Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is one passionate man. It’s this passion that has helped the team turn it around, potentially looking to compete for a Lombardi Trophy this season.
It also doesn’t come without some pretty intriguing quirks and other motivation tactics that make the common person take a step back.
One such motivation tactic took play immediately prior to Zimmer’s team heading off to its bye with a 5-0 record.
“Before dismissing his 5-0 team for the bye week, coach Mike Zimmer scattered stuffed animals of the feline variety throughout Winter Park,” Mike Vensel of the Star Tribune reported Monday. “Their throats were slashed, with some of the white stuffing within seeping out, and were then splattered with red paint.”
Um. Now, comes the highly anticipated wait for PETA to get involved in the Vikings’ internal dealings. We know it’s coming. It’s just a matter of time. Really, it is.
The primary point here was for Zimmer to motivate his Vikings players to stay fit during the bye week, as evidenced by the sign that hung in the team’s locker room.
“Fat cats get slaughtered.”
While technically incorrect, it likely did find a way to seep into the minds of Zimmer’s players heading into their Week 6 bye.
Unfortunately, the Vikings almost literally found themselves slaughtered in Philadelphia on Sunday. They dropped a 21-10 affair, their first loss of the season. Sam Bradford turned the ball over three times in what was a mistake-prone game for the entire team.
Not to call out Zimmer for his odd attempt at motivation, one has to wonder if Vikings players were worried about something more menacing accompanying them in the locker room following the game.
See, this thing can work in two different ways. For now, let’s just hope Zimmer sticks with stuffed animals. Anything else would be a representation of him going a tad too far.