Bridgewater: “Biggest Thing I Remember is the Guys Supporting Me”

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Jul 28, 2017
Image courtesy of Vikings.com

The first official day of Minnesota Vikings training camp is in the books, and while Thursday’s news stream paled in comparison to the day prior, Mike Zimmer and Teddy Bridgewater still gave fans plenty to chew on during their respective afternoon press conferences.

In addition to the mountain of incomplete information provided by Zimmer and Bridgewater, the Vikings also kept fans on their toes with both left tackle Riley Reiff and wide receiver Adam Thielen leaving practice early due to injury.

Having all the information is often a necessary pre-requisite for success — so let’s briefly review the impact moments from Day 4 of Vikings training camp in Mankato.

TEDDY TALK

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For the first time since he suffered potentially the most gruesome injury in NFL history, Bridgewater stepped in front of the media to discuss everything from his rehabilitation to what he recalls from the drop back that put him on the shelf in the first place.

“It was no contact, probably just a bad step,” Bridgewater said. “I put a lot of force into the ground, and I’m pretty sure the knee just gave out.

“The biggest thing I remember is the guys supporting me.”

It is no secret that Bridgewater is not only a fan favorite but a locker room favorite as well — and, honestly, what reason is there for him not to be? In addition to citing his relationship with his teammates through an emotional anecdote, he also noted that the most difficult mental battle he has faced thus far is not being able to have fun with teammates on the field.

“Just not being out there with the guys,” he said. “I eat, sleep, breathe football. When I’m on the sidelines having to watch those guys make big plays and have fun out there, it does something to you, but in a good way. It motivates you to get back out there so I can have some fun with those guys.”

Bridgewater, who noted that Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore and former Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos rusher Willis McGahee have been key mentors to him during the rehabilitation process, made it very clear that has been progressing at an efficient rate but still intends to take everything one day at a time.

“I can’t even think long-term,” he said. “I have to take it one day at a time. Within a blink of an eye it was taken away from me, so right now I’m just focused on Teddy, trying to get healthy and the rest will take care of itself.”

The Vikings quarterback did make one comment that, if judged instinctively, could rub his loyal fanbase the wrong way. Bridgewater did not respond to a question regarding his future with the Vikings with a line synonymous with “I intend to be a Viking for life” as he instead deferred to a more universal, less confrontational response.

“I just want to continue to play football at the end of the day,” the former Louisville Cardinal said. “To even be having this conversation about continuing to play football, that just continues motivates me right there, knowing that I get to continue to live out my dream.”

Simply put, Bridgewater’s purpose has yet to be denied and seemingly never will be.

PODIUM PRESENCE

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Bridgewater wasn’t the only one dropping knowledge on the Twin Cities media Thursday afternoon — the Vikings head coach attempted to follow his quarterback’s excellent interview and unequivocally succeeded. Zimmer, who has long ran with the joke that he hates speaking with the media, stepped up to the microphone with authority and stated a handful of important pieces of information:

  1. Offensive Line Revamp

    “The No. 1 thing we want to do right is work on getting solid fundamentals, getting a strong foundation down and then finally getting the right five guys in there so they can start working with some cohesion and working together.”

    “I want to be right; I don’t really have a date. The sooner the better, obviously, but I want to be right. I don’t want to have to go through everything we had to go through a year ago.”

  2. Loves His Teddy

    “He’s really done a remarkable job. I know I never said what the prognosis was when he got hurt, but it was not good. And for him to come as far as he’s come; we knew, you never really know, but we kind of knew it was going to be a long process, and for where he is at right now is really remarkable. It’s a testament to not only to him but to his mom, the way he was brought up, the things he’s doing. I think he’s in a good place right now, and I think he kind of sees the end game now.”

  3. Treadwell vs. Inner Demons 

    “You know the biggest thing with Laquon, I think; he needs to continue to build the confidence in himself. If he drops a ball, he has to forget about it and go on to the next play and go make a play. With him it’s just making plays and probably not being quite so hard on himself.”

  4. Newman? Yes. New position? No. 

    “Terence is a corner, that’s where he’s going to play. If we need him at nickel or safety or some other spot then we’ll do that, but he’s a corner.”

  5. Floyd Can Attend Meetings 

    “The good thing with the suspension is that [M. Floyd] can go to meetings. He just can’t go to practice or anything like that, so he should be on top of things.”

  6. Confidence in Mack 

    “I don’t feel pressured to change the game plan. They have done a good job, but the bullets aren’t being shot right now. … I’m not even going to say it … we will be OK at the nickel position, OK?”

INJURY SCARES

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One may say that injuries were an issue for the Vikings in 2016 — in fact, one better say this given the outrageous number of long-term ailments Minnesota players suffered this past season.

And for at least a few moments it appeared as if the woes followed the team into 2017, as both Reiff and Thielen left afternoon practice early as a result of injury:

But just as Vikings fans began searching for their emergency box of tissues, the football gods decided to be merciful. Reiff, according to Zimmer, did not suffer a significant injury, simply referring to the undisclosed issue as “nothing serious”.

In fact, one could accidentally infer that the football gods favor the purple and gold given that both Reiff and Thielen escaped with minor ailments. The Vikings’ projected No. 2 wide receiver technically returned to practice after leaving — the only problem was that the rest of his teammates had packed up and gone home:

If this does prove to be the final report from his tenure with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Matt Vensel went out the right way — through alerting the masses that the Vikings’ most important offensive tackle is OK following a terrifying early-camp injury scare. We thank you, Matt.