It was an expected move, but the Minnesota Vikings have moved on from head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman

It was about damn time they moved on from Zim. I don’t know how Wilf’s didn’t make this decision earlier.

Zimmer couldn’t coach a competent defense or offense.

• Points per game: 25.0 (14th)
• Passing yards per game: 249.3 (11th)
• Rushing yards per game: 113.5 (17th)
• Opponent points per game: 25.1 (24th)
• Opponents rushing yards per game: 130.7 (27th)
• Opponents passing yards per game: 252.9 (28th)

Zimmer is a defensive guru, or at one point in his career, he was. That hasn’t been the case in recent memory, and this season was no different. Minnesota had a difficult time stopping opposing offenses, which is a big reason many of their games ended so closely.

Offensively, it’s the same case. If you have Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, then you shouldn’t have any reason not to be a top-10 offense. Too many times the offense was too conservative, and Minnesota failed to stretch the defense.

No matter who the offensive coordinator is, Zimmer controls what is being done on offense.

Zimmer brought the Vikings to the playoffs three times in eight seasons. However, he failed to make the playoffs the last two years. His most notable season was the 2017 year when he brought Minnesota to the NFC Championship game after a 13-3 season.

I didn’t have much of an issue with Spielman because I thought he did a pretty good job. Look at the talent he brought in both draft and free-agent-wise. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but given his track record, I thought he did well.

Some notable draft picks:

• Dalvin Cook
• Justin Jefferson
• Eric Kendricks
• Danielle Hunter

The list goes on.

He was also responsible for bringing in Cousins.

Spielman has been with the team since 2012 and will always have a lasting impression on this organization.

It did feel as if both Zimmer and Spielman were intertwined and therefore both needed to go. A fresh start will be good for this organization, but what direction will this team go? That’s what we’ll find out soon enough.

Who could the Vikings bring in as their next head coach and GM? We’ll take a look at potential replacements in the coming weeks, so be sure to stay tuned to Let’s Talk Minnesota Sports.