Come one, come all, to the second installment of our subreddit consensus!
I made a similar post a little over a year ago, and I got over 500 responses! I thought it would be fun to try this again and see if much has changed. This survey is largely the same as the last one, but I added a few more questions from your suggestions last time, and switched up the answering methods to cut down on spam answers that messed with the actual data.
I had a really great time seeing all the responses and discussing it with you all last year. Google Forms has been a little glitchy with me today, but you should be able to view the results in real time after you submit your answers. I figure I'll leave it open for about a week. This isn't for any research purposes and I will never be able to see your username or any identifying info about you or your computer. Just for fun to see the population of our cute lil sub :)
Click here to start!!
edit: here's the link to be able to see the answers to the last two questions! it's an ugly excel sheet, but if you scroll all the way to the right, i've bolded those two columns to make them easier to read.
double edit: it looks like the problem has solved itself and the survey results show the answers to the last two questions in list format!
Just played 2 games after 1 month absense and this game is in such an abismal state that im really lookin forward to know how ufl looks like.
Still cant believe what they have done to this game..
Im a senior who's really interested in the university of Florida and think its a wonderful school. This past summer, I took a trip to Miami and as a New Jersey resident, the sun/heat was absolutely unbearable. The sun felt like I was being cooked and I had to constantly squint the entire trip because the brightness would hurt my eyes. I'm someone who really enjoys being outside all the time and playing sports and running/biking around, so will the weather of Gainesville prevent me from enjoying the outdoors, or is it easy to get used to?
They say f2p without p2w but I can't think of anything cosmetic I would spend any real money on. Have they mentioned monetisation at all?
As some of you know, the Minecraft java 1.18 update just dropped. If you don't know... it's a HUGE update that changed the entirety of the landscape of the game. Caves are actual caves now, mountains are mountains, rivers are RIVERS with different depths, and shorelines can be beaches or cliffs. It's quite cool and it got me back into the game. SO, I have bought a 250 capacity survival server for us to play multiplayer on (java edition) and anyone who wants to join is welcome. I will attach the IP and the discord. Join the discord if you have one. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, they don't have to go to UFL.
Update: teamed up with the existing UF Minecraft server to bring y'all an updated server TOMORROW!
Discord: https://discord.gg/jDvheUd5m2
IP will be released via the discord tomorrow, 12/2 at 7:00PM
CLARIFICATION: this server is vanilla survival... meaning it is normal Minecraft and I bought it so that we could play survival multiplayer.
Title
I've been ready for Zimmer to go for quite some time, but now that the day that he coaches his last game is (likely) upon us, I can't help but feel sad about it.
Though he's a very flawed coach, he's a brilliant defensive mind and a good leader of men. He brought a high level of competence to this team that had been lacking for years. Every single season since 2014, the Vikings have either made the playoffs or been in the hunt well into December. 2015, 2017, and 2019 were extremely fun seasons, 2017 especially. Zimmer's defense took Case Keenum and a bad offensive line to the NFCCG, that's still unbelievably impressive. He did a ton for this team.
I have no doubt that if he decides to coach again (which, for his own sake, I hope he doesnt), he could turn another team into a perennial playoff contender with an elite defense, I really think he's that good. But he's just no longer a good fit for the team, and both sides need a fresh start.
I feel sad about losing him, but there's also a strong sense of trepidation regarding whiffing on this next head coach hire. Like him or not, Zimmer's scheme and style provides a solid floor for this team. We know what he brings to the table, and while his style may not be enough to win a superbowl, it's definitely conducive to competitive, winning football. There's a real chance that the Vikings hire a worse head coach, but that's a risk that we all need to accept.
I can't help but wonder how different things might be without the injuries to key defensive linemen over the last two years and better defensive drafting. Pretty easy to imagine Zim might still have a job (although that's neither here nor there).
I am extremely looking forward to a HC that can (hopefully) be willing to bring this offense into the fucking 21st century. It's an offensive league now, and we need a coach who understands that and designs a scheme that actually empowers our superstar offensive players instead chaining them to an out-dated approach to offensive football.
Where he threw for over 300 yards in the 45-30 loss to the Colts.
Zimmer had a good run with the team, for a time. Probably also worth noting that the team did all of this with Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, and Kirk Cousins (who has come a long way since the Vikings first acquired him) as the starting QBs over that time.
The last few years have been rough. I am not saying Zimmer didn't deserve to get fired. "Defensive mastermind" and they were 24th in total defense this year and 29th last year. And I think this year, 24th doesnt even do justice to how bad they were. The defense overall was just regular bad, but in clutch situations, they were historically bad. They allowed the most points under the 2-minute warning in the last 20 years and were ZERO FOR EIGHT on stopping game-tying or go-ahead scores in the 4th quarter this season. They were probably a pretty mediocre defense otherwise but consistently wilted every single time it mattered.
So no, this is not a Mike Zimmer defense post. Although, it's probably fair to also mention that the team's superstar edge rusher has missed most of the last two seasons, defensive starters particularly in the front 7 being constantly injured, and the Vikings not drafting a single defensive starter in SIX years.
With all that being taken into considering though, this team, especially on offense, has way too much talent to have missed the playoffs two years in a row. The Vikings tied the record for most single-score games in a season. The Vikings were competitive in nearly every game this season, and a good coach needs to be able to do enough on the margins to help secure wins in those close games, which Zimmer has not been able to do.
I have no doubt that if he wants to coach elsewhere, he could turn another team into a top-tier defense with perennial playoff aspirations. But he's just no longer a good fit for the Vikings. Zimmer was never willing to actually empower his offense, which is what has won the Vikings most of their games the last two seasons. The Vikings need a HC (and OC) that will actually be willing to take advantage of the absurd talent the Vikings have on offense. Zero reason that an offense with Cousins/Cook/Jefferson/Thielen with a bunch of other solid players like Mattison/Conklin/Osborn should have been only the 14th scoring offense this season.
But, there was definitely a time when Zimmer had this team in a great spot.
