After a Week of Panic, It Looks Like Bradford/The Vikes Should Be Just Fine

Vikings fans are used to disappointment, it’s something we’re all familiar with and while there has been a decent amount of panic (from this writer, as well) this past week, we do generally feel most comfortable when things fall apart. The good news (or I guess in this context, the bad news?) is that perhaps that panic was unfounded as it’s looking like Vikings starting QB Sam Bradford should be fine sooner rather than later. Bradford sat down with reporters (including purplePTSD’s own Joe Oberle and some reporters from ESPN) to discuss the situation with his knee and a few things stood out that weren’t yet reported or discussed (especially by Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer who has been tight-lipped (for good reason)) about the status of his franchise QB thus far. Considering how tight-lipped the organization has been since Bradford missed Sunday’s game, it was essentially an outpouring of information, relatively speaking.

“I felt it when it happened,” Bradford said. “I honestly didn’t think it was that big of a deal, and then the longer the game went on, it started to feel just a little bit worse and a little worse. Woke up Tuesday, and it just didn’t feel very good.”

Bradford was essentially saying that the injury occurred on a non-contact play. Despite the reports that came out earlier this week, it doesn’t sound like it was a bone bruise, although as we discussed on this morning’s purpleJOURNAL Podcast, bone bruises can occur in a player that has limited to no cartilage in their knee (as their bones rub together a lot and given enough pressure they can actually bruise one another). Coach Zimmer labeled it a “twisted knee”, or rather that he twisted his knee against the Saints at some point. Outside of that, Bradford, who again was pretty forthcoming with the media, did say that he wasn’t aware of any specific diagnosis when it came to his knee. So, while that’s still not a lot to go on what we can go on is what we see. Luckily, ESPN had camera’s rolling during the press portion of practice yesterday and caught Bradford making some passes.

While the throws looked okay it’s obvious that Bradford wasn’t really stepping into them, which would be a huge issue in a game-time situation. Also, when his portion of the drill is over you can see a pretty pronounced limp as he walks to the back of the line to get some water. That limp could mean bad things for this Vikings team, who showed on Sunday that they’re really not ready to compete with the big boys like Pittsburgh in general but especially without their starting QB. The offensive line was awful, especially Nick Easton, who is the replacement for last year’s only decent offensive lineman, Alex Boone. While that’s a topic for a different article, Boone’s absence could very well end up being the key to the Vikings making the playoffs or not and his release really is becoming both more and more of an issue and also a gigantic headscratcher (to the point that there’s actual brain on my fingers). Back to Bradford, though, the fact that this came from a “twisted knee”, if true, is actually the best bit of news to come out of Winter Park this week. If you listen to the purpleJOURNAL Podcast you’ll hear that the general consensus was that Bradford received a bone bruise on a non-contact play essentially because his left knee is just bone on bone (thanks to his multiple surgeries). That would mean that Bradford will have to deal with pretty consistent pain in that knee for the rest of his career/life and it would most likely end up being the end of his career. Again, if it is truly a twisted knee then it’s not something that means it’ll linger, as long as it’s given proper time to heal.

In regards to that healing, Bradford said:

“I don’t think there’s an exact ‘this needs to happen’ or ‘that needs to happen’ for me to be able to go out there and play, I think it’s one of those things that when I’m ready to go, it’ll be pretty clear that there’s nothing limiting me and I’m able to go out there and I’m able to play and it’s safe for me to go out there and do so.”

While Bradford was relatively open about his injury Wednesday, he also was tight-lipped about the type of procedures/treatment he’s undergone in an attempt to either speed up the healing process or limit the amount of pain he is in. The question really is whether or not it’s a structural issue or a pain issue. Meaning that if he can either play through the pain or dull it with the methods the NFL is known for, would that exacerbate the injury or cause permanent damage. That’s not something he’s apparently willing to talk about, although he did say:

“We’ve done a lot of work over the past week trying to make sure that the swelling is out of there, trying to get that controlled and just trying to get it to feel as good as it can”

He also did mention that the injury was something he hadn’t dealt with before, which is another good sign (considering the surgeries and injuries he’s had to that same knee). So, again, the question boils down to whether or not the injury will end up plaguing him both for the rest of the season and the rest of his career/life. In that regard Bradford did say:

“I think we’ll figure that out as we go, hopefully it’ll continue to get better each day and we’ll look back in a few days or whenever that time is and hopefully it’s something we’re not having to deal with again. If it is something that lingers and we have to deal with it, then we’ll figure out the best approach on how to manage it.”

So, really, this does sound like both Bradford and the team is just in a wait and see approach. A lot of people think that because we’re in 2017 that doctors have all the answers thanks to the technology they have at their disposal. But, there are still things that can’t be solved with science or technology and it sounds like Bradford’s knee is one of them. However, despite all of the panic that the fans (and this writer) have displayed this past week (partially due to the way that the team/Zimmer have handled discussing the injury) it sounds like Bradford will be able to return sooner rather than later and that this won’t be a chronic issue for him. Knowing that he did twist his knee and that it’s something that isn’t related to his ACLs or the surgeries he’s had on those ACLs, and even that it doesn’t sound like a bone bruise (which could’ve been caused by a lack of cartilage), I think we can all take a step back and a series of deep breaths (perhaps into a brown paper bag) and realize that Bradford isn’t going to be out for the rest of the season. He may not play this Sunday, but I’m thinking that his chances to play against the Bucs is 50:50, after that though, he should be back and fine and the team will also be fine. So, this is probably the best news we could’ve expected. Hopefully, the defense will step up Sunday and Keenum will have improved thanks to a week of playing with the 1’s and they’ll be able to beat a very beatable Bucs team at home, allowing Bradford to rest an additional week and keeping the team in the running for the division.

Edit: Oh, and keep in mind that this was just reported this morning:

Changing those odds to 80:20!

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