Mike Zimmer lauds Patriots' Bill Belichick as “best coach” in NFL history

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Bill Belichick knows a good coach when he sees one, and he holds Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in very high regard.

The two coaches will meet Sunday at Gillette Stadium when Belichick's New England Patriots host Zimmer's Vikings in a much-anticipated Week 13 showdown. Belichick recently called Zimmer one of the NFL's best coaches, and Zimmer responded Wednesday with huge praise for the Patriots' leader.

"Yeah, you know, he’s the best coach ever," Zimmer said during a media conference call. "I think it’s a compliment that he thinks that of me. Hopefully, he’s not just saying it because we play them this week."

Belichick gives lots of praise to every opponent, and he's done that again in the build up to Sunday. Some week's it's more warranted than others, and it is this week because the Vikings are one of the better teams in the league. But it's still hard to believe Belichick would call Zimmer one of the best coaches in football if he didn't actually mean it. 

Zimmer's claim that Belichick is the best coach ever is interesting as well. Belichick's resumé is better than anyone's. He's the only head coach with five Super Bowl titles, and he also won two as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990. 

We should expect a well-coached game Sunday between two disciplined teams, given who will be on the sidelines. In fact, the Patriots are the second-least penalized team per game in the league, and the Vikings are eighth.

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