we're doing a lot of soul searching as to why we didn't get into the playoffs.
Q: When do you think you'll make a decision on Pat Shurmur's status, and how do you think he and the offense did?
A: The first part of the question, the answer is that I'm going to, like I've said before, I'm going to take some time this week. I'm going to try to figure out things, step back a little bit, where I can kind of recharge my thinking of where we want to go, how we want to do things. Not just Pat, but everybody. I do think that Pat did a very, very good job, especially under the circumstances that he was put in. I think, offensively, we improved a lot in the passing game. You can look at the statistics from when he started going and things that we've done after that. I think he had a great relationship with Sam [Bradford]. I think the offensive players respect him and we'll just figure all those things out.
Q: Can you fix the offensive line in just one offseason?
A: Yeah, going into this season last year, I thought we were going to be in good shape. Obviously, we had a lot of things happen. We're going to evaluate all of that. We're going to look at all those things. Not just the offensive line, there was other areas that we weren't good enough last year. Coaching, me, there was a lot of things that we have to get better at. I have full confidence. I go back and I think about when I first got here, my very first year here. We go in, I'm meeting with Rick and we're talking about personnel and I'm looking at the defensive board and there wasn't much on there at that point in time. The moves that he made, the trades, the drafts, all the different things, the free agency. The things that we did in the offseason to do that, I think you can do that at any point in time and I have full confidence in those guys upstairs.
Q: When you say 'yourself,' how do you evaluate yourself and determine what you need to do differently as a head coach?
A: Well, there are a lot of things that, really, number one is soul searching. A lot of the things that I have to do better with, some of it is, there were a couple game-management situations I could have done a better job in. Honestly, I put this on myself, what happened there, that I wasn't able to pull this team out of that slump when we got into that slump, because regardless of all the things that happened – injuries and all that other stuff – are just excuses. When we started out and then we lost a couple games, I wasn't able to get them over the hump, and so, that falls on top of me, and I have to figure out the reasons why and how, if it ever happens again, I can get it redirected quicker.
Q: What could you have done differently?
A: That's what I'm saying. Yeah, there are some thing I think, but there are, until I research all these things … Some of it, you go back and you think about, 'OK, well, we played on Monday night, then a Sunday, and then the next week was a Thursday, or whatever, a Saturday.' Maybe I should have changed some of the scheduled throughout those times. Maybe I should have had the players more fresh. Maybe I should have pushed them harder. Maybe I should have … There are just so many thing I have to look at that I can't – what has it been, two days? - I can't evaluate everything that I've done. I just know, ultimately, I'm responsible for getting these players to where they need to go, and that's what leadership is. It's taking a group of people somewhere that they've never been before. I haven't done that yet.
Q: So much of what got you here is your force of personality, but do you need to reconsider how you manage people and manage crisis?
A: No. The players, it's not managing the players. I have to do a better job of … What's the best way to say this? The players know I'm going to be me all the time around them. I have to be smarter in other situations.
Q: Can you talk about having eight different starting offensive line combinations and how that puts the team in difficult positions all season long?
A: It's hard to build continuity, but honestly, I don't want to make excuses. Other teams have injuries. We're never, at least as long as I'm here, we're never going to be about excuses and what we don't have. I've told the coaches, 'I don't want to hear what we don't have. I don't care what we don't have.' I care about what we do have, and to me, coaching is getting guys to play good no matter who they are. That's what coaching is, and being successful at doing the best we can do together. So, I'm not going to use that excuse. I'm not going to worry about, again, who got hurt, what happened here or what happened there. It's figuring out a way to get the job done.
Q: Do you expect the rest of your coaching staff to stay in place?
A: I don't know. I'm evaluating everything.
Q: After the bye week, did you sense any chance in the way the team handled themselves?
A: No, actually no. I thought they came in. They practiced. They did things. I'm talking with some of the players and I think one of the good things about talking to a lot of the players yesterday is I got some input from some of those guys on some of things they may have thought I need to sit down and think about. But, no.
Q: Do you think the time you had to spend taking care of your eye kept you from leading the team as much as you wanted?
A: No, no, no. Honestly, I know you guys made a big deal about this eye thing. But, I may have worked one hour less than I normally work. After those surgeries that'd have nothing to do with it. There's a couple of times where I didn't meet with the defense and watch some film. Maybe a 30-minute session because I wasn't supposed to look up, but it was just a couple of times.
Q: Do you want Sharrif Floyd to be back next year?
A: Well, we're evaluating everything right now. So, Sharrif is under contract and I know Rick is in charge with all of that. So, we'll see where it goes.
Q: How about Laquon Treadwell? What do you think about his future based on what you saw this year?
A: I do think Treadwell is going to be a good player. I know that he had a rough season. I see too many good qualities from him to believe that he's not going to be a good player. He's tough. He works his rear end off. He's good in and out of cuts, catches the ball good. I know he's disappointed in the way things went. You know, we can go back and look at Trae Waynes didn't play much his rookie year. I can't remember who else but these things happen to some of these rookies. So, I think you are always going to give young guys the benefit of the doubt as you continue to move forward.
Q: What happened to him? Did he just not learn the offense?
A: No, I think that when he came in here he was a little bit… His feet were bothering him, so that started him off slow a little bit. It wasn't so much about learning the offense. I think it was just he didn't really feel totally healthy coming in until I don't know what time of the year it was. But, I think that set him back, yes.
Q: I know you're not in charge of the contracts and money, but are you hopeful that Adrian Peterson will be on the team in 2017?
A: Well, Adrian is under contract. Adrian's been a tremendous player here for the Vikings for t10 years. He's done some unbelievable things and he's under contract, so yes.
Q: How do you evaluate him when there isn't a lot to look at from this year?
A: Now there isn't a lot to look at, but I was able to see him every day in practice and things that he was able to do. I was able to evaluate. I'm upstairs right now watching cut-ups right now that go through the entire point of the season. You know, part of it is evaluating not just him, but did we block this thing right? Did we get this done? So, there's a lot of different things as we move forward.
Q: Just money aside, what do you think he has left?
A: I think he's still a good back, I think he's a really good back.
Q: What's wrong with Mike Harris?
A: I don't know if I can release the medical thing.
Q: It sounded like he wanted to talk about it, but he deferred to you.
A: I honestly don't think I should divulge this. I mean it's kind of a freak thing that happened and so we are trying to get it taken care of, that's all. I mean, you know, this is the best think for Mike right now.
Q: Is there still a chance he could play next season?
A: I honestly don't know.
Q: You mentioned before looking at model franchises that have been able to sustain success. What are some of those franchises you're going to look to, and how much does that factor in your evaluation this offseason?
A: Well I think you, maybe, misinterpreted it. One of the things I said was that the teams that are consistent year in and year out. I don't know about model franchise and I, obviously, don't know how they do things because I'm not in their building. One of the things I used to do when I was a coordinator, I mean a long time ago, was I tried to pick as many peoples brains as I could and so in this offseason I am going to call some other coaches, visit with them about the way they do things. Hopefully they'll talk to me about it, some may not. I'm not afraid to ask what other people do better than I'm doing and how I can do it better. So, I think that's part of it. I've got some people in mind that I'm going to talk to.
Q: If Teddy Bridgewater is healthy, will there be a quarterback competition in training camp next year?
A: I think Sam [Bradford] has played great this year, number one. I think he's earned the right to be the starting quarterback and right now all I'm worried about is Teddy getting better. He comes in here every single day, busts his rear end and I just want him to get better right now, so we will worry about those things later, but Sam has done remarkable, the things he's done this year with all the things he's had to do.
Q: There has been a lot of speculation, obviously, about Teddy's health. Do you know when he'll be ready to play?
A: I don't know I'm not the, what do you call it, healer or something.
Q: Have they told you anything? Have they given you any kind of timetable?
A: No.
Q: This is something totally different from an ACL injury. What do you know about it?
A: It's different with everyone, actually. With this injury that he has, it's different with everyone. They went back and whoever has had this injury they've studied it and ones have come back and how long it's taken to come back, how long it hasn't come back. But they're all different, there's no exact injury where they're all the same. Talking about an ACL, there's lots of those, but they're all the same. There is really no exact… Some are with nerve damage, some are without nerve damage. There's just so many variables with this particular injury. I do know this, Teddy is a guy that will do everything possible to get back as soon as he can possibly get back. And he would be a guy that I would never bet against.
Q: Are there ones with similar injuries that have not been able to come back at all?
A: I don't know, I'm sure there probably is.
Q: When he got hurt, the team said he torn multiple ligaments in addition to the ACL. What did he tear in addition to the ACL?
A: I don't know all the medical terms. You'd have to ask Eric [Sugarman].
Q: Will you make him available?
A: Eric? Sure he can come right now. He could've done this whole thing for me, to be honest with you.
Q: Do you expect any guys to have surgery this offseason?
A: Let's see, we just met on it yesterday. I think there might be more than what we've had. There might be one, but I can't remember who it was. It's nothing big. We had a few MRIs we had to do yesterday, but I don't remember all that.
Q: Would you try to talk Chad Greenway into coming back for one more season?
A: I love Chad. I think he's a tremendous player, a tremendous locker room guy. I think Chad is the one that needs to make that decision. I think I'm going to talk to him today, I believe.
Q: How many free agents do you have?
A: A lot.
