Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer rips team after bad practice

The Minnesota Vikings are a trendy pick to make the playoffs after showing signs of life last season with rookie quarrterback Teddy Bridgewater and first-year head coach Mike Zimmer. Even without All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, who missed the final 15 games due to legal issues, Minnesota went 7-9 and looked dangerous down the stretch.

However, Zimmer is not feeling rosy about his team on Thursday afternoon after calling the morning practice early. Zimmer forced the players to run a lap before ripping into them through the media, per ESPN.

"“That’s not what good teams do. Good teams focus on the task at hand,” Zimmer said. “They don’t focus on what’s happened the last 13 days. They worry about today and worry about getting better. That’s what good teams do.”"

Zimmer called the practice “terrible” and followed that up by telling reporters that he is going to rely on his “size 10s” instead of the veterans. For the Vikings, Thursday was the last day of practicing in Mankato before the Vikings play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their second preseason game this weekend. Minnesota won its first preseason game in the Hall of Fame Game over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14-3.

Bridgewater seemed to agree with Zimmer’s assessment of the practice, talking about needing to show up with more urgency on a day-to-day basis, per the piece.

"“Late in camp, you can’t have that mindset, that you’re just going to come out there and roll the ball,” quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. “Coach Zimmer, he’s a tough coach. He wants everything precise in practice, and we didn’t do a good job of that today.“We’re a much better football team than when we came out today in practice. The proven guys we have in the locker room appreciate that. We’ll come back later today for the walk-through with the right mindset.”"

With Peterson back in the fold along with acquiring receiver Mike Wallace via trade, the offense stands to be potent in Minnesota. The big question is fourth-year left tackle Matt Kalil, who has struggled mightily the past two seasons. If he and his fellow offensive linemen can play better, the Vikings are a quality group.