In a matter of moments, a season that began with so much promise for the Vikings was thrown up into the air.
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According to a recording from an emergency scanner, Bridgewater’s injury was called in as a dislocated knee. The injury to one of the team’s most popular players left a franchise that entered the season with designs on a Super Bowl run shaken to the core.
Bridgewater helped guide the Vikings to the NFC North title in just his second season in the National Football League, passing for 3,231 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. Late Tuesday evening the Viking released a statement about Bridgewater’s injury.
The Vikings host the Los Angeles Rams in their final preseason game Thursday night, though Bridgewater and most of the starters were not expected to play.
Asked about the team’s outlook without Bridgewater, Zimmer said, “My wife passed away 7 years ago and it was a tough day, but the sun still came up the next day”. “I thought we had a chance to make it far in the playoffs, new stadium, but that kind of flashed before my eyes, and I thought, not this year”, said Matt Sims, Minnesota Vikings fan. But it’s more about our feelings for Teddy and him as a person and getting better than it is about anything else.
“Let’s let the kid. let’s let him get healthy”, Zimmer said.
Bridgewater went down in practice with no contact, which is nearly always an extremely serious injury.
Eyewitnesses told one Minneapolis station that Bridgewater’s knee was dangling from his leg after he dropped back for a pass, then collapsed to the ground.
Reporters who witnessed the sequence tweeted that Bridgewater’s teammates immediately gathered around him.
If the team has to move forward without Bridgewater, Zimmer is confident in its ability to do so. “He’ll be back as soon as he possibly can be if it is real bad, but we’re going to keep fighting”. “I’m just asking ’cause I love this kid and our fans love this kid”.
There are some intriguing free agents available should the Vikings lose Bridgewater for a significant portion of time. “So, we’re going to figure out a way”. “We’re not looking for excuses”. Nobody is going to cry for us. Assuming Bridgewater has no setbacks, that time frame pushes his return right up against the start of the 2017 season.
Shaun Hill is the back-up quarterback for the Vikings, but the team will need to find another suitable option heading into the season.
Teddy Bridgewater left practice on Tuesday with a non-contact injury.
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“You know what, it”s still about the football team,” Zimmer said. He’s been in 2-minute drills.
