Vikings players are enjoying a day off, “Victory Monday” as they call it, but players and coaches are still fuming after what they say was a “cheap shot” that forced quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out of the game Sunday.
The Vikings starting signal caller left early in the fourth quarter after being knocked unconscious from a shoulder to the head from Rams CB Lamarcus Joyner. Joyner’s hit was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and will be reviewed by the NFL Monday.
“I would never intentionally do a dirty play like that on Teddy Bridgewater. It was a bam-bam play,” Joyner said, according to ProFootballTalk. “I did not know he was gonna slide. When I launched, he slid, and we connected. If I could take it back, personally, I will take it back. I’m not a dirty player.”
Vikings players lined up in denouncing the play. Starting guard Brandon Fusco said Joyner’s “full of crap,” the Pioneer Press reports. “Teddy clearly gave himself up,” cornerback Captain Munnerlyn added.
As Vikings players went after Joyner, head coach Mike Zimmer took aim at Gregg Williams, a Rams coach Vikings fans have vilified for years.
Williams was a key figure in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal when they punished Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game. Zimmer fumed: “If we were out on the street, we probably would have had a fight.”
Bridgewater suffered a concussion and will have to pass the NFL’s concussion protocol this week before being cleared to play against Oakland. However, Bridgewater was reportedly walking around in the post game locker room and went out to dinner Sunday night.
Teddy Bridgewater was able to go out to dinner with his family last night, a good sign. Way too soon to know if he'll be cleared by Sunday
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2015
