Forum The Longship Teammates impressed with Teddy Bridgewater in firs...

Teammates impressed with Teddy Bridgewater in first day back

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/10/19/teammates-impressed-with-teddy-bridgewater-in-first-day-back/

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer did his best to keep the expectations in check.His players felt no such compulsion after watching quarterback Teddy Bridgewater practice for the first time in 14 months.
Via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Bridgewater’s teammates were effusive in their praise of the former (and possibly near future) starter.
I thought he looked like Joe Montana,’’ tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “He was excited. He was smiling, bringing energy to practice.’’
“He looked good,’’ running back Jerick McKinnon said. “Just to see him go through that whole stage, the process of rehabbing, working through the kinks, and to come out here the first day and just be him and do him is something remarkable to see.’’
Bridgewater hadn’t practiced since blowing out his left knee on Aug. 30, 2016, but according to backup quarterback Kyle Sloter, Bridgewater was getting some reps in practice with the first team.
“It looks like they’re trying to get him ready to play,” Sloter said. “Case is the guy right now, he’s been playing well, . . .But I thought looked great.’’
With Sam Bradford out with a knee injury, Keenum is in charge for the moment. But if the progress from Bridgewater continues at this pace, it’ll be hard for the Vikings to hold him back.

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#1 · Oct 19, 8:54 AM
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nfl would love for teddys first game back to be in london. could pull a little more viewers. 

i doubt he plays but nothing surprises

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#22 · Oct 23, 5:19 PM
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I can about guarantee that not only does he not play,  but he won't even be active yet.

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#23 · Oct 23, 5:42 PM
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@"JimmyinSD" said: I can about guarantee that not only does he not play,  but he won't even be active yet.
They'll wait until the last possible millisecond to activate him off the PUP list is my guess.
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#24 · Oct 24, 12:03 AM
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It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 

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#25 · Oct 24, 6:01 AM
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@"MaroonBells" said: It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 
IMO, you bring him back before the Rams game. That is a ferocious defense. That's really putting him into the fire for a first game return type thing.
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#26 · Oct 24, 6:04 AM
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@"StickyBun" said:
@"MaroonBells" said: It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 
IMO, you bring him back before the Rams game. That is a ferocious defense. That's really putting him into the fire for a first game return type thing.
I thought of that, but it's the NFL. If you're waiting for an easy game, you'll be waiting a long time. I think it might be more important to start him at home, and there's only one between now and December 17th. 
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#27 · Oct 24, 6:21 AM
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My guess, we win a good game in London, Vikings 27 - Browns 13, go 6-2 and come out of the bye healthy. 

Case starts the Washington game, a game that will be intense as a Washington Loss could give them 5 losses by week 10.

We win, Case starts vs StL, we lose (particularly due to bad QB play), Teddy starts the home game vs StL. 

We beat Washington despite bad QB play, I believe Case qill have a half to stay starter, if not Teddy comes out in the second half as the starter to lead us to what will be 8-2

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#28 · Oct 24, 6:29 AM
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Joe Montana, Teddy playing in London. good lord.  

This thing go still go a million different ways. Teddy may not get to active roster, Sam has a healing, neither one gets better (god forbid).

I can barely wrap my head around just playing the Brownies this week...And I don't like playing "o'fer" teams btw. 

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#29 · Oct 24, 6:45 AM
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@"StickyBun" said:
@"MaroonBells" said: It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 
IMO, you bring him back before the Rams game. That is a ferocious defense. That's really putting him into the fire for a first game return type thing.

The Redskins have a pretty tough pass rush as well...  I agree with MaroonBells, we could be waiting awhile if want to ease Teddy in against an "easy" team.  I wouldn't be opposed to starting him against Detroit either...
I just hope we don't rush Teddy back.  I get the sense that the Vikings view him as their long-term QB option if he can fully recover...  I hope they keep that long-term view in mind when making the decision to start him.

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#30 · Oct 24, 7:04 AM
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I think we will see a Sam start before a Teddy start.  

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#31 · Oct 24, 7:07 AM
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@"Wetlander" said:
@"StickyBun" said:
@"MaroonBells" said: It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 
IMO, you bring him back before the Rams game. That is a ferocious defense. That's really putting him into the fire for a first game return type thing.

The Redskins have a pretty tough pass rush as well...  I agree with MaroonBells, we could be waiting awhile if want to ease Teddy in against an "easy" team.  I wouldn't be opposed to starting him against Detroit either...
I just hope we don't rush Teddy back.  I get the sense that the Vikings view him as their long-term QB option if he can fully recover...  I hope they keep that long-term view in mind when making the decision to start him.



I don't know if the Vikings feel that way or not: but he's a warm body at the position right now as Bradford might not play again this year and Sloter is an UDFA rookie. Teddy said he could have been practicing 2-3 weeks ago, so I don't get all this angst about if he's ready or not. He won't play Sunday, then there's a bye week and he's ready to go anytime after that. Why wait? 

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#32 · Oct 24, 7:07 AM
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@"Wetlander" said:
@"StickyBun" said:
@"MaroonBells" said: It would be foolish to play him in London. Vikings aren't foolish. Very often. I wouldn't even send him. I think the most likely game is week 11 against the Rams, the first home game after the bye. And the last home game before a month-long road trip. 
IMO, you bring him back before the Rams game. That is a ferocious defense. That's really putting him into the fire for a first game return type thing.

The Redskins have a pretty tough pass rush as well...  I agree with MaroonBells, we could be waiting awhile if want to ease Teddy in against an "easy" team.  I wouldn't be opposed to starting him against Detroit either...
I just hope we don't rush Teddy back.  I get the sense that the Vikings view him as their long-term QB option if he can fully recover...  I hope they keep that long-term view in mind when making the decision to start him.



if he is medically cleared to play... which he is,   I dont see the benefit in holding him back.  Yes he might play better with more prep time,  but as far as getting out there and playing football again I dont think he benefits from more off time.  if he suffers a set back it could happen at anytime now,  I dont know that the knee is going to get any stronger than it currently likely is or I wouldnt think they would be putting him in harms way.

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#33 · Oct 24, 7:29 AM
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The decision to NOT extend Bradford this offseason, some of Zimmer's comments, and all the "hype" videos of Teddy from OTAs, training camp, and him jogging onto the field for his first day of practice last Wednesday make it seem like the team is keeping him front and center.  If they didn't have long-term plans for Teddy, I don't think they would have done this stuff because it kind of undercuts Sam Bradford if they were looking to keep him as the starter beyond this season.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this...
As far as when to start Teddy, maybe I'm just getting stage fright since he actually has a legit chance to play again...  but he's been out of action for a while.  Even if he was "healthy" enough to practice 2-3 weeks ago, he still needs to rebuild chemistry with our receivers, get comfortable playing against a live defense, and knock off some of the rust.  I'm glad it's not my decision!

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#34 · Oct 24, 7:32 AM
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@"Wetlander" said: The decision to NOT extend Bradford this offseason, some of Zimmer's comments, and all the "hype" videos of Teddy from OTAs, training camp, and him jogging onto the field for his first day of practice last Wednesday make it seem like the team is keeping him front and center.  If they didn't have long-term plans for Teddy, I don't think they would have done this stuff because it kind of undercuts Sam Bradford if they were looking to keep him as the starter beyond this season.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this... As far as when to start Teddy, maybe I'm just getting stage fright since he actually has a legit chance to play again...  but he's been out of action for a while.  Even if he was "healthy" enough to practice 2-3 weeks ago, he still needs to rebuild chemistry with our receivers, get comfortable playing against a live defense, and knock off some of the rust.  I'm glad it's not my decision!


Im with you on that point.  What ever the coaches and trainers decide on,  I am fine with.

However... I have to say that we really need to know this year where Teddy is at in terms of how we approach the draft and free agency.   If Teddys knee is going to be a long term concern I would much rather find out now than next August.  I want the best for the kid,  but I dont want it to come at the expense of the team ( and Im sure Teddy wouldnt want that either)

For every reason that we dont want to resign Sam now without some major outs,  we have those same questions and concerns with Teddy and likely more since we really just dont know,  and he had never yet played at the level that Sam was able to show at times.

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#35 · Oct 24, 7:38 AM
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@"Skodin" said: My guess, we win a good game in London, Vikings 27 - Browns 13, go 6-2 and come out of the bye healthy. 

Case starts the Washington game, a game that will be intense as a Washington Loss could give them 5 losses by week 10.

We win, Case starts vs StL, we lose (particularly due to bad QB play), Teddy starts the home game vs StL. 

We beat Washington despite bad QB play, I believe Case qill have a half to stay starter, if not Teddy comes out in the second half as the starter to lead us to what will be 8-2


This is my thought too. 

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#36 · Oct 24, 8:20 AM
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Teddy has made the decision that he wants to continue his NFL career. He knows the risks. Teddy's terrible injury was non-contact. There are no easy games. If he wants to continue his career and if the team feels he can, then he needs to start playing. My hope is he gets in the game against Washington. There's got to be a first game, a first snap, a first hit, a first sack...not one fan of this team will be breathing the first time Teddy gets hit...until he gets up again.

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#37 · Oct 24, 9:20 AM
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@"JimmyinSD" said:
@"Wetlander" said: The decision to NOT extend Bradford this offseason, some of Zimmer's comments, and all the "hype" videos of Teddy from OTAs, training camp, and him jogging onto the field for his first day of practice last Wednesday make it seem like the team is keeping him front and center.  If they didn't have long-term plans for Teddy, I don't think they would have done this stuff because it kind of undercuts Sam Bradford if they were looking to keep him as the starter beyond this season.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this... As far as when to start Teddy, maybe I'm just getting stage fright since he actually has a legit chance to play again...  but he's been out of action for a while.  Even if he was "healthy" enough to practice 2-3 weeks ago, he still needs to rebuild chemistry with our receivers, get comfortable playing against a live defense, and knock off some of the rust.  I'm glad it's not my decision!


Im with you on that point.  What ever the coaches and trainers decide on,  I am fine with.

However... I have to say that we really need to know this year where Teddy is at in terms of how we approach the draft and free agency.   If Teddys knee is going to be a long term concern I would much rather find out now than next August.  I want the best for the kid,  but I dont want it to come at the expense of the team ( and Im sure Teddy wouldnt want that either)

For every reason that we dont want to resign Sam now without some major outs,  we have those same questions and concerns with Teddy and likely more since we really just dont know,  and he had never yet played at the level that Sam was able to show at times.



Agree. Vikings may be viewing Bradford's situation as a cautionary tale when it comes to Teddy. And I agree completely that we need to know where we are with Teddy THIS year.

We already know that Teddy has been running the offense every week in his head. Cognitively, I'm betting he's as prepared as anyone else. Physically, if the surgeon gives him the green light, he should be good to go. Psychological impact is the big question. If he passes that test, then it's just a nail-biting wait to see if the knee falters or swells...but we need to know that this year. 

I keep wondering what happens if Sam and Teddy are ready at the exact same time. 

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#38 · Oct 24, 9:50 AM
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@"MaroonBells" said:
@"JimmyinSD" said:
@"Wetlander" said: The decision to NOT extend Bradford this offseason, some of Zimmer's comments, and all the "hype" videos of Teddy from OTAs, training camp, and him jogging onto the field for his first day of practice last Wednesday make it seem like the team is keeping him front and center.  If they didn't have long-term plans for Teddy, I don't think they would have done this stuff because it kind of undercuts Sam Bradford if they were looking to keep him as the starter beyond this season.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this... As far as when to start Teddy, maybe I'm just getting stage fright since he actually has a legit chance to play again...  but he's been out of action for a while.  Even if he was "healthy" enough to practice 2-3 weeks ago, he still needs to rebuild chemistry with our receivers, get comfortable playing against a live defense, and knock off some of the rust.  I'm glad it's not my decision!


Im with you on that point.  What ever the coaches and trainers decide on,  I am fine with.

However... I have to say that we really need to know this year where Teddy is at in terms of how we approach the draft and free agency.   If Teddys knee is going to be a long term concern I would much rather find out now than next August.  I want the best for the kid,  but I dont want it to come at the expense of the team ( and Im sure Teddy wouldnt want that either)

For every reason that we dont want to resign Sam now without some major outs,  we have those same questions and concerns with Teddy and likely more since we really just dont know,  and he had never yet played at the level that Sam was able to show at times.



Agree. Vikings may be viewing Bradford's situation as a cautionary tale when it comes to Teddy. And I agree completely that we need to know where we are with Teddy THIS year.

We already know that Teddy has been running the offense every week in his head. Cognitively, I'm betting he's as prepared as anyone else. Physically, if the surgeon gives him the green light, he should be good to go. Psychological impact is the big question. If he passes that test, then it's just a nail-biting wait to see if the knee falters or swells...but we need to know that this year. 

I keep wondering what happens if Sam and Teddy are ready at the exact same time. 



Rock Paper Scissors?  ( you have to think that would have been the plan if Tice was still here  :)  )

in that case though... I have to give the first opportunity to Sam,   he was the starter, he has proven more in both his career and with this offense.  although if I was on the inside,  I would make sure it didnt happen and to give Teddy the first look just because he is the one technically under contract for next year and in theory he appears to have the better prognosis for a football future.

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#39 · Oct 24, 9:55 AM
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@"Wetlander" said: The decision to NOT extend Bradford this offseason, some of Zimmer's comments, and all the "hype" videos of Teddy from OTAs, training camp, and him jogging onto the field for his first day of practice last Wednesday make it seem like the team is keeping him front and center.  If they didn't have long-term plans for Teddy, I don't think they would have done this stuff because it kind of undercuts Sam Bradford if they were looking to keep him as the starter beyond this season.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this...


I don't know - you could turn a lot of that around to spin a different story: decision to NOT pick up Bridgewater's 5th year option, making Shurmur the OC, making Bradford a team captain, all might seem like a conscious effort to favor Bradford.

Honestly, I don't think there has been a "grand plan", at least not one shared by the entire organization. I think they have 2 QBs that both have huge uncertainties attached to them, and those were even more uncertain during this past offseason, and the team's main goal was to keep both options as completely open as possible, no commitment to either. 

One impression I have is that the team has made NO commitment to Keenum, not verbally and they sat him at Chicago. I think they see him as a backup for a missing starter, and that starter has not lost his job due to injury. Now, is that starter Bridgewater or Bradford? Not sure, but I do not think the Vikings need to see some loss or bad performance by Keenum to replace him. When one of them is healthy, Keenum will sit, regardless of whether the upcoming game is home or away, or soft defense or not. I think Keenum will be on the bench against Washington if one of the B QBs is healthy enough to play.

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#40 · Oct 25, 10:43 AM
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