tleiviska wrote:I'm coming into this conversation blind, and I'm sure its already been brought up... Bridgewater IS our future for offense. Cassel is a great and stable person there as a bridge (no pun intended) to his reign. This (and depending how Cassel plays throughout the season) possibly next year are HUGE for him to develope and be ready to start running HIS team. He knows this team is his when the time comes, and I'm very excited for that. But for right now, I'm excited that we have a stable QB situation with a guy that is smart and knows how to take care of the football.
I just wonder how long it will remain stable.
Did anyone else hear Dick Stockton make a comment during the game that Zimmer had told them (the announcing crew) Bridgewater would be better than Cassel could ever be? I'm paraphrasing from memory but I'm pretty sure he said something very close to that. If Stockton was quoting Zimmer very accurately, that's an interesting and somewhat surprising thing to say about a QB who is currently the backup. It certainly doesn't steer anyone away from QB controversy and I suspect it's the type of thing a less well-liked Vikings head coach would have been blasted for saying.
Ponder would have been so much better (and still can be) with the right coaching and not being thrown out as a starter his first season. QB's need time to grown into an NFL starter. Sure, you get these "flash in the pants" guys that come on strong for a season or 2 (ie: RG3, Wilson, Kaepernick, etc) then start to fizzle out. Look at Rodgers...4 seasons under Favre before starting. And was ready to go and still going strong. I'm happy with the way things are looking as of now, personally.

"Flash in the pants" is a hilarious typo. That's right up there with some of the typos I've made over the years.
I agree Ponder probably could have been better if he'd been allowed to learn behind the scenes longer before starting. That approach can be definitely be beneficial to a young QB, although some don't seem to need it. Whether Bridgewater needs it or not is anybody's guess. All we can do is trust the judgment of the coaching staff on that one but I suspect he's going to see the field sooner rather than later.