Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was not flagged for the hit on Aaron Rodgers that resulted in the star quarterback breaking his collarbone, but that didn’t stop Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for deeming the hit illegal. McCarthy’s counterpart disagrees with that assessment.
On Monday, McCarthy said it was an “illegal act” for Barr to drive Rodgers into the ground the way he did. Rodgers was also seen barking at Barr following the play, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said his team would never intentionally deliver a cheap shot.
“We’re playing football,” Zimmer said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “It’s unfortunate that he got hurt but I think everything was above board. We’re not a dirty football team. We’ll never be a dirty football team as long as I’m here. We’re going to play within the rules and sometimes things happen.”
The hit from Barr didn’t appear to be late. McCarthy is arguing that Barr used unnecessary force to drive Rodgers into the turf, but you be the judge:
The injury that sent Aaron Rodgers to the medical tent, then got carted off from the sidelines to the locker room pic.twitter.com/AI9V8lVAEm
More than anything, it looked like the way Rodgers landed was bad luck. A flag would have been thrown if Barr blatantly lifted him off the ground and drove him into the turf, but it appeared the linebacker was just finishing the hit.
We know one NFC North player who doesn’t care about Rodgers’ injury, though he seems to be in the minority. Anytime a star player goes down, there are bound to be some strong opinions.
Of course, the Vikings have been taking this approach ever since his initial injury, so this could be more conjecture — or he could benefit from the slightly longer week and suit up on Monday.
Even if Bradford does return, though, the big quarterback storyline next Monday will likely revolve more around the Bears than it will the Vikings.
Sam Bradford is dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer insists the issue is nothing serious. However, Zimmer’s update probably won’t make Vikings fans feel very optimistic.
Zimmer told reporters that Bradford is “fine,” but he did not rule out the quarterback missing several games.
"Sam is fine. He might play one game from now, he might play six weeks from now. Either way, he's fine." -Mike Zimmer on Bradford's status
Any knee injury is more concerning for Bradford than most players, as he tore the ACL in his left knee back in 2013 and again in 2014. While it does not sound like Bradford is dealing with anything like that this time around, he was obviously in enough pain that he couldn’t play Sunday.
After Bradford lit up the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, fans were anxious to see how Minnesota’s offense would look against a better defense. The Vikings lost 26-9 with Case Keenum making the start.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer remains uncertain of when Teddy Bridgewater will be cleared to play, but he says all of the signs surrounding the quarterback lately have been positive.
After practice on Tuesday, Zimmer told reporters that Bridgewater is trending in the right direction.
“I don’t watch him every single day because he’s over there off to the side while we’re practicing,” he said, according to ESPN.com. “But the reports I get are all positive. And he knows where he’s at and where he’s got to get to. I think he’s progressing well.”
Wednesday marked exactly one year since Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury in practice, and the road to recovery has been a long one. Sam Bradford will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in Week 1, and it’s looking as though Bridgewater will miss at least the first six weeks if he begins the season on the PUP list.
Bridgewater has been spotted slinging the ball around the practice field, but Zimmer reminded reporters that there is more to being game ready than just throwing.
“He’s got to be able to protect himself on the field and be able to do the movements that are required by his position,” he said. “When he’s there, he’ll practice.”
It remains a long shot that Bridgewater will play in 2017, and we could see some drama unfold with his contract depending on when doctors clear him. Regardless of what happens with that, the Vikings are still Bradford’s team for the foreseeable future.
Could we see Teddy Bridgewater on an NFL field in 2017? The answer, according to Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, is yes.
Zimmer told FOX Sports’s Jay Glazer that the quarterback, who suffered a devastating knee injury last August, is progressing well and has a chance to play before the 2017 season is over.
“He’s rehabbing still,” Zimmer said of Bridgewater’s progress. “He’s not able to get out on the field and practice, but during OTAs, he was throwing the ball with the guys, he was moving around some. Every day gets a little bit better. He believes one hundred percent in his heart that he’s gonna overcome this.
“There’s a possibility he could get back this year.”
To be clear, it would still be quite remarkable if Bridgewater managed this, though the team has stubbornly refused to rule it out. If it happens, it likely won’t be until late in the campaign.
With all the talk about the solar eclipse potentially damaging the eyes of those who dared to look directly into the sun on Monday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was not about to take any risks.
Zimmer, who has had eight surgeries on his eye since suffering a detached retina last season, decided it would be best to move practice indoors with the eclipse taking place. Why? He can’t afford to lose his only good eye.
The Vikings did indeed move practice inside because of the eclipse. Mike Zimmer: "I've only got one good retina. I can't lose two."
Zimmer’s attitude about his eye problems has been fantastic, at least publicly. Going through eight procedures in less than a year has to be difficult, but the coach has continuously tried to downplay the health issues. As someone who can hardly see out of his right eye without a contact lens, Zimmer’s eclipse joke holds a lot more weight than the one we saw an NBA team make.
Fortunately, Zimmer said his latest procedure fixed the problem. Here’s hoping he does not suffer any setbacks.
Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has been through eight surgeries on his right eye, and he is downplaying how much of an issue the situation is.
Zimmer dealt with a detached retina in his right eye and, after numerous operations, says that the problem is almost certainly fixed, albeit with side effects.
“I’m done with the surgeries,” Zimmer told Peter King of the MMQB. “The doctor said there was less than 1 percent chance that it would detach again. I have a contact lens now in my bad eye, my right eye. Without the contact, I can hardly see anything. With the contact, I can see kind of good. But it doesn’t really affect me that much. It’s more of a nuisance. My other eye is really good. It’s really not an issue. The doctor is only concerned if something happens to my left eye. I feel really strongly that I do this for the fans, for the team, for the organization—I have to do what’s best for the team, not just what’s best for me. Depth perception, close up work, is hard, but people in all walks of life do it all the time. It’s just part of life.”
Zimmer was philosophical about the situation and can think of worse things.
“It’s a little hard,” Zimmer said. “But losing games, that’s worse.”
Zimmer took time during the offseason to get things corrected, and it sounds like they have been as well as they could be. He’ll coach as normal unless something changes.
The Minnesota Vikings will begin organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday, but head coach Mike Zimmer will not be there to oversee them.
General manager Rick Spielman announced on Monday that Zimmer would be taking a short hiatus from the team after undergoing his eighth eye surgery since last October.
“As the Vikings begin OTA practices, coach Zimmer will be taking time away from the team to dedicate to recovering from eye surgery and restoring his health,” Spielman wrote in a statement released by the Vikings. “We all agree Mike’s health is the priority and we believe rest and recovery are in his best interest for the long term. We anticipate Mike back on the field in a few weeks.”
Zimmer told KFAN-FM in Minneapolis that the decision to take a few weeks off was not his, but rather, the advice of his doctors. They feel rest is what’s best for his overall health at this time.
“The doctors all got together and we had a long meeting about what’s the best for my recuperation of this eye and they are saying I need to spend the next couple weeks working on my recovery,” Zimmer said. “I just left the doctor’s office, had really good news — the redness looks great, the pressure in my eye is really good. At this point now, we just need to take it easy and make sure it continues in the right way.
“I’ll be back hopefully shortly. They felt like it would be better for me to get away for a little bit and just relax.”
Zimmer called missing OTAs “unfortunate,” but added that he’ll remain in contact with the team and his coaching staff over the next several weeks. Additionally, he will not appoint an interim head coach because he expects to be back in relatively short order.
Zimmer was offering some assurances after the team declined to pick up Bridgewater’s fifth-year option. That means the quarterback, who may not even play in 2017, could become a free agent after the season. Zimmer seems to want everyone to know that the team would rather that not happen.
That’s not exactly an encouraging answer. Obviously it will be several months before it really starts to matter, though, so there’s no reason to panic.
That said, some of the reports in the wake of the knee injury were quite foreboding. The less we know, the more susceptible we are in wondering and fearing the worst for the 24-year-old quarterback.
