Mike Zimmer was sitting in his office on a hot August day when the discussion took a hard left — or perhaps a push right — toward kickers.
The interviewer asked a leading question that went something like, “So, kickers, how much do they drive you crazy?”
The Vikings coach laughed and said, “They drive me crazy.”
As well they should.
And, at that point, Zimmer didn’t realize that rookie Daniel Carlson — the highest-drafted kicker in team history as a fifth-rounder — would last only two games before a Lambeau Field implosion that would usher in Dan Bailey to finish out the season.