According to the Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, stat pass rusher Danielle Hunter underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair a herniated disc in his neck.

However, Hunter is done for the season, although the team does expect him to be ready to go in time for next year’s training camp. Hunter has been the shining star of the Vikings defense over the past two years, recording 14.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons.

Hunter, a third-round pick in 2015, is still only 25 years old. In five seasons with the Vikings, he has tallied 54.5 sacks. He has become a very important piece on the Vikings defense, which went through an overhaul in the offseason.

The team let a significant group of veteran stars walk during free agency this year, including pass rusher Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Lindval Joseph, and defensive back Xavier Rhodes.

The Vikings did make a trade to get star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Jacksonville Jaguars but recently traded him away as well to the Baltimore Ravens.

As a result, the once-dominant Vikings defense has looked below average this year both in stopping the running and defending against the passing game of their opponents.

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The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Mike Zimmer, which will keep him at the helm of the team for the foreseeable future.

Zimmer, who took over in Minnesota prior to the beginning of the 2014 season, has turned the Vikings’ fortunes from a stretch of mediocrity to a consistent playoff contender.

The 64-year-old Illinois native, whose only losing season with the Vikings was in his first year in 2014, has since made the playoffs three teams and won the NFC North division crown twice.

He has been praised for his steady hand and defensive expertise, keeping the Minnesota franchise stable and competitive despite not having a wealth of star players.

His biggest success with the team so far came in 2017, when the Vikings finished tied for the league’s best record at 13-3. They advanced to the NFC Championship Game before falling short to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Zimmer is the owner of a 57-38-1 record since taking over in 2014, and has managed a 2-3 record in the playoffs.

The veteran coach will now look to build on his prior success as he leads the Vikings forward into the 2020s.

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Entering the 2018 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings have arguably the best quarterback situation in the league. Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, and Teddy Bridgewater are all healthy and on team’s roster. The problem? They will all become free agents soon and the Vikings can only keep one of them.

Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer recently said that he is definitely considering all three guys, but is approaching the decision carefully.

“If you go with the right one and he does like you anticipate, then everything is good,” – said Zimmer. “If you pick the wrong one, it’s hard to win in this league without a quarterback. If you pick the wrong one, this whole thing can go downhill.“

“It’s important for myself and [general manager] Rick [Spielman] and the organization to pick the right guy that is going to help us continue to move forward” – he added. “If we don’t do that, then I’ll probably be fired.“

One of the major factors in Vikings’ decision will definitely be finances. The team isn’t about to give up $30 million or so for a quarterback, wanting to have space to further strengthen their roster. Also either one of Bradford, Keenum and Bridgewater have both its positives and negatives as Zimmer pointed out.

Sam Bradford is a proven quarterback who already passed for 3,877 yards and managed 20 touchdowns in 2016 for the Vikings. He also led the league in completion percentage in the same year. The downside is that he has a history of injuries, and inability to translate his good performances into wins.

After Bradford got injured in Week 2 of the past season, Case Keenum took over and went from a backup to a star of the team. He led the Vikings to NFC Championship Game, putting a strong season and achieving career-high passer rating (98.4). On the other side, there is a doubt he can replicate the success from 2017, given his below average performance before arriving in Minnesota.

Finally, there is Teddy Bridgewater, who supposed to be a franchise quarterback for Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him 32nd overall in 2014 NFL Draft. In his first two seasons, Bridgewater looked more than promising but then suffered an injury in August 2016 which kept him out for 19 months. Although he fully healed, there is a question whether he can get to his old form.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said he believes he will be able to play in the 2017 NFL season at some point. He was present at the practice field on Wednesday. Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg during practice in August 2016 and hasn’t played football since. The Vikings now plan to slowly introduce Bridgewater to practice, before allowing him to participate in 11-on-11 work.

Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday that team wants to take a cautious approach with Bridgewater’s return. He also added that he needs to see Bridgewater’s mobility and check how is he able to deal with the defenders.

Bridgewater himself acknowledged that there is a still long way ahead, but is happy being part of the practice and considers it a “mini-milestone”.

“I used it as motivation,” – Bridgewater said. “I use that to tell myself, ‘Hey, I’m one step closer.’ Being out there, running out of that tunnel yesterday just did something to me, in a good way.“

Teddy Bridgewater played college football at the University of Louisville and received numerous honors including the Big East Rookie of the Year and being named All-American. During his college career, Bridgewater had 781 completed passes for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns alongside 170 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. Following his junior year, he declared for 2014 NFL Draft where he was viewed as one of the top prospects and even potential first overall pick at one point. Bridgewater ended up being selected by the Vikings with the 32nd overall pick.

After starting his rookie season as a back-up for Matt Cassel, Bridgewater earned his start following Cassel’s injury. He went on to start 12 games for the Vikings and won 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year award. In 2015, Bridgewater continued with great performances and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. So far, he played 29 NFL games in which he had 551 completed passes for 6,150 and 28 touchdowns.

The post Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater Believes He Will Play This Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to the Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, stat pass rusher Danielle Hunter underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair a herniated disc in his neck.

However, Hunter is done for the season, although the team does expect him to be ready to go in time for next year’s training camp. Hunter has been the shining star of the Vikings defense over the past two years, recording 14.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons.

Hunter, a third-round pick in 2015, is still only 25 years old. In five seasons with the Vikings, he has tallied 54.5 sacks. He has become a very important piece on the Vikings defense, which went through an overhaul in the offseason.

The team let a significant group of veteran stars walk during free agency this year, including pass rusher Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Lindval Joseph, and defensive back Xavier Rhodes.

The Vikings did make a trade to get star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Jacksonville Jaguars but recently traded him away as well to the Baltimore Ravens.

As a result, the once-dominant Vikings defense has looked below average this year both in stopping the running and defending against the passing game of their opponents.

The post Minnesota Vikings’ Danielle Hunter Undergoes Successful Neck Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Mike Zimmer, which will keep him at the helm of the team for the foreseeable future.

Zimmer, who took over in Minnesota prior to the beginning of the 2014 season, has turned the Vikings’ fortunes from a stretch of mediocrity to a consistent playoff contender.

The 64-year-old Illinois native, whose only losing season with the Vikings was in his first year in 2014, has since made the playoffs three teams and won the NFC North division crown twice.

He has been praised for his steady hand and defensive expertise, keeping the Minnesota franchise stable and competitive despite not having a wealth of star players.

His biggest success with the team so far came in 2017, when the Vikings finished tied for the league’s best record at 13-3. They advanced to the NFC Championship Game before falling short to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Zimmer is the owner of a 57-38-1 record since taking over in 2014, and has managed a 2-3 record in the playoffs.

The veteran coach will now look to build on his prior success as he leads the Vikings forward into the 2020s.

The post Vikings Agree to Contract Extension with HC Mike Zimmer appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Entering the 2018 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings have arguably the best quarterback situation in the league. Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, and Teddy Bridgewater are all healthy and on team’s roster. The problem? They will all become free agents soon and the Vikings can only keep one of them.

Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer recently said that he is definitely considering all three guys, but is approaching the decision carefully.

“If you go with the right one and he does like you anticipate, then everything is good,” – said Zimmer. “If you pick the wrong one, it’s hard to win in this league without a quarterback. If you pick the wrong one, this whole thing can go downhill.“

“It’s important for myself and [general manager] Rick [Spielman] and the organization to pick the right guy that is going to help us continue to move forward” – he added. “If we don’t do that, then I’ll probably be fired.“

One of the major factors in Vikings’ decision will definitely be finances. The team isn’t about to give up $30 million or so for a quarterback, wanting to have space to further strengthen their roster. Also either one of Bradford, Keenum and Bridgewater have both its positives and negatives as Zimmer pointed out.

Sam Bradford is a proven quarterback who already passed for 3,877 yards and managed 20 touchdowns in 2016 for the Vikings. He also led the league in completion percentage in the same year. The downside is that he has a history of injuries, and inability to translate his good performances into wins.

After Bradford got injured in Week 2 of the past season, Case Keenum took over and went from a backup to a star of the team. He led the Vikings to NFC Championship Game, putting a strong season and achieving career-high passer rating (98.4). On the other side, there is a doubt he can replicate the success from 2017, given his below average performance before arriving in Minnesota.

Finally, there is Teddy Bridgewater, who supposed to be a franchise quarterback for Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him 32nd overall in 2014 NFL Draft. In his first two seasons, Bridgewater looked more than promising but then suffered an injury in August 2016 which kept him out for 19 months. Although he fully healed, there is a question whether he can get to his old form.

The post Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer Still Doesn’t Know Which Quarterback to Keep appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said he believes he will be able to play in the 2017 NFL season at some point. He was present at the practice field on Wednesday. Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg during practice in August 2016 and hasn’t played football since. The Vikings now plan to slowly introduce Bridgewater to practice, before allowing him to participate in 11-on-11 work.

Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday that team wants to take a cautious approach with Bridgewater’s return. He also added that he needs to see Bridgewater’s mobility and check how is he able to deal with the defenders.

Bridgewater himself acknowledged that there is a still long way ahead, but is happy being part of the practice and considers it a “mini-milestone”.

“I used it as motivation,” – Bridgewater said. “I use that to tell myself, ‘Hey, I’m one step closer.’ Being out there, running out of that tunnel yesterday just did something to me, in a good way.“

Teddy Bridgewater played college football at the University of Louisville and received numerous honors including the Big East Rookie of the Year and being named All-American. During his college career, Bridgewater had 781 completed passes for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns alongside 170 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. Following his junior year, he declared for 2014 NFL Draft where he was viewed as one of the top prospects and even potential first overall pick at one point. Bridgewater ended up being selected by the Vikings with the 32nd overall pick.

After starting his rookie season as a back-up for Matt Cassel, Bridgewater earned his start following Cassel’s injury. He went on to start 12 games for the Vikings and won 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year award. In 2015, Bridgewater continued with great performances and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. So far, he played 29 NFL games in which he had 551 completed passes for 6,150 and 28 touchdowns.

The post Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater Believes He Will Play This Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.