The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of a pretty rough season in 2014 and if the team has to rebuild after this year, the Adrian Peterson trade rumors will come up again and while that idea seems crazy, at his age and value he could be moved by the Vikings and this comes as Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Ponder are battling to start in training camp.
According to ESPN.com, the Vikings like what they have in Cassel, Ponder and Bridgewater and all three will get a legitimate chance to compete for the starting job this year. Cassel came in for Ponder last season and helped the Vikings to five wins and that eventually got him a new deal, while Bridgewater is in after being a late first round pick. The team likes Bridgewater, but they are not ready to name him starting QB and that is one reason they have kept Ponder, as they may need an experienced thrower if someone gets injured.
Ponder has been nothing but a disappointment since being a first round pick a few years ago and now he could prove himself to a new coaching staff and coordinator in Norv Turner, who has praised him this offseason. Zimmer said that all three players will be in the mix and that their play on the field will decide how things go. The Vikings have high expectations of bouncing back this season and they have a tough division to deal with between the Bears and the Packers and this could be fun to watch this season.
The Vikings have a tough schedule this season and that is one reason why Cassel likely will be the starter. The team opens up with two of three on the road against the Rams and Saints with a home game against the New England Patriots in the middle. The team plays against the Falcons at home and the Pacers on the road and those will be very tough matchups. The second stretch in the first half is not as bad, but the Lions are improved and so are the Bills and the team has a game on the road in Buffalo and then in Tampa before playing Washington and then going into the bye week.
Last season the Vikings went just 5-10-1 on the season and now they are looking to bounce back and they need the passing offense and passing defense to improve to get that done. The team was ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game and 23rd in passing yards gained and that needs to get better under Mike Zimmer. The team has some young talent, but with Peterson getting older and the value of running backs decreasing, the team really will have to evaluate what happens in the future if they lose again this year. Peterson is a star and future hall of famer probably, but at that price in the salary cap era it could be hard to justify after another losing season.