Dalvin Cook is looking like an answered prayer for the Minnesota Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer, who didn’t have a concrete answer to their backfield after seeing the conclusion of Adrian Peterson’s era with the franchise. With Cook, the Vikings have a potent running back, who is rapidly becoming one of the best in the NFL. Although much of that perception is built on a small sample size of three games, his performances over that stretch deserve the optimism the team has for the rookie.

In his most recent outing, Cook led the Sam Bradford-less Vikings with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries on their way to a 34-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For those keeping count, Cook now has 288 rushing yards – third most in the NFL this season.

After the game, Deion Sanders of NFL Gameday had a chance to speak to the Florida State alum, and one of the things he asked was what it’s like to be coached by Zimmer, a guy Sanders prefaced his question by describing as a no-nonsense type of individual. Cook’s answer didn’t stray too far from Sanders' valuation of the Vikings' head coach.

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Demanding. He demanded and you know, he knows you're not going to be perfect but he's going to demand it as much as he can. He's a hard coach but that's how I love it.

It’s good to hear, especially for Vikings fans, that Cook is getting along just fine with the coach. It seems that Zimmer is pushing all the right buttons in handling the rookie, as Cook has been consistently delivering on the field. With Cook leading the way in the backfield, the Vikings are currently ranked 11th in rushing yards per game (115.0).