The Vikings slipped from a division title in 2015 and 5-0 start to the 2016 season to an 8-8 finish that left them outside of the postseason.
That’s left coach Mike Zimmer and the rest of his staff with a clear goal for the 2017 season and the coach said in an interview with the team’s website that they are already “grinding” to put together a team that can achieve better results this time around. Zimmer also said that he’s wondered if “maybe I didn’t do enough” at this time last year when pondering the disappointing record.
One way he’s working to combat that feeling is by spending more time in offensive meetings than he has in the past to learn about what the team’s offensive coaches think about both their unit and the defenses that are trying to stop them from putting points on the board. Zimmer said his meetings with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and company left him with the feeling that “the heart of the problem” was a poor running game.
The team has already made one move related to that shortcoming by releasing guard Brandon Fusco and there are pending decisions on left tackle Matt Kalil and running back Adrian Peterson that will further shape the look of next season’s Vikings offense.