By Jordan Long
Yesterday, the Minnesota Vikings received awful news on starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He went down during practice on a non-contact play. An MRI revealed Bridgewater suffered a dislocated knee and a torn ACL. He will now be out for the season. Where do the Minnesota Vikings turn now for a starting quarterback?
The Vikings have one backup quarterback on the roster who has NFL game experience, Shaun Hill. Hill played in the NFL for ten seasons and suited up for four different teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and the St. Louis Rams. Hill has an unimpressive career record of 16-18 as a starter. He has thrown for 8,053 yards and 49 touchdowns.
The biggest problem with him is turnovers. Hill sometimes will throw into double coverage which equals interceptions and he has thrown 30 of them. Hill can’t seem to hold onto the ball either with 15 fumbles. That is a total of 45 turnovers. If the Vikings decide to go with Hill this season, he must do a better job of holding onto the football. If he fumbles or turns the ball over, that is field position for the other team and possibly points on the scoreboard.
The other option for the Vikings is to trade for Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Josh McCown or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mike Glennon. McCown isn’t a great option either but is more seasoned than Glennon. He has thrown for 13,142 yards and 73 touchdowns. McCown can find the open receivers, but he takes too many risks downfield, which have equaled 63 interceptions. He can’t hold onto the football either with 49 fumbles.
Mike Glennon has appeared in only 19 NFL games, all with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those games he tossed for 4,025 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is more protective with the football with 15 interceptions and 4 fumbles.
I think the Vikings should use the last preseason game to see what they have in Shaun Hill. If Hill looks rattled, then they should go after Josh McCown or Mike Glennon. All it would take for the Vikings to trade for either one is a 5th to 7th-round draft pick. The difficulty with trading for either one is it will take them a few weeks to understand the playbook so they wouldn’t be ready for week one. The Vikings are in a pickle but we will soon find out who will be starting for them in week one against the Tennessee Titans. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Shaun Hill only because he knows the playbook.
Who should start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings?
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