The season can’t end soon enough for the Minnesota Vikings, who after starting 5-0 have lost 8 of 10 and are trying to put an end to a PR nightmare after reports of cornerback Xavier Rhodes disobeying head coach Mike Zimmer in Minnesota’s loss to Green Bay.
But this story is all kinds of strange.
Zimmer and Rhodes, along with Terence Newman, described the fiasco as a miscommunication during Monday’s media availability.
The uncomfortable situation developed after Saturday’s loss to the Packers when Zimmer said Rhodes didn’t shadow Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelson as planned. His words caught fire and spread into reports about Rhodes not following the game plan for the entire first half. That report died when a new report Sunday said it only happened on the first series of the game.
https://twitter.com/XavierRhodes29_/status/813040514668838913
Then a third layer to the story developed Monday with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that Rhodes felt “compelled” to listen to veteran cornerback Terence Newman when Newman instructed Rhodes that he was going to cover Nelson.
Dug deeper on #Vikings CB situation: Xavier Rhodes told Mike Zimmer he felt compelled to listen to Terence Newman’s instructions sources say
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2016
In the 1Q, Rhodes informed Zimmer that Newman told him the vet could cover Jordy Nelson. Rhodes relented, then covered for Newman postgame
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2016
Zimmer told Newman to “do what he’s supposed to do” when Newman approached the coach about covering Nelson.
But now is all apparently rosy for the soon-to-be vacationing Vikings.
