ESPN: Bradford Not Playing Sunday

Blargh.

I wrote an article yesterday stating that both the Vikings and Sam Bradford were going to be just “fine” and that there was 80:20 odds that Bradford was going to play Sunday. Well, apparently that 20% is coming through as it’s been reported by ESPN staff writer Dan Graziano that Bradford is NOT going to play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That conflicts with a report from Tom Pelissero yesterday that said:

Also, keep in mind that ESPN reported earlier in the week that Bradford had a “Bone Bruise”. That was neither confirmed nor denied when Bradford talked to the press this week, but considering the fact that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that Bradford “twisted” his knee during the Saints game, it doesn’t sound a whole lot like a bone bruise but rather some sort of tendon or ligament issue. Considering the fact that Bradford has had two surgeries on his/that left knee, it obviously was a source for a ton of panic. Again, this does all boil back to the fact that the Vikings/Zimmer have been tight-lipped about what exactly is going on with Bradford’s knee so at this point, again, we really don’t know what’s going on (and I honestly think the team doesn’t, either).

It was also reported (I should just copy and paste the phrase “It was also reported” at this point) that Bradford was going to receive an injection into his knee to help alleviate the pain he was feeling. That, combined with the negative MRI, means that it’s really not a structural issue but more of a pain issue. Video of Bradford throwing from earlier this week (I should also copy “earlier this week”) showed him both limping and not stepping into his throws, something that is obviously really important for a quarterback. So, while I did say that things were going to be “Just fine” I actually do stand by that despite this “report” (the link just goes to a page on ESPN that shows… That Tweet (at least for me)) sort of making me look like I should never gamble.

It looks like Bradford just needs to rest that knee until it heals enough for him to be able to put weight on it. Like Zimmer said, it could be one week, it could be six. I really think that he’ll be able to play by next week and that the Vikings shouldn’t rush him back and potentially end up creating an even larger issue that’ll plague him/the squad the rest of the season. There have been countless basketball players who end up with hip problems, for example, because they play through injury and end up putting too much weight on one leg. That wears down the joint on the other leg and has cut many a career short. While that’s not the best example (as again, this is a temporary injury) the last thing we need is Bradford throwing off of one leg and going from hardly mobile to completely immobile (especially considering how the line played against Pittsburgh).

Tampa is a beatable team even with backup quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum’s largest issue has been timing and he’s had another week of playing with the 1’s, so he should have some familiarity with the idiosyncrasies of Diggs, Thielen and company. While that makes me wonder why they didn’t bring back Heinicke (Who had that legendary final drive in the pre-season and at least showed some familiarity with the receivers he was working with), considering the play of Jameis Winston and the fact that the defense should have a gigantic chip on their shoulder against a turn-over happy (young/developing) quarterback… They should be able to win with/despite Keenum. That’s especially true if Dalvin Cook keeps playing the way he has thus far (Pro Football Focus is calling him the best running back thus far this season). Either way, perhaps I’m “panicked” out at this point but I look at this as something that may not even be true, but if it is, it’s not the end of the world.

It was reported. Earlier this week.

 

 

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