FOXBORO, Mass — Sunday afternoon’s tilt between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots will feature a battle of some of the best minds in football, and it didn’t take much prodding to get them to sing the other’s praises.
During their respective conference calls with the opposing team’s media, both Bill Belichick and Mike Zimmer had some lofty praise for one another. For Belichick, he listed Zimmer — who is in his fifth season at the helm in Minnesota — as one of the NFL’s best coaches.
“I think Mike’s one of the best coaches in the league, no question about it,” Belichick said Tuesday, via The Athletic’s Chad Graff. “We always watch what they do … to give us ideas.”
Asked to respond Wednesday morning, Zimmer was appreciative of the comment, albeit with a little caution, and was sure to return the favor.
“Yeah, you know, I mean he’s the best coach ever,” Zimmer said. “I think it’s a compliment that he thinks that of me, hopefully he’s not just saying it because we play them this week.”
The only time Zimmer and Belichick have faced each other as head coaches was in 2014, Zimmer’s first season in charge of the Vikings, with the Patriots thumping Minnesota 30-7 in Week 2.
