The Minnesota Vikings start training camp with a quarterback battle between Matt Cassel, rookie Teddy Bridgewater and backup Christian Ponder and the two players that end up on top could be there for 2014 and if someone like Ponder ends up in third place, a trade could go down in the future and this comes as Adrian Peterson and Mike Zimmer are trying to bring the Vikes back after missing the playoffs last season.
The Vikings picked Bridgewater in the first round of the NFL draft this year and while they have high hopes for him, right now the team is comfortable with Cassel as the starter. According to ESPN.com, Norv Turner and Zimmer are giving all three QBs a chance to win the job and as it stands now, Cassel has the inside track with Bridgewater and Ponder battling for the backup spot. Ponder knows the team better than the rookie, but Turner and Zimmer said they were impressed with Bridgewater in minicamp and that he could get a realistic shot.
Bridgewater was very solid in minicamp and that gives him a chance to be in the mix and one reason why he could be the backup or even the starter is how he works under pressure. According to ESPN.com, Bridgewater completed over 50 percent of his passes last season with Louisville while under pressure, while Cassel was at 38 percent and Ponder was a 46 percent. The team also has Kain Colter, but he is not coming in as a QB and it will likely be Cassel, Ponder and Bridgewater once the season starts, unless something drastic happens.
Last season the Vikings were a very inconsistent team and they split time between Ponder and Cassel at quarterback and it was Cassel who had hands in all five of the wins for the team. Turner has said that he likes what Ponder brings to the table and he is an option to remain even if he doesn't win the starting job. Many teams like the Vikings had the chance to trade their backups this offseason, but they opted not to so they could make sure an experienced backup was still in the mix. The Patriots, Vikings and Redskins all had similar situations with Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins, but those teams also decided to keep their backups for the time being.
The Vikings went just 5-10-1 last season and ended up 23rd in the league in passing yards with 214 yards per game in the air and they need to get those numbers on the better half of things. The team has high hopes for Cordarrelle Patterson and having Adrian Peterson always opens up the passing game. Last season Peterson had another strong year and the team ranked eighth in rushing yards per game and the offense now will get a shot in the arm from Turner, who has been known to be a QB whisperer of sorts and the Vikings need that. The Vikings have a tough division with the Bears and Packers and they could be a wild card out of this one depending on who wins the QB job.
