Image courtesy of Vikings.com
Based on some of the recent reactions to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater missing a preseason game last Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks due to shoulder soreness, some would have thought he broke his face and was going to miss the entire 2016 regular season.
But he did not, and he is still on track to open the season as the Vikings’ starter for their Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. As long as Minnesota does not let him try and clean his own cleats with a pair of scissors, he should be good to go for the team’s first game.
Part of the problem may be the response that Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer has given to the reporters who have asked him about Teddy’s “injury”. Zimmer continues to reiterate to the media that it was his decision to keep Bridgewater out against the Seahawks and that his quarterback is perfectly fine.
Minnesota’s coach is not known for his passive delivery of words, but why does he sound like someone who is caught in an obvious lie, yet still sticks to his or her story anyways? If there is truly nothing to worry about with Teddy, then why does Zimmer keep responding to reporters like they are about to take away his hunting license?
If he were to come out and say, “listen guys, Teddy is fine and we are just making sure he is healthy for the season. I wanted to give our quarterback some extra rest during the preseason and there is nothing more to it than that,” it might have been forgotten by now. But Zimmer has been sticking to his Belichickian, short phrases with the recent Bridgewater questions and he really has no obligation to do anything different until the regular season begins.
During the preseason, there is no injury report. Therefore, coaches have no required duty to inform the national media about the current health status of their players.
So what Zimmer is doing is perfectly fine and he has every right to do so. But he also has to remember that answering questions from reporters is part of his job, no matter how annoying it can be at times.
But back to Teddy. A little shoulder soreness is nothing for a guy who played in a game with a broken wrist and a sprained ankle while at Louisville in 2012.
He is fine and he will be under center for the Vikings’ first offensive drive of the regular season. So take a few deep breaths and go back to worrying about something else like the offensive line or Blair Walsh.
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Sully had "just a sore back." Just sayin'.
The implication is that Zimmer lied. What was the lie? Saying that it is a coach's decision is not a lie and does not preclude a sore shoulder as the reason for his decision. . Has he denied that Teddy has a sore shoulder?
Sorry, Cory. I was actually responding to the article rather than replying to you.
Kalil is hurt. Sounds like Hill has something wrong also. Drama. I don't like drama.
"keep responding to reporters like they are about to take away his hunting license?" great Minnesota line. I have been on the West Coast for 5 years. This made me nostalgic.
There are two types of people in this world: those we can extrapolate from limited information.
I looked up extrapolate, read the definition, still don't know what it means. Thanks Tomb.
It's a thinker, Cart, but it's actually sort of funny when you get it.
Extrapolate means to extend a graph beyond determined points based on the curve of the graph. It is how absolute 0 (0 Kelvins = -273.2 C) was determined. It is impossible to actually take away enough heat to get to 0 energy, so impossible to actually get to and positively determine absolute 0. But it is determined based on energy vs ambient temperature recorded at reachable temperatures, and then the graph is extended along the same curve to get to 0 energy, hence 0 Kelvins. A figurative statement such as Tomb's means a conclusion is reached based on "extending" known facts. I apologize for throwing science into a football discussion, I am a chemist.
I'm concerned. When you change somebody's lifelong motion it is no surprise that arm/shoulder problems arise.
I'm a bit concerned too Matt. Hopefully it's not going to become an issue. Last year I had a "sore" shoulder playing softball. It only got worse, very painful to throw hard. It only healed after 3 months of no throwing.