*Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer *
Finishing up preparations for Tennessee and I think the team is excited to get going and get down and start kicking it off.
Q: What is the mood of the team heading into the opener?
A: I think the mood is fine. Most teams are pretty resilient with things, they understand things happen throughout the course of a season. So there's been, obviously, some mood swings but I think they're good.
Q: Have you decided who will be the starting quarterback?
A: I have.
Q: Have you told the team?
A: Maybe.
Q: Is it going to be Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford?
A: I guess we'll find out Sunday.
Q: What have you seen from the Titans run defense?
A: They're physical up front, they move a lot. They'll stunt, they get off blocks well, they attack downhill with their linebackers. Yeah, they do a good job.
Q: What has Terence Newman meant to this team the last few years?
A: I think he really helps a lot of these young guys and understanding not just about coverages and things but how to be a professional. I think some of the younger guys respect him. Even guys like Harrison Smith, they try to learn from him. (Andrew) Sendejo and Xav, Xavier [Rhodes] a lot. So I think it's been a lot of that. He obviously knows, he's been around me a long time, so I'm sure when I'm in a bad mood he can tell them to listen to what I'm saying and not how I'm saying it or something like that.
Q: How did the mood of the team change when Sam Bradford was acquired?
A: It's hard to say about the mood of the team because I've got 63 guys. I think the veteran guys appreciate the fact that management went out and tried to do whatever we can do to help win. I think that showed that they have confidence in this football team. I don't know that necessarily the mood changes but they feel like they're trying to give us the very best opportunity we can to win.
Q: What are your expectations for Jerick McKinnon?
A: He should be fine. What is he on that list? Questionable. There's no more probable. * *
Q: Do you usually learn a lot about the team during the first week?
A: Just thinking back on it, I think that everybody is going to be an instant evaluator after the first week. They're going to say, 'Oh, this team is in trouble and that team is great.' I don't think that it really tells you anything. I think you can find out about the team in the first week but there's so many … To me the first week is always kind of a roll the dice kind of a deal. Because you never really know what the other team is going to do and how they're going to attack you and that stuff. So, I don't know if you really learn all that much, because things change so fast throughout the season. I think what you learn is a little bit about, as you move forward, sometimes it's about resiliency. Sometimes it's learning how to continue to work if everybody's saying good things about you. I think you learn more about that kind of stuff as the season progresses.
Q: Do you like the new injury report, or how does it change what you do?
A: It's the same, basically.
Q: Different wording?
A: Yeah, it's just really … If guys are out, they're out. Other guys … I don't know. I didn't really put too much thought into it honestly.
Q: What are your expectations for Laquon Treadwell heading into his first NFL game?
A: We'll have to see. He'll have some opportunities, and we'll just have to see how it goes.
Q: What have you seen from him so far? Where might he fit in?
A: No different than training camp. He does a lot of the dirty work. He goes across the middle and catches the ball. Like all young guys, they're still learning. He's still learning about the professional game and system.
Q: The team released a statement on Teddy Bridgewater. Can you just give any clarity beyond the ACL injury? What other ligaments were damaged there?
A: I couldn't tell you, to be honest. I couldn't tell you. I don't know all the fancy words. It was what they typically do on a dislocation. I talked to him yesterday and texted him last night. He's in good spirits.
Q: Is your hope to have him around in team meetings whenever he's around to kind of get back into it?
A: That's pretty much up to him, how he's feeling and how he wants to get … One of the things he said was he can't wait to get back here and be around the guys. So, I'm sure he'll try to be around, but the most important thing him is to do the rehab and the things that he has to do. He'll be in the training room a lot, so guys will see him, and he's more than welcome in the meetings and all that.
Q: How long does it typically take until he would be able to get back and start rehabbing here?
A: He'll start right away when he gets back. I think he'll be back in – the plan is like in a week, something like that.
