It’s not all bad news for the Vikings. Teddy Bridgewater has a torn ACL and a dislocated knee, but no nerve damage. In other words, his career isn’t far, over from it, but his season is. The bigger question now is whether the Vikings’ season is over, too.
The Vikings aren’t doomed without Teddy Bridgewater
Sure, it dampens some of the high hopes for this team, but they still have the pieces in place to be very competitive in the NFC this year.
Minnesota’s gotten a lot of hype in the offseason. For good reason, after finishing with an 11-5 record last year and a missed field goal away from beating the Seahawks in the playoffs. The defense looks much better. They still have an offense built around Adrian Peterson, and the offensive line got a much needed upgrade.
Building a winning team around a good ground game and a strong defense isn’t exactly new. It’s not flashy, and Vikings fans probably aren’t going to find much solace in the fact that the team has been forced into the season with the same approach Jeff Fisher uses.
But don’t forget, the Vikings have Mike Zimmer, too, a coach who’s shown over and over again that he’s smart, tough as nails, and able to adjust to circumstances.
Offensive line — No quarterback was pressured more than Bridgewater was last season. He was pressured on 46.8 percent of his dropbacks, and it took a big bite out of the Vikings passing game, especially the deep passing game. Minnesota didn’t have Phil Loadholt at right tackle last year. They don’t have him this year either — he retired — but they installed Andre Smith in his place. The guards should be much better too thanks to the addition of Alex Boone. Don’t forget, the Vikings also brought in a new offensive line coach, Tony Sparano, who’s got a much better record at that job than, say, interim head coach.
Ground game — Adrian Peterson is 31, but he’s kind of been the exception to the rule of running backs in decline after the age of 30. Bridgewater’s injury complicates that a bit because a better passing game would have saved some wear and tear on Peterson. Still, there’s no reason to think he can’t still be effective. The Vikings led the league with 139 broken tackles last year. Beefing up the offensive line means Peterson and Jerick McKinnon might not have to see as much contact.
Better receivers — The only major addition Minnesota made among their offensive weapons was drafting Laquon Treadwell in the first round this year. While his pre-draft hype may have faded after a meh showing at the Combine, he looks like he could be a solid possession type, which is a handy asset to have now that Shaun Hill is the starting QB. That frees up Stefon Diggs to do more work deep (assuming Hill can occasionally get him the ball). Maybe Charles Johnson will carry through his solid camp and preseason performance.
That defense — The front seven gets a lot of attention here, and for good reason. Everson Griffin, last year’s team sack leader, has been one of the most talked about names in camp this season. It looks like Anthony Barr is going to do more pass rushing too. Minnesota was one of only four defenses to pressure opposing QBs on more than 30 percent of their pass attempts, according to Football Outsiders (Seattle, Denver and Arizona were the other three teams, pretty good company).
But it’s the secondary that might be the real strength of the group. Second-year corner Trae Waynes looks ready to assume a bigger role. Harrison Smith’s two interceptions in last week’s preseason thumping of the Chargers certainly isn’t a bad sign, either.
Not all hope is lost. But while these are some very luxurious silver linings for the Vikings, they’re still going to be more severely limited in what they can do overall with Shaun Hill or whoever they might get to replace him at quarterback.
All the preseason hype and the predictions for winning the NFC North rested largely on what Bridgewater could have done in his third season. A playoff run isn’t impossible for Minnesota. Do not underestimate Mike Zimmer. But we’re probably going to have to wait a year to crown Minnesota as the best team in the NFC.
QB SHOPPING: The Vikings are going to have to get a better backup quarterback next year.
TUNA’S ADVICE: Bill Parcells still believes in the Vikings, and he told Mike Zimmer as much.
MEET SHAUN HILL, AGAIN: Might as well get to know Shaun Hill and what he can do.
JETS KEEPING GENO? Todd Bowles says Jets could keep all four quarterbacks on roster. Geno Smith is another name who’s apt to get some interest on the trade market with so many teams in need of a better answer at backup (or even starter). Bowles might not be bluffing because the Jets could use a good backup themselves. However, this might be their best chance to get a decent return for Smith.
REACTIONARIES: NFL executive said he hasn’t seen level of front office dislike for Colin Kaepernick since Rae Carruth. In case you are wondering whether or not some NFL general managers are taking a calm, measured approach to the Colin Kaepernick National Anthem controversy, I can assure you they are not. It’s incredibly dumb, but NFL front office folks aren’t typically known for their ability to handle nuance.
However, it raises the question of just how desirable Kaepernick would be on the market with so many teams hurting for QB help. It may not matter. Chip Kelly says Colin Kaepernick one of best two quarterbacks. On the roster that is. Does this mean the 49ers will try to trade him once again? There was some speculation that he could be cut, so we'll see what happens.
DALLAS WON’T RISK DAK: Cowboys won’t play Dak Prescott in their final preseason game. A VERY smart move.
SHERMAN SAYS: Richard Sherman: “Make the billionaires who actually benefit from the stadiums pay for them.” Agree, 100 percent.
SAINTS SIGN KRUGER: The Saints are signing Paul Kruger. New Orleans is taking the all-castoff approach to building a defense this year. How much worse could it really be than last year’s squad?
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Colin Kaepernick is one of many to protest anthem
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