Mike Zimmer sounds off on Rams after ‘cheap-shot’ on Teddy Bridgewater

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer didn’t hold back in addressing the Rams hit that injured Teddy Bridgewater

The Week 9 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams took an unexpectedly sour turn at the start of the fourth quarter. After taking off and trying to scramble yardage, Vikings quarterback decided to down himself by taking a slide. While Bridgewater was on the ground sliding, Rams defensive back Lamarcus Joyner came in and delivered a huge hit that left Bridgewater knocked out cold for a bit on the field:

Bridgewater obviously didn’t return to the game after that hit and was taken to the back to be evaluated for a concussion. Even though the Vikings picked up an overtime win in the game, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer was livid when the play happened and that seemingly hadn’t cooled off after the game. Talking to reporters, the Vikings head coach sounded off on the hit, the Rams defense, and St. Louis defensive coordinator Gregg Williams:

https://twitter.com/120Sports/status/663481320882892800

Zimmer’s comment about how that kind of cheap-shot on the “street” would have led to a fight is a bit excessive, but everything else that he’s saying is completely warranted. Joyner came into the play incredibly late and showed no signs of letting up as he was laying the hit on the sliding Bridgewater. Though we don’t know about Bridgewater’s status, there’s a chance that he could miss serious time as a result of that hit and Zimmer has every right to be angry over it.

Whether or not Zimmer actually “makes a phone call” to the league office, there’s almost no doubt that Joyner is getting hit with some kind of fine or suspension in the coming week. Despite the league’s many problems and even their issues regarding their handling of situations like this in the past, this kind of hit doesn’t go unpunished in today’s NFL. Hopefully it will be adequate enough to satisfy Zimmer and maybe cool him off a bit.