Rams head coach: 'Control your emotions'

(KMSP) - Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer ripped on the St. Louis Rams for a dirty hit on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ overtime win on Sunday, but Rams head coach Jeff Fisher fired back on Monday.

In a cold, short postgame exchange with Fisher, Zimmer apparently called the hit cheap. At his postgame news conference, Zimmer added, "If we were out on the street, we probably would have had a fight.”

Bridgewater took a vicious blow from Rams defensive back Lamarcus Joyner and was diagnosed with a concussion after being elbowed in the head while he was sliding for a 5-yard gain with about 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

On Monday, Fisher contended Joyner was not trying to injure Bridgewater, and that Zimmer needs to keep his emotions out of the game.

“I think a good lesson to be learned from this is control your emotions immediately after the game and go back and look at the tape before you jump to conclusions,” Fisher said. “Clearly, Mike’s and my handshake was very short, he didn’t say a word. I went up to congratulate him, I was going to ask him how his quarterback was and congratulate him on the win, and he was gone.”

Zimmer also said "there is a history" with Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. He has been under fire by Vikings fans before as the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator during the Vikings NFC Championship hunt in 2010. The Saints' bounty system targeted quarterback Brett Favre and garnered plenty of attention after the Saints won.

Zimmer announced Monday Bridgewater passed his first concussion test, and said if he makes it through the next 48 hours headache-free, he will be cleared to practice on Wednesday. He has more tests to come, per the NFL's concussion protocol, but Zimmer thinks he’ll be ready to go next Sunday in Oakland.