Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, according to the Star Tribune, said Tuesday that they “need” rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to get some game reps with the first-team offense in Friday’s preseason opener against the Oakland Raiders at TCF Bank Stadium.
In the first unofficial depth chart released by the Vikings on Tuesday, Cassel is the starter, Bridgewater the backup and Christian Ponder the third stringer.
“He doesn’t have to be sensational,” Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner said of Bridgewater. “He just has to make good decisions. He needs to protect the ball, get our group in and out of the huddle, get in the right play, get in the right protection. That’s the biggest thing about managing the game.
“He’s going to make plays. When he had an opportunity out here, he’s made plays. He’s made big plays throwing the ball up the field, and he’s made big plays checking the ball down.”
ESPN’s Herm Edwards says the second and third preseason games will be critical for Bridgewater’s chances of starting week one against the St. Louis Rams.
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Former Vikings quarterback and NFL MVP Rich Gannon, who now co-hosts a show on Sirius XM NFL Radio, told Vikings.com’s Mike Wobschall that Cassel looks like he’s a little bit ahead of Bridgewater right now, but Bridgewater starting isn’t a “question of if, it’s a question of when.”
“I think Teddy’s gonna be that guy eventually,” Gannon said.
Vikings fans just need to hope the rookie from Louisville has better accuracy than the spelling of the back of Bridgewater jersey’s that were pulled from Target stores earlier this week, as reported by the Star Tribune.
