Mike Zimmer was on the podium bobbing, weaving and swatting aside all questions he didn't want to answer when the twinkle in his eye suggested he knew his well-honed NFL head coaching stubbornness has just won another tug-of-words with the media.
"You know," he said with a smile, "I'm a six-year veteran at this thing."
Indeed, he is. And that, believe it or not, makes the 63-year-old Vikings coach eighth in seniority among active head coaches. Among NFC coaches, Zimmer is now fourth as he takes his Vikings into Sunday's game against Detroit at U.S. Bank Stadium.