Well, it's Saturday, and since it's been a bit of a lazy weekend, let's continue that trend with a fairly basic question as the 30 Day Challenge continues.
Who is your favorite current member of the Minnesota Vikings?
Sure, there are lots of players on this team that I like. I mean, I don't think there are any that I actively dislike. There are some that I wish were performing better and hope step up their game in 2015, but that doesn't mean I dislike them or want them to fail or anything.
But if I had to pick one, I think I'd have to go with the new face of the franchise. . .and that's quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
The reasons to like Bridgewater right now are pretty obvious. . .he's as humble and unassuming a star as this team has had in a long time, and his performance on the field got markedly better towards the end of last season despite the fact that the injuries were piling up and he faced a ton of pressure. But, for me, it's more about what Bridgewater represents going forward.
For the 30+ seasons that I've been a fan of this football team, they've only really had a solid, long-term answer at quarterback once, when Daunte Culpepper was running the offense from 2000 to 2004. Other than that, it's been a lot of journeymen, reclamation projects, band-aids, flops, etc. The first season I was a fan featured a trio of Tommy Kramer, Wade Wilson, and the fossilized husk of Archie Manning behind center. And, like most of us, I watched Dennis Green have seven different quarterbacks lead the Vikings in passing during his 10 years as head coach. Those seven guys?
-Rich Gannon (1992)
-Jim McMahon (1993)
-Warren Moon (1994, 1995)
-Brad Johnson (1996, 1997)
-Randall Cunningham (1998)
-Jeff George (1999)
-Daunte Culpepper (2000, 2001)
Sure, Moon was a Hall of Famer. He was also 41 years old by the time he got to Minnesota. Not exactly a long-term sort of thing.
But Bridgewater, more than anything else, represents hope. As teams throughout the league have shown, the only way to really, consistently win games in the NFL is to have solid, steady quarterback play. Bridgewater was the best quarterback from last year's rookie class, and the Vikings have upgraded the talent around him on offense going into this season. People everywhere, both within the Vikings fan base and outside of it, are expecting big things from Bridgewater in 2015, and such a season will be a big step towards this franchise having their first real, steady, long-term answer at the quarterback position in a very long time.
Teddy Bridgewater has given the fans of this team more reason for optimism than they've had in a long time, and rightfully so. For that reason, he's my current favorite member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Who is your favorite Viking right now, everyone?