3 reasons why Teddy Bridgewater will return better than ever
The Vikings QB may be down for the count in 2016, but there are plenty of reasons to believe in him again in 2017 and beyond.
The reportedly gruesome injury to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered during practice on Tuesday afternoon sent the Vikes into immediate scramble mode for 2016. And while it remains to be seen what the team does in regards to fortifying its now unsteady quarterback situation, one thing that is for certain is that Bridgewater himself has a long road of recovery ahead.
Here are three reasons why Bridgewater will be back better than ever:
#3) It is a gruesome injury, but not a death sentence
The likelihood of an athlete suffering an ACL injury is much higher than that of an everyday person, increasing from a 1 in 1,000 rate, upwards to 250 to 350 times that for athletes. Among those athletes, skill position players in football –such as Bridgewater at quarterback— have proven to be among the most susceptible to this injury.
So that is not to say that it was an inevitable outcome for him due to the position/sports he plays, but rather that is something that there is plenty of experience and rehab knowledge to help him bounce back from. Currently Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin are returning from similar injuries suffered a year ago at relatively the same time frame, and both are set to start Week 1 for their respective teams. Among quarterbacks that have successfully returned from ACL injuries are Sam Bradford, Robert Griffin III, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady, all of whom are still starters on their respective teams.
It is certainly unfortunate timing for such an injury, but the nature under which he suffered it (the non-contact variety) says that it was potentially just a matter of time. The knee dislocation he suffered along with the torn ACL is also an unfortunate, yet returnable from, injury and if early reports on the extent of the injuries are accurate, nothing besides Bridgewater’s 2016 availability should be considered called off.
What’s more is that with a year of rehabbing and strengthening, there is room for the already athletic 23-year-old to come back even stronger by the start of next year.
Next: #2: Talent to throw to