Running back Adrian Peterson returned to the Minnesota Vikings this week following a very public dispute with the franchise that spanned the last few months. Now that his off-field issues are behind him, those following the NFL have begun to turn their attention to his on-field impact. Fans are excited to see how second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will benefit from his presence. Many are expecting a breakout from the young signal-caller. Should Peterson stay healthy and effective, the Vikings look like a trendy playoff pick in the NFC thanks to their offensive additions and top ten pass defense.
Bridgewater, while undoubtedly excited, is trying to temper expectations while remaining optimistic.
"It's easy to sit here and say how good we can be, but it's still early June and it's too early to tell," Bridgewater said. "We have to just continue to get better each day right now. We know we can't win the championship in June, so we just have to continue to build chemistry and then take advantage of these (organized team activities this month) and come back in training camp and then we'll be able to tell how good we'll be."
The young quarterback is wise to try and slow the avalanche of excitement and expectations that surrounds the Vikings right now. But that doesn't mean he isn't secretly hoping for the same things as his fans.
"He's probably one of the best running backs to every play in the NFL," Bridgewater said of Peterson. "I'm pretty excited that he's back."
Peterson missed the first group of OTAs last week, but returned Tuesday for the beginning of the second session. He appeared in just one game last year before being placed on the NFL's exempt list and then suspended following child abuse charges. Peterson later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor.
"We're excited to get this kind of resolved, and I think everybody's very excited about moving forward with this," general manager Rick Spielman said Wednesday.
Minnesota started offseason workouts back on April 20. Peterson did not show up for the first six weeks, and Bridgewater said the team tried not dwell on the very public standoff.
"We were trying to shy away from everything," Bridgewater said. "We had to just focus on the guys that were here. But now that he's back, we're glad to have him back."
