Open Thread: Looks Like Zimmer's Here To Stay (knock on wood)

He may be head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals at some point, hehe.

Sorry thank Zim did not get a promotion, but ecstatic that he will return to fulfill his contract….we have a little unfinished business from last year that I am sure Zim would like to finish. :)

I’ve been thinking about Marvin’s contract situation for a while. The more I think about it, the less likely I think it is he’ll be the head coach here in 2013. That may mean some kind of front office job, or it may mean him leaving the organization. But the terms of his recent extension (most notably how short it was) and the fact that, even after a fairly successful year, he isn’t interested in talking about a new extension makes me think he’s not interested in doing this at least for Cincinnati after this year. So the fact that Zimmer and Gruden are most likely both staying this year is great.

So which would you prefer? I love Zimmer to death, but I keep coming down on the side of Gruden. Of the two, he’s the only one who’s ever been a head coach in any capacity. For whatever reason, at least half a dozen teams have interviewed and passed on Zimmer for HC vacancies in the last 5 years. It might be he really just doesn’t have the temperament to be a head coach, while he is the PERFECT defensive coordinator. I think, in a perfect world, my scenario would be for Marvin to coach the team to a deep playoff run this year, be named something like Head of Football Operations next year, have Gruden promoted to HC, and sign ZImmer to a 45 year contract as DC for roughly $1 billion per year.

But the players LOVE playing for him. He consistently gets guys to play seemingly above their talent level. I dont’ think he’ll be inventing any new blitzes no one has ever seen before or re-defining any long held football beliefs in what it is to play defense, but he will constantly get the respect of his unit and make average players into good players, and good players into great players. I can’t wait to see what happens when he starts getting some REAL talent. Look what he’s doing with Geno. I think scheme is overrated. Baltimore’s defense has been what it is the past 15 years because of Ray Lewis, not because of the train of DC’s they’ve had coem and go. Zimmer brings that attitude to this team.

Interviews are about selling yourself, and some people have a hard time at it. They would rather their work/history speak for itself than puff smoke up someone’s a$$…

We all know that Zim can have an abrasive, “tell it like it is and pull no punches” sort of mentality. While this is awesome for a coordinator or other guy trying to inspire his guys to play their hearts out (which is one reason the Bengals players love him so much), NFL teams want a head coach that can be a manger and a public face.

An earlier comment mused about him in a post-game press conference after a tough loss. Woe to the sorry reporter who would dare ask a “dumb” question. That’s Zimmer. And while that’s a great sound bite for the “old school tough coach” which Zimmer is, that’s not what NFL teams want. They want the diplomat who is going to weigh their words carefully and put a good face forth for the team. Personally, I think that’s what has held him back. But… That’s a benefit for us.