NFL-Vikings to name Zimmer as head coach - report

Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Minnesota Vikings will hire Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as their head coach, according to a report on the National Football League's website on Wednesday. Zimmer, who has been the defensive coordinator with the Bengals since 2008, will join a Vikings team that allowed a league-worst 480 points during the 2013 NFL season. He will replace Leslie Frazier, who was fired the day after the Vikings finished last in the NFC North division with a 5-10-1 record. Zimmer, 57, who was previously the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys (2000-06) and Atlanta Falcons (2007), has plenty of experience in developing defensive players. The Bengals are coming off a 11-5 season during which they allowed the equal fifth-fewest points against and won the AFC North Division before losing to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Julian Linden)