The Teddy excuse thread

Bridgewater took to the huddle, high-fived each teammate and relayed the directives from the sideline. As soon as he broke it, the crowd chimed back in with another cacophony of appreciation and chants of “Teddy! Teddy!”

Then they once again went dead silent as soon as Bridgewater crouched under center. They again resumed as he handed off to Jerick McKinnon. Two plays later, they held their breath with anticipation as Bridgewater lined up in the shotgun on third down. There was an audible gasp when he twice attempted to abandon the pocket on his first dropback. And, ever the football fans, all of U.S. Bank Stadium collectively groaned when Bridgewater’s first pass in two years fell into the hands of a Bengal defender.

Yet, they cheered their disappointed quarterback off the field as he hung his head. The rust was obvious, the on-field return flawed. But the fans knew there was plenty to celebrate in that three play drive. This was a man who was in danger of losing his leg not long ago. And now, here he was: Right back where he belonged, in purple and gold with the football in his gloved hands.

From the moment the public address announcer said the words “Teddy Bridgewater,” the fans in attendance displayed their loyalty, their compassion and their football knowledge all at once. You can pick apart Bridgewater’s pocket presence, his accuracy and his comfort on his limited dropbacks. What you cannot pick apart, however, was the moment itself.

Vikings fans made it perfect.