Vikings’ Coach Mike Zimmer hammers players for not being vaccinated after three QBs end up in Covid protocol

Vikings practice on Saturday nights; Star Tribune

… tough situation in a team sport

This is a tough time to be a football coach. The sudden ascent of the Covid 19 varient that has wrecked havoc with areas of the country that have large number of unvaccinated people has made life more miserable than normal for coaches. 

Ask Mike Zimmer. The head coach of the Minnesota Vikings slammed his quarterbacks on Saturday night who had not been vaccinated and the other players who have decided to not take the vaccine. 

This is frustrating for coaches who think that players should be concerned for the welfare of their teammates — and coaches. 

Saturday night

The Vikings had three or their four QBs out of action at Saturday night’s practice, which infuriated Zimmer,

Jake Browning was the only Vikings quarterback available for Saturday's annual night practice at TCO Stadium, after the team's other three quarterbacks were forced to quarantine by the NFL's COVID-19 protocols.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins was deemed a high-risk close contact to an infected player, according to a league source, and that player is reportedly fellow quarterback Kellen Mond. Backup quarterback Nate Stanley has also been quarantined, according to NFL Media. The Vikings announced Saturday that "multiple players" were going to be held out because of COVID protocols.

Coach Mike Zimmer did not confirm which players were out, but did say that Browning was vaccinated and available to practice. League rules don't require vaccinated players to isolate if they're close contacts with an infected person.

Zimmer expressed disappointment Saturday before practice, saying, "it's why people should get vaccinated."

"Quite honestly, after everything we went through last year, I'm not surprised one bit," he said. "I am disappointed that this happened. I'm frustrated, not just with my football players who didn't get vaccinated, but I'm frustrated with everybody [who didn't]. We'll just do the best we can."

Mond is vaccinated, according to two league sources, and if he has tested positive and is asymptomatic, he can return as quickly as 48 hours with two negative tests taken a day apart. Cousins being isolated as a close contact indicates he is unvaccinated and subject to a five-day quarantine.

That means Cousins could return Thursday at the earliest. Asked in June about whether he is vaccinated, he said he chooses "to keep my medical 

history private."

Andrew Krammer, “Three Vikings quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins, sidelined 

by league Covid-19 protocols,” Star-Tribune, August 1, 2021

Will Cousins become expendable?

How angry will Zimmer be at Cousins, who had failed to live up to the accomplishments of his precedecessor who led the team to the NFC title game in 2017?

That is difficult to say, but what is clear is that he is very upset with him right now, and he is happy with the QB backup who is vaccinated,

It’s unclear when Cousins, Mond and Stanley will be able to return for the Vikings. It depends on a number of things, including whether or not they test positive, if they show symptoms and more.

In the meantime, though, Zimmer knows the team will have to lean on Browning — the former Washington star who is in his third year in the league, but has yet to take a snap.

Because Browning is vaccinated, Zimmer said, he’s in a great position to gain ground in his quest to earn the backup job.

"Jake's really smart. He's vaccinated," Zimmer said, via the Star Tribune. "That helps to be the backup. So, as we move forward here, he's going to get a ton of reps [Saturday night]. I don't about saying, 'It's going to go a long way,' because we've still got a lot of camp to go, but we'll see. He's out there. He's available. That's important. It's important to be available when you're playing football, a team sport.”

It’s unclear how many of the Vikings are vaccinated. The NFL said earlier this week that almost 88% of players in the league have received at least one dose, and that 19 of the 32 teams have a vaccination rate of more than 90%.

Ryan Young, “Mike Zimmer slams his quarterback room, unvaccinated 

Americans after Covid-19 outbreak,” Yahoo Sports, July 31, 2021

Lays down the gauntlet

Zimmer then pointed out what could happen during the season with unvaccinated players, and how it could impact a season,

"Something like this happens a day before a game that has a chance to get you to the playoffs or something like that," Zimmer said.” This Delta variant is rough. You can see the cases going up every single day now. That's why, for the sake of everybody's health, I think it's important. But some people don't understand, I guess."

Andrew Krammer, “Three Vikings quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins, sidelined by league Covid-19 protocols,” Star-Tribune, August 1, 2021

Such is the difficult case for those who fail to think of the team first, but instead focus on just themselves.