Five days removed from his latest eye surgery — the eighth on his troublesome right eye — Vikings coach Mike Zimmer left Minnesota on Monday to return to his ranch in Kentucky, where he is expected to spend the next few weeks focusing on his recovery.
During a follow-up appointment with his doctors Monday morning, Zimmer reluctantly agreed to put his health above his football team as the Vikings this week begin the third and final stage of their voluntary offseason program with the start of organized team activities.
But Zimmer said the doctors gave him "really good news" about his eye, which has bothered the coach since last fall, when he had the first of his surgeries.