Washington Commanders

Jay Gruden, Mike Zimmer Face Off For Second Time As Head Coaches

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer used to coach together. On Sunday, they will be opposing each other for the second time in their head coaching careers.

Over the past five years, it seems like the Cincinnati Bengals have been a breeding ground for NFL coaches. Their coordinators have gotten a lot of opportunities to go on and become head coaches, and 2014 was no exception. During that year, the Bengals lost offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to the Washington Redskins and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to the Minnesota Vikings. The two are facing off for just the second time since the duo left Cincinnati.

Gruden and Zimmer worked together for the Bengals during the 2011-2013 seasons. Zimmer was with the team prior to that, but Gruden came on as the offensive coordinator following the 2010 season. Immediately, Gruden helped to develop Andy Dalton and get his career on the right track while Zimmer continued to work his strong defense. They were a dynamic duo that helped Marvin Lewis lead the Bengals to the playoffs for three straight years.

In three seasons with the Redskins, Jay Gruden has done fairly well. Granted, he only has a record of 17-22-1 in two and a half seasons, but he does have a playoff appearance to his credit. More importantly, he has helped the Redskins to transition past the Robert Griffin III era and made the critical decision to make Kirk Cousins the starter in 2015. That move has paid off, and the Redskins front office has to be happy with that.

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With the Vikings, Zimmer has followed a similar path. His overall record is superior to Gruden’s, the Vikings are 23-16 over two and a half seasons, but he has excellent at building an excellent defense. This should come as no surprise, given the success he had in Cincinnati, but he rebuilt the Vikings incredibly fast. He has helped to draft and develop key contributors, and that has been his calling card to success.

When the two coaches met for the first time in 2014, the result went in favor of the Vikings. The teams engaged in a hard fought offensive battle that saw the Vikings come out on top 29-26. This time around, the game should be a lot more defensive minded, as the Minnesota defense has been a strength and the Redskins defense should capitalize on some of the Vikings’ issues.

It is definitely going to be interesting to watch these two coaches plan for this game. After all, they spent three seasons together, so you have to imagine that they know some of each other’s tendencies. This game has to carry some sort of pride for each of them, so keep an eye on them both as they patrol the sidelines on Sunday afternoon.

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