With Matt Cassel Gone, This Team has Never Been More Teddy’s

After Matt Cassel’s week three leg injury against the Saints, it seemed as if he’d lost his last shot at a starting role in the NFL.

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After today, those chances look a lot better. The Vikings have shipped the veteran quarterback to the Bills for two draft picks. So far, there’s no indication on what those draft picks are, but all signs point to late-rounders.

This move caught me off guard a bit, because I could have seen Cassel sticking it out here and mentoring Teddy Bridgewater. On the other hand, Cassel is a football player, too. He wants to play. With continuous bodes of confidence in Bridgewater coming weekly from Vikings management, his only chance was going to come from an injury to the 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year.

Most recently, Mike Zimmer went a step further, basically saying Matt Cassel was only in until Bridgewater was ready to go.

“I kind of knew all along that [Teddy] was going to be our guy and just when was the right time to do it,” Zimmer said. “And a lot of factors went into it with how the rest of the team (and) how the offensive line was playing, how the receivers were. There’s so many variables that come into it, and then the quarterback himself. What kind of person he is? (How) quick he handles things? I’ve always been under the assumption the best guy plays. I just didn’t want to get him shell-shocked or hurt or something like that that might happen. This kid is very, very tough so but that was my main concern why we didn’t start him right away early and then Matt Cassel played well early in the preseason, as well.”

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In two seasons and twelve starts with the Vikings, Cassel finished with 194 completions for 2232 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. But what you won’t find in the statistics is the role Cassel played around the locker room, teaching Teddy Bridgewater how to be a rookie in the NFL. I firmly believe it had a lot to do with his success and readiness to take the next step.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Cassel peacefully requested a trade to a team that needed a QB and got his wish. Now in competition with EJ Manuel, Cassel has a great shot at the starting role in Buffalo. This all happened due to former Bills starter Kyle Orton’s sudden retirement from professional football about a month back.

Now, it’ll be interesting to see what the Vikings do moving forward. At quarterback, they’re left with just Christian Ponder and Pat Devlin on roster. I used to think it was 99% that Ponder will be on a new team next season. Maybe he will re-sign as a back-up for Minnesota if the offers aren’t satisfying elsewhere.

One thing is for sure though: If you didn’t know this was Teddy’s team before, you do now.

Next: What Should Vikings do at LG?

Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel (16) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports