*Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer *
We're excited about this opportunity we get to go out there and play the Raiders. They're a good football team, I think they're a really good football team. They do some really good things defensively. They have two good kickers. Offensively they move the ball up and down the field, so it'll be a great test for us and we're looking forward to it. Questions?
Q: Has Teddy Bridgewater been cleared from a concussion yet?
A: No.
Q: What does he have to do?
A: He's got to get cleared.
Q: Is the independent doctor the one who has to say if he is cleared or not?
A: I don't know. He has to get cleared.
Q: Are you still confident that he will start this Sunday?
A: I don't have any doubts.
Q: Do you expect Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr both to be able start on Sunday?
A: I don't know, we'll see.
Q: Is Cordarrelle Patterson's shoulder going to allow him to play?
A: I'm not talking about injuries. How many times are we going to go through this?
Q: Why did Marcus Sherels return the kickoff at the end of the game?
A: That was because we were expecting a short kick and he was supposed to take a knee.
Q: How far has Brandon Watts come along?
A: He's doing good. He's been around here now for two years, so he knows what's going on and he had a good preseason. He's doing good.
Q: Some teams are starting to monitor sleep, is that one of the reasons you are going out early to the West Coast?
A: No, we're just going out early because I wanted to change. The Vikings haven't won in California since 2007 and I decided to do it last spring, I guess it was.
Q: How has your past success been going out to the West Coast in your career?
A: You win some, you lose some. It really depends – just like I said and say every time – it depends on how you play, not where you play or when you play. It's how you play.
Q: What are some of the things Chad Greenway would have to do if he had to fill in the middle like he did last week?
A: They all have to know those positions anyway. He's got a gap and the alignment is a little bit different, but that's about it. It's not earth shattering.
Q: How did Chad Greenway handle the increased workload?
A: He felt good. Actually, he likes to play. He was excited about the chances last week and I think his body feels good; he hasn't missed a rep.
Q: How do you asses Xavier Rhodes' play through half a season?
A: I think he's done good, I think he's done good. He gets some tough matchups and those guys are going to catch some balls on him, but for the most part I think he's done well.
Q: You mentioned Charles Woodson's ability to disguise coverages on the backend, how much do you ask Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo to do that?
A: We do ask them to do that some. There's a fine line between being out of position and trying to disguise with the quarterback. Harrison [Smith] is pretty good at it.
Q: How do you feel about the Bengals being undefeated and do you still talk to people in Cincinnati?
A: Yeah, I talk to them a lot. It's great, I mean they've got good players. I have a lot of friends there, a lot people that helped me. I think it's great for Mike Brown, Marvin [Lewis] has done a fantastic job, players are playing good.
