Not a peep has come from Mike Zimmer in the nearly seven months since he was fired by the Minnesota Vikings, and there has been little to no visual sightings of the former head coach. That is until this past weekend when Zimmer was at his old stomping grounds, taking in a Cincinnati Bengals training camp practice.
Zimmer was spotted on the sidelines during the Bengals’ practice on Sunday. While he didn’t speak to reporters, the 66-year-old was in his element, chatting with Bengals play-by-play announcer Dan Hoard as the team ran through warmups.
Mike Zimmer at practice today chatting here with Bengals PBP voice Dan Hoard. #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/Jl1YzzlzXh
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 7, 2022
The great Mike Zimmer is at #Bengals practice today.
His son Adam is an offensive consultant on Zac Taylor’s staff this year pic.twitter.com/anfaqlMPfB— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) August 7, 2022
It’s not shocking to see Zimmer hanging out at Bengals practice. He spent six seasons (2008-13) as the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati and his son Adam, who served as the Vikings’ co-defensive coordinator the past two seasons, has joined Zac Taylor’s staff as an offensive consultant.
In the days that followed Zimmer’s firing after eight seasons in Minnesota, linebacker Eric Kendricks called Zimmer installed “a fear-based culture” and general manager Rick Spielman said the task of constructing the roster “was like a moving target” due to all of the changes on the coaching staff.
Adam Thielen and Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller also noted the “lack of yelling” during practices at training camp this year, which is a nod to Kevin O’Connell’s laid-back demeanor.
Still, no response from Zimmer to any of his critics. Maybe that’ll change in time, but for now, the coach is keeping quiet.
