The Vikings placed Sam Bradford on injured reserve and activated Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday.
Thoughts on today's developments:
1. Bradford has made a grotesque amount of money in the NFL while failing to ever become a big winner. If you want to focus on his salary, you could bash him for this.
But what I saw from Bradford as a Viking was a talented, accurate pro whose knee interrupted his career when he was about to play the best football of his life. I saw a competitor who was primed to lead the Vikings to a division title and make them a dangerous playoff team. His knee didn't hold up. I don't know how you blame him for that.
2. Mike Zimmer was remarkably open and thoughtful in his press conference today. Usually he hates talking about injuries and their implications. Today he seemed to sense that it is his job to frame the discussion and be open enough to discourage wild speculation. He'll start Case Keenum on Sunday and did nothing to dissuade the notion that he'd like Bridgewater to eventually play. He called it a week-to-week thing. Usually in the NFL that's a cop-out. In this case I believe it is quite literally true.
3. Zimmer said Bridgewater is wearing a brace, and hesitated to say he's moving as well as he ever did. Bridgewater's teammates have said that his arm is stronger than before and that he looks great in practice.
4. No use in predicting when Bridgewater might play. If Keenum plays brilliantly, the Vikings won't have to make a move. Perspective: Bradford is the only Vikings quarterback to beat a team with a winning record this season. Keenum is 0-1 against teams with winning records. The Vikings' schedule has been that soft.
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