Justin Zimmer, from DII long shot to serious DT prospect

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://theathletic.com/2759774/2021/08/09/after-his-share-of-letdowns-justin-zimmer-has-become-one-of-the-most-respected-players-on-the-bills-roster/?source=emp_shared_article

 

Sounds like Zimmer is trying to outwork his way onto the roster:

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“I come out 25 to 30 minutes early every day. I go over to our boxes that we have over there on the D-Line,” Zimmer began. “It depends on what the emphasis of the day, so today was third down stuff, so I did pretty much every pass rush move that I like, use on a regular basis, and I try to visualize exactly where the lineman would be. I’m doing this move, what’s my counter off it. I’ll do it from the three-technique, I’ll do it from the nose tackle… I’ll just go through that for about 20, 25 minutes trying to get everything that could possibly happen, so that when I see it on the field, nothing surprises me anymore.”

 

The routines are just part of what makes Zimmer more than just another defensive tackle on the roster. It’s also about how he somehow turned a non-descript mid-August signing last year into a spot on the practice squad just 20 days later. Then, into getting the call up to the active roster after a breakout against Kansas City last October. And then into a game-winning play late in the fourth quarter against a division rival.

 

And out-strength

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Center Mitch Morse found out he was going to field questions about Zimmer. Without hesitation, Morse says, “The Iron Giant.”

“I think you talk about a guy who competes tirelessly without saying too much,” Morse said. “He’s a guy who’s going to get his work in, he’s going to compete his ass off and he’s not going to do anything dirty. He’s going to come in and you have to buckle your chinstrap when you go against Justin because he’s just going to bring the juice. You love that about him.”

 

Morse also called Zimmer the strongest NFL player he’s ever been around in the weight room. Morse recalled watching Zimmer do eight effortless reps of the Romanian Deadlift with 455 on the bar.

 

“It was insane. It made me hurt,” Morse said.

 

Sounds like a very self-aware guy who has made himself into an NFL player by hard work:

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“I think my first year, I wasn’t really being honest with myself. I was like, ‘Well they’re just not giving me enough opportunities,’ but really, I wasn’t making any plays,” Zimmer said. “Every day since then, I just try to find out one thing that I’m not doing well enough, focus on that, and once I can get that down, I’ll move on to a different move or a different skill set… That’s why each time I’ve came into camp and I’ve performed better than the previous year. I just keep on improving because I like to figure out what I need to improve and I really focus on that. I just have to be really honest with myself.”

 

And  the coaches see it:

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In an offseason where all the talk was about Star Lotulelei’s return, Ed Oliver’s third season or Harrison Phillips being fully healthy, Zimmer, like so many times in his career, was a bit of the forgotten man in the defensive tackle room.

 

“He’s not forgotten in our eyes,” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “Myself and the coaches, Eric Washington and Jacques Cesaire — the D-Line coaches, they reference a number of times… don’t forget about Justin Zimmer. He epitomizes what you look for in a football player. The way he works. The way he approaches every single practice, every meeting. He’s a lunch pail guy. He did a great job for us. He’s a tough out. He’s going to battle every single step.”

 

Zimmer unsurprisingly has been a standout during training camp this summer. And on Friday night in Detroit, only two-and-a-half hours from where he went to high school, Zimmer will enter a preseason game trying to make his stay in Buffalo a permanent one.

 

Good article

 

 

[GunnerBill]

I think he works as hard as anyone. Just not sure he is talented enough. I think there are 53s he is good enough to be on. Still sceptical if the Bills 53 is one of them.

[Victory Formation]

It doesn’t surprise me.

[JESSEFEFFER]

He is not just a D3 try hard guy.  He has something many others do not.

 

[Might Rather]

Mcdermott does like hard working guys like him... gotta help his chances of making the roster.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I think he works as hard as anyone. Just not sure he is talented enough. I think there are 53s he is good enough to be on. Still sceptical if the Bills 53 is one of them.

 

It sounds as though he has the innate athleticism, but coming from a DII school he had a ways to go as far as learning his craft.

 

Sounds as though he may be getting there, especially on a roster that is not loaded with young talent at DT.

 

I dunno, I think Horrible Harry seems like a marvelous guy, but he seems so into his activities outside football that I wonder if he's really putting in the same kinds of efforts to get better, or if he figures being physically strong and recovered from his torn ACL is enough.

 

 

[ColoradoBills]

Zimmer epitomizes the hungry hard working guys that Beane and McDermott like to have around in camp and the PS.

It seems to me that his chances lie in beating out Butler for a job.

I don't care (and I think OBD feels the same way) if Butler took a cut in pay.  It's about being able to help the team more than

the other guy.  Any way you cut it Butler will be gone after this year anyway.   

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, Might Rather said:

Mcdermott does like hard working guys like him... gotta help his chances of making the roster.

 

In case hard work at OBD isn't enough, he has something else McDermott values: he was a winning wrestler in HS

 

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Bills fans know how McDermott loves his former wrestlers too. Well, Zimmer won regional wrestling championships in both his junior and senior year of high school.

 

And from the Athletic article, it sounds as though he epitomizes the "Growth Mindset"

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“I’ll just like put like anything I can on a spreadsheet because I feel like it helps me organize things if I see it,” Zimmer said, before disclosing his go-to spreadsheet. Yet another window into the Zimmer allure for the Bills.

“So like, after the season, I went through all of my run plays, put it on a spreadsheet, put what position I was playing, put what the play was, put what the blocking combination was, how I did on the play, what I could do better. The same thing with a pass rush. It just kind of like gave me, here’s what you did well last year, here’s what you didn’t do well, so those, it gave me what I needed to work on for the offseason.”

 

[Doc]

He's as physically gifted a DT as Josh is a QB.  Whether he reaches his full potential as a player like Josh is is the biggest question.

[Motorin']

22 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

https://theathletic.com/2759774/2021/08/09/after-his-share-of-letdowns-justin-zimmer-has-become-one-of-the-most-respected-players-on-the-bills-roster/?source=emp_shared_article

 

Sounds like Zimmer is trying to outwork his way onto the roster:

 

And out-strength

 

Sounds like a very self-aware guy who has made himself into an NFL player by hard work:

 

And  the coaches see it:

 

Good article

 

 

 

Wow, how far we have come. How many years did we get articles like this during Training Camp about guys who would never play in the NFL? Now we're getting TC stories about a guy who's best play beat the Patriots and helped the Bills cruise to an AFC East title... 

 

 

[Punching Bag]

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

In case hard work at OBD isn't enough, he has something else McDermott values: he was a winning wrestler in HS

 

 

And from the Athletic article, it sounds as though he epitomizes the "Growth Mindset"

Quote

 

“I’ll just like put like anything I can on a spreadsheet because I feel like it helps me organize things if I see it,” Zimmer said, before disclosing his go-to spreadsheet. Yet another window into the Zimmer allure for the Bills.

“So like, after the season, I went through all of my run plays, put it on a spreadsheet, put what position I was playing, put what the play was, put what the blocking combination was, how I did on the play, what I could do better. The same thing with a pass rush. It just kind of like gave me, here’s what you did well last year, here’s what you didn’t do well, so those, it gave me what I needed to work on for the offseason.”

 

 

 

Sounds like Zimmer will end up on Analysts team post football.  

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Another Whaley gem 😆 

[mushypeaches]

I don't see Butler making this team, regardless of the cap impact.  They're gonna roll with Star, Harry, Zimmer, and Oliver as main line DT's

 

We have enough DE's as well, and Addison's spot is also less than secure

 

And I'm definitely OK with both of these things provided our young guys can ball out

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

 

[marky]

38 minutes ago, JESSEFEFFER said:

He is not just a D3 try hard guy.  He has something many others do not.

 

That's not an inspiring list. 5 years in, still waiting. A few more years, retirement. By this time, if he was going to do it, he would have done it. And that's in a league and position where you know what you got right out of the gate first look.

[BuffaloRebound]

These are the fluff articles written about guys right before they get cut or traded.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, mushypeaches said:

I don't see Butler making this team, regardless of the cap impact.  They're gonna roll with Star, Harry, Zimmer, and Oliver as main line DT's

 

We have enough DE's as well, and Addison's spot is also less than secure

 

And I'm definitely OK with both of these things provided our young guys can ball out

 

FWIW, the Bills kept 4 DT and 5 DE last season.  One of the DTs was Q Jefferson, who was a bit of a "hybrid", and between injuries and Star opting out, it was a bit of a problem.

 

I won't tell you it's impossible that they keep Zimmer over Butler.  But Butler is the biggest guy (height and weight) on a relatively undersized group of DTs, so I think he gets every chance to earn his spot.

 

[YoloinOhio]

Listening to the parrino/Talbot podcast and they said zimmer struggled today vs Ryan bates. Not sure if that’s bad for zimmer or good for bates 

[Warcodered]

19 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Listening to the parrino/Talbot podcast and they said zimmer struggled today vs Ryan bates. Not sure if that’s bad for zimmer or good for bates 

Bates seems liwkey the most secure backup O-lineman on the team he's just too good at too many spots for them not to keep him.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Warcodered

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

I think he works as hard as anyone. Just not sure he is talented enough. I think there are 53s he is good enough to be on. Still sceptical if the Bills 53 is one of them.

 

He might be the most athletic player on the entire team.

 

People talk about Allen being a freaky athlete but Zimmer is, I think, even a step above that...for his position he is all-time freaky.

 

35 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

FWIW, the Bills kept 4 DT and 5 DE last season.  One of the DTs was Q Jefferson, who was a bit of a "hybrid", and between injuries and Star opting out, it was a bit of a problem.

 

I won't tell you it's impossible that they keep Zimmer over Butler.  But Butler is the biggest guy (height and weight) on a relatively undersized group of DTs, so I think he gets every chance to earn his spot.

 

 

I can name a bunch of plays that Zimmer made last year...one of which one a game for us and another that was an inch away from giving us the ball deep in Chief's territory late in the 4th quarter with a chance to take the lead.

 

Can you think of one play that Butler made last year? I sure can't.

 

I think the Bills want players who make a difference, Zimmer definitely has an edge over Butler in that regard

Edited August 9, 2021 by Big Turk