How about a little zen from Mike Zimmer?
"There's an old saying that, 'You can't start winning until you stop losing,' " the Vikings head coach said during an interview with **KFAN** 100.3-FM's Dan Barreiro on Tuesday afternoon in which he provided the host and listeners with an update on the health of his right eye and his assessment of his team.
Zimmer has undergone four procedures on the eye for a detached retina since Nov. 1, including an emergency procedure last Wednesday that kept him — reluctantly — from attending Minnesota's Thursday Night Football game against Dallas.
He was able to watch the first NFL game he's missed since launching his career in the pros with the Cowboys in 1994 but had instructions to not get excited.
"I did a pretty good job for the most part until kind of the end of the football game," Zimmer said. "It was hard, I guess, but maybe it gave me a little different perspective on seeing the team play as well. Obviously I wish I would have been there to have the opportunity to try and help the football team the best I could. But I think coaches did a good job throughout the course of the ball game. And obviously the players, for the most part, did some good things."
View images from the Vikings Tuesday, December 6 practice at Winter Park.
Zimmer, however, did notice a continuation of the self-harm that's been perplexing the Vikings, who have lost six of seven games to fall to 6-6 with four to play. The mistakes, often unforced errors like pre-snap penalties in the red zone, have been detrimental as all four of Minnesota's most-recent losses have been by six or fewer points.
The losses include a pair of contests against Detroit (8-4), which has taken a two-game lead on Minnesota via a pair of fourth-quarter comeback victories.
"We have no margin for error … Right now, we're losing these football games," Zimmer said. "The scoreboard says we got beat twice against Detroit and once against Dallas, but in reality we beat ourselves in all those ball games. That's a reflection on me and a reflection on this football team, and quite frankly, I don't like it."
Barring a colossal collapse by the Lions, the Vikings feel like they have to run the table in their final four games to have a shot at repeating as division champs. Even if Minnesota closes with four straight wins, Detroit can claim its first NFC North title by splitting its **remaining games**. Green Bay (6-6) is also still in the mix of things.
The Vikings are 2-4 in games decided by six or fewer points this season. The 2-10 Jaguars are 2-6 in games decided by seven or fewer points this season.
Zimmer is expecting another tough challenge for the Vikings this week against a Jaguars squad that ranks fourth in yards allowed per game and second in pass yards allowed per game.
"They're very disciplined in things they do defensively," Zimmer said. "They play with a lot of extra safety in the box. Their defense is very similar to what Seattle does. Almost every one of their ball games has been three points, six points, whatever, and they've turned the ball over some.
"There are no games in this league where you can't go out and not perform and expect to win," Zimmer said. "We need to go out and perform. We need to eliminate the mistakes that we're making that are causing us to lose and we need to focus on our jobs. The other thing I told the team today is we need to quit worrying about being splintered offensively. Just do your job and shut the heck up."
Asked a follow-up question by Barreiro, Zimmer added, "It's the 'EEF—everyone else's fault.' Look in the mirror, point at yourself and then let's go."
