There were more famous moments, to be sure, from Mike Zimmer's relatively successful eight-year run as Vikings head coach.

But I don't know if there was one quite as instructive as this blistering assessment of his team's play: "I told them it was a very poor performance. We're going to scrimmage next week with this same bunch, because we didn't tackle well, we made the wrong checks on defense with the safeties, we throw an interception for a touchdown, we go three-and-out the first two series, terrible punts. So other than that, it's been great."

That came at halftime of a preseason game in 2021, which would turn out to be Zimmer's final year. It was hardly the first time Zimmer had groused about a performance or called out players.

It's a tactic that some would argue needs to be deployed more sparingly. Vikings players were looking for something new after the departure of Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman, a sentiment linebacker Eric Kendricks crystallized with another famous quote: "I don't think a fear-based organization is the way to go."

Coaches still need to wield a hammer, so to speak, but not for every job. When a coach uses blunt force in small but noticeable doses, it carries more intention and meaning — something I talked about on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast in the context of another Minnesota head coach.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is normally mild-mannered. The biggest things I've noticed about the typical Finch news conference is that he tends to compliment his players even if he is offering constructive criticism and that his answers tend to end in "so ..." and then trail off without a real finish.

That changed on Monday, when Finch had a pointed message after his team messed around and found itself in a dicey game against the depleted Hawks, even though they ultimately won 100-92. "That was a totally unacceptable second half of basketball," Finch said postgame. "If we're trying to be a team and go where we're trying to go, that's not good enough."

Perhaps concerned that the message wasn't enough, Finch lit into his players during a pregame film session Wednesday before a game against Phoenix.

"The way he did us in film today, particularly me, it was a tough day for us," star Anthony Edwards said.

A still charged-up Finch then went out and got his first career ejection in the midst of a tense and close game against the Suns. The Wolves were down by two at the time. They blasted Phoenix the rest of the way for their fourth straight win.

The point? It's time for players to take things more seriously, and Finch was inviting them to match his intensity. They noticed because it was unusual. You can't play that card every game or in every tough situation because then it just becomes the story of the coach who cried wolf.

Now we'll see how long it lasts for the coach and his Wolves.