Most people around the football world anticipated that Shaun Hill would get the start for the Minnesota Vikings in the team’s season opener.
Following the devastating injury Teddy Bridgewater suffered during practice late last month, the expectation was that Minnesota would keep with its system quarterback.
That changed a great deal when Minnesota acquired Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles this past weekend.
Even then, how could Bradford possibly start without having even attempted one preseason pass in a Vikings uniform? That just seems too much to ask of a guy that’s learning a completely new playbook.
Despite this, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer doesn’t seem prepared to name a starting quarterback just yet.
Mike Zimmer said he won't announce his starting quarterback before Sunday. We'll find out Sunday.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 7, 2016
This could be more about Zimmer and Co. attempting to keep the Tennessee Titans in the dark. Both Hill and Bradford bring different things to the table, which could force the Titans to plan for two different signal callers.
That’s magnified with Bradford’s down-field passing ability compared to Hill’s reliance on the intermediate pass.
In true Zimmer form, the head coach did make sure to crack a joke regarding an otherwise serious situation for his team.
Mike Zimmer joked that he will run the single wing Sunday.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 7, 2016
It’s definitely an interesting dynamic to look at heading into Week 1. Can the defending NFC North champs repeat last year’s performance with Teddy sidelined? If so, who will be the man tasked with doing that under center?
Considering Minnesota yielded a first-round pick for Bradford, it’s likely he’ll be called on to be the starter. Whether that’s this week is anyone’s guess.