Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is preparing his team to not only face quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but Kyle Shanahan as well. He knows that when facing the San Francisco 49ers head coach, you've got to be ready for his schemes more than just his quarterback.
"I think Kyle does a really good job with his play selections and trying to scheme against your weaknesses," Zimmer said on a conference call Wednesday morning. "We'll try to combat that the best we can."
As for Garoppolo, Zimmer is somewhat familiar with the 49ers quarterback. The Vikings scouted him coming out of college when Zimmer arrived in Minnesota in 2014. What does the head coach remember seeing from Garoppolo back then?
"He was a guy who had a strong arm," Zimmer said. "If I remember right — I have to go back and all those things — he played very confidently, a lot of those same things that you're seeing now. He moves well. I think he was able to fit a lot of balls in tight windows back then. So it's real similar."
Garoppolo spent the majority of his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots before the 49ers pulled off a late-October trade for the quarterback.
"Obviously, he's improved tremendously since [2014]," Zimmer added. "I think being in New England has helped him a lot. But he's doing a really good job. We're going to have to defend both the scheme and him."
Zimmer only has five games' worth of film from last year to go on as he looks for ways to defend against Garoppolo within Shanahan's scheme.
"Obviously, he played well in all those games," the head coach said. "He stood under pressure, made some nice throws. All we have to go on is what we have to go on."
Running back Jerick McKinnon spent his first four NFL seasons with the Vikings before signing with the 49ers in March. He suffered a torn ACL during practice this past Saturday and will have season-ending surgery on his right knee. On Monday, McKinnon said he was disappointed he won't have the opportunity to go against his former team.
"I'm sorry that it happened to Jerick," Zimmer said. "He's a great kid. He was great for us, good hard worker, a smile on his face every day. I'm sure [the 49ers] are going to miss him in some ways, but they've got some other good backs. But it is unfortunate for him."