Mike Zimmer feels revamped line will key Vikings offensive turnaround

Coach Mike Zimmer this morning met with reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton. Zimmer was pinned down for 53 minutes, so he hit a lot of topics. The most popular one was the offensive line.

The Vikings added guard Alex Boone and tackle Andre Smith in free agency, and they also kept around guard Mike Harris and tackles Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt. They now have nine linemen with at least 16 career starts.

"I just wanted to get as many bodies in there as I could then let him fight it out," Zimmer told the media on hand, which thankfully included the team's website. "I just felt like we needed to improve that area."

Not that a specific explanation was needed, but Zimmer acknowledged that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was frequently under pressure and that running back Adrian Peterson was too often met in the backfield.

"Teddy was running for his life half the time," Zimmer said. "We had a whole bunch of 1-yard runs. I just felt like we needed to make some changes."

Zimmer said that one of the reasons the Vikings signed Smith, who started 73 games at right tackle for the Bengals, was that "I like having first-round draft picks that leave other places because they have pedigrees." He added that Smith could be a possibility at left tackle or at the open guard spot, but for now, the plan is for Smith to compete to start at right tackle.

As for Boone, Zimmer likes the attitude he will bring to the offensive line. He added: "I feel like every other position group on our football team has a tough-minded personality. I don't know if our offensive line did."

"I think if we fix this one area I think it's going to help him a lot more than getting a receiver in here," Zimmer said.

Here are a few more highlights from Zimmer's chat down in Florida:

— Zimmer expressed guarded optimism about Loadholt and center John Sullivan. He thinks Loadholt is progressing well in his recovery from a torn Achilles' tendon. "I think he'll be ready," he said. "But I don't know." As for Sullivan, Zimmer said the Vikings are "hoping" that their starting center will be ready to contribute this season after twice undergoing back surgery last year. "He's moving a lot better. He looks a lot better. His body mass is changing and he's getting a lot stronger," Zimmer said. "But who knows?"

— Zimmer didn't "want to get into that Bridgewater and Wallace deal," but he did confirm why the Vikings cut Mike Wallace. "We had a receiver here that was making a lot of money who didn't do what we needed him to do," Zimmer said. He later added: "It was more about money than anything else. I love him. I thought he was a great kid. I think John Harbaugh and the [Ravens] are really going to like him as a person and a competitor."

— Zimmer said there will be a role for outside linebacker Chad Greenway, assuming he re-signs. He suggested that Greenway would again start in the base defense but would only play in sub packages if there are injuries, which he said often happen at that position.