Vikings declare Matt Cassel their starter

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 25, 2014, 9:54 AM EDT
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Matt Cassel is the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback.

The team was informed at a meeting this morning that Cassel will start, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports.

The move comes as no surprise: Although Teddy Bridgewater is the quarterback of the future in Minnesota, Cassel has looked good in the preseason. And the Vikings’ coaches have said that Cassel has quickly grasped new coordinator Norv Turner’s offense.

Bridgewater will likely be the No. 2 quarterback, while Christian Ponder is third string. Barring something unforeseen, this will be the first time since 2007 that no rookie quarterbacks have started in Week One. That was the year JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn were the first-round quarterbacks. This year, the folks in Minnesota (as well as Jacksonville and Cleveland) have to hope the rookie quarterback class is a lot better than the one seven years ago. Even if none of the rookies will get to show it right away.

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96 responses to “Vikings declare Matt Cassel their starter”

  5. Cannot believe no rookie QB’s are starting. I think teams are getting smarter about grooming a QB before throwing them out there.

  6. The Vikings’ quarterback situation has often brought a tear to my eye, but at last they are tears of happiness. Plenty of Packer fans will be crying this year too, but they won’t be happy.

  7. Smart move by the Vikings. Cassel has earned it and is the veteran. Touchdown Teddy can watch and learn the speed of the real season while he yearns to grab the reigns one day. Play him if we get up or down big or if Cassel stumbles….

  9. This puts a bow on all the hype given to Bridgewater, Manziel,Bottles prior to draft day. Its only a matter of time before we see these guys playing.

  11. No surprise. Now that Sam Bradford is out for the season, will the Vikings be willing to talk with St. Louis about a Ponder trade?

  12. The only problem with Cassel starting is we’ll have to read ignorant comments about Bridgewater being a bust for the whole year. Hopefully, the Vikings will be blowing out enough teams that Teddy can get some work in late in games. Anyone who has watched him for any length of time and has any knowledge of football can tell he’s going to be successful, if not a star.

  16. “Anyone who has watched him for any length of time and has any knowledge of football can tell he’s going to be successful, if not a star.”

    You meant he plays against 2nd and 3rd stringers, right?
    Let’s see how he does against real defenses. He thew some floaters in those games, would like to see how a real defense reacts to them. Guy reminds me of Chad Pennington, accurate but arm strength lacking. That’s not a slight by the way, chad was a good QB.

  18. It is going to be so nice when the Vikings destroy the Packers this year. Best of all it will shut up all these packer trolls. Good luck to the packers with a defensive middle as soft as Charman. Don’t fret, WHEN Rogers goes down you’ll get a top 5 pick you can use it on another mediocre LB like AJ Hawk.

  21. By the end of Week 2, the Vikings will know how this decision is going to play out. Week 1: on the road against a very good Rams defense, Week 2: Bill Belichick.

  22. The rest of the NFC North wants Zim and Norv! to blow it so bad. It’s not happening. These guys have been doing this for far too long.

    With AD the offense is putting up points no matter which way you look it at. The defense will determine the type of season the Vikes have. With Zim behind the wheel, I’m a lot more confident than most.

  24. The Truth is; 4 losses and a tie last year are squarely on the Defense!! wouldn’t have mattered if we had Fran Tarkenton back there.

    The “D” MUST improve!!!! and if they do? we’re an easy 9-7 team.

  27. Packers defense suck. They have busted players and love to pick up left over players from Vikings and other teams. Just ask Guion and Pepper.

  30. The Steelers trophies are like the pyramids in Egypt. You look at them and say “wow, they WERE great… I wonder what happened to them?”

  36. They wont go better than 8-8 with Cassell. At least with Teddy you have a chance to go big or go home. 8-8 will not make the playoffs in the nfc this year. They are basically saying this season is a rebuilding year. Sad for vikings fans.

  37. Cassel is a good QB, given the right coaching and some tools to play with. Note I didn’t say great, you can respect his arm and smarts. Having a HOF running back and some decent receivers will certainly help him.
    I am a Pats fan but have always liked the Vikes, good luck… your going to need some for sure.

  39. This is the right move. It makes sense, all things considered. But someone is going to have to tell all the fans standing in line for photos to be taken alongside the Lombardi Trophy that Bridgewater will be sitting for awhile.

  42. I have to laugh at the uniformed that say Bridgewater only played against 2nd and 3rd stringers. He’s a rookie. He is the 2nd string QB behind Cassell for now. He’s played in 3 NFL preseason games.
    Who else is he supposed to be judged against? By the way, 2nd and 3rd stringers are still NFL pros, not college players. If a starter goes down, these guys are expected to play as a starter. The Head Coach expects nothing less. He’s not going to say, “Well, he’s just a back-up. We don’t expect him to score any TDs, make any sacks, catch any passes; whatever.”
    Players are on the team because they’ve earned a spot, not because the team needs a warm body to fill a uniform. Get real.

  44. BHB needs more reps on the video games before he is ready. If they can hold out a couple years until the dome is built so he isn’t subject to adverse weather conditions at home they will be best served. That and he is trying a new supplement to make his hands and body grow so he doesn’t look like a 13 year old girl.

  45. All last years problems are washed away. This is a new year! New day! Lets ride the Bank all the way to the NFC title game! SKOL!

  46. This is a smart move on the Vikings behalf. Cassel has played pretty well this preseason (I know that it’s only preseason, but other than Brady & Rivers, you can’t name many QBs that have played better this offseason), and he seems to have a rapport with Patterson, Rudolph, & Jennings. We all know that Teddy is the QB of the future here. And, I truly believe that this team is going to be much better than most people think; the playoffs are NOT out of the question. They have a head coach who wants to show the whole league what they missed out on for making him wait so long for a HC position, and they have an OC who is one of the best in the business, if not THE best in the business. AND he LOVES to put a ton of points on the board, and I don’t see Zimmer easing up on the pedal once they have someone down. As a Vikings fan, I’m not expecting the world, but I do think they’ll be a pretty solid, competitive team that is headed in the right direction…

  50. The only thing that bothers me is that I don’t feel we ever got the chance to see Bridgewater in any of the preseason games with the first team offense against the first team defense. So, was the “competition” even fair? In reading some of the practice reports, it doesn’t sound like Teddy even was allowed to practice very much with the first team offense. So how could Teddy show that he was “ready?”

    I think this “decision” was made a long time ago, when Cassel re-signed with the team. That meant that the Vikes were NOT going to take a QB at #7 (or, as it turned out, #9), and whoever they drafted, if anyone, they were committed to not playing him. But I don’t believe, and no one can convince me, that this was a decision that was actually made on the field.

  51. Good to hear were not rushing Teddy out there let the kid learn and gain knowledge and quickness… Let the trolls be trolls.
    Should be fun to see what Norv can do when the teams have to put 8 or 9 in the box to stop AP so single coverage on Rudolph, Flash or Jennings who do you choose (I sure hope Matt can get the job done) if Cassel can continue the strong start this year and keep it going might be a really fun year.

  52. Cassel is not as bad a QB as people make him out to be. He can move an offense and score points. He won 11 games in NE and 10 in KC while going to the Pro Bowl. Is he going to be a franchise QB or lead the vikings deep into the playoffs? No, but if you give him some talent around him he can score some points. He’s basically a younger version of Ryan Fitpatrick, a capable back up who can come in and win games. Setting him up to a be the answer to the QB position for several years is not a good idea.

  53. The biggest signings and decisions made this season were Coach Zim and Norv. Guaranteed 3 more victories than last year, no matter who plays.

    Most Vikings fans are not proclaiming us to be top of the division this year or SB contenders. But we won’t be surprised with 9-10 wins and a wildcard. No matter what, this season will be more fun than the past few.

  55. Teddy Bare is where he should be.

    But where’s the dynasty talk now that Teddy Bare is opening the season sitting on the bench?

    Where’s the Teddy Bare is better than every other QB in the NFL?

  58. I think this is a good move. It is annoying how Packers fans automatically say Vikings will lose to them just because we don’t have an “Aaron Rodgers”. Last time I checked we tied you when Rodgers was hurt and we had horrible QB play from Ponder. Meaning the Packers are an average team without Rodgers in. It makes sense to put the Veteran in. Cassel is better than people think. He had no talent to support him in KC and was in a bad situation. In MN he is in a good situation with a Great receiving core, Tight end, and the best running back in football. Also the coaching staff is the best. Cassel is average but he has a great supporting cast and he can make the throws when needed. Last time I checked a team with a good supporting cast and an average capable QB (Russel Wilson) won the Superbowl, instead of a team with an elite QB (Rodgers) with a bad supporting cast. The offense is legit, the defense is the only question mark. And Teddy will be great, but the question is when.

  60. This makes sense, but we all know he’ll be just okay. Then again, even with our lousy QBs last year, the offense wasn’t the problem, so okay is tolerable while Bridgewater gains experience in the NFL and with Norv’s system. If Cassel plays okay and the D can just improve to average, or top 16, this team can perhaps win 8-9 games.

  62. The Packers were 8-7-1 last year, but our Packer fan friends like to say that they would have had a much better record if Rodgers had played the whole year. Probably so, since Rodgers was 6-2.

    Likewise, the Vikings were 5-10-1 last year but they were 4-3 when Cassel played most of the game. Is is preposterous to think that their record would have been 8-8 if he had played the whole year?

    Now he is the starter, with an NFL-caliber offense, Cordarelle in his second year, a healthy AD and Rudolph, and a defense that can’t help but improve, even if it’s just due to regression to the mean. I think people predicting 6 wins or less are going to be very surprised.

  64. People are so dumb. So quick to say Teddy is a bust just because he isnt’ starting. There is no logic in that theory. It’s smart not to start him. Is Rodgers a bust? He didn’t start right away either.

  65. Not one positive comment here. Best anyone could say was this is just OK. There is a serious lack of talent around the league at the QB position. The reason there are no rookie starters this year; they are not good enough!

  68. I think we knew before the draft that this was a weak quarterback class and that the tier two and lower guys (Savage, Thomas, etc.) were just as likely to succeed in the league as the supposed tier one QBs this year.

    All of them need development. It’s not a flaw. It’s just what it is.

  69. All those declaring Teddy is a bust… are just revealing your fear in those posts.

    Wishing doesn’t make it so! See you when we pass you on the way up, Packer backers! it’s a loooooong ride to the bottom of the NFC North. Your next chapter will make you pine for the Forest Gregg/Don Majkowski decade!

    SKOL!

  70. Every single rookie quarterback is learning a great deal, whether sitting on the bench, playing in the game, or practicing between games. It makes a great deal of sense to sit them for a while. And if a team does decide to start its rookie QB, guess what – the trolls will be back here to call the team desperate. It really doesn’t matter – trolls are sociopaths looking for attention, and perhaps they should just be pitied.

  72. Cassel will not struggle. The Vikes will go 9-7 and the losses will come from Defense, not the QB position.

    See you in 2015 Teddy! You will dominate and the packer trolls will keep predicting your demise, just like the next San Francisco earth quake. They’ll be spewing “bustwater” while Erin Rodgers is eating apple sauce in the old qb’s home.

  74. pftcoachmen says:
    Aug 25, 2014 1:13 PM

    Both Phil simms and Troy Aikman believe min is the top sleeper in the NFL.

    – – – – – – –

    At Rams Pats At Saints Falcons At Packers

    After that the sleeping and 2015 draft watch will begin!

  75. It has begun!!… Mortal Kombat! Ha. Skol.
    I like this young depth, we’re going 6-10,8-8 who knows. The divion goes through GB with a healthy #12, but we got some young talent to be a contender by 2016.

  76. The Steelers are Marching and the world cowers. The three rivers were made from your tears and we build boats. We build lots of boats. We walk beside pristine trophy cases and engraved gold. They say it’s lonely at the top, but we sure like the view. says: Aug 25, 2014 10:23 AM

    Big Ben went 14-1 as a rookie, stepping in for Maddox. They just don’t make rookies like that anymore.

    Yes we know the Steelers are SMOKING right now right!!!!!!!! Well at least the running backs are!

  77. They both looked great in Preseason. Cassell has been solid, Teddy won us the game in Arizona, and we are 3-0. I get preseason doesn’t hold much stock but if you watched you saw both quarterbacks were good. This is a win-win for Vikes and let the Veteran start. They also looked good and the best RB on the planet didn’t touch the field yet. Our offense was good last year, it will be better this year and from all of the interceptions I have seen from the defense, we will be much better.

  78. I’m a fan of good people. So good luck Matt. Hope your career can elevate from here. Best of luck!

  79. One season too late, Peterson has another year of wear and tear, and Jennings lost another step. Instead they went with Ponder. Cassel does give them the best chance to win, early in this season, but about mid-way through it, people will be calling for Bridgewater.

    I feel that Bridgewater will have a similar pro career to a Jason Campbell. As with any player transitioning the pro game, there will be growing pains.

    I do think he can help the Vikings make the playoffs 4 or so years down the line, and play decent, but not quite able to unlock his whole potential that people feel he has, but still able to carve out a decent career, for a late 1st rounder.

  80. clamdiggers says:
    Aug 25, 2014 10:57 AM
    Peterson made of glass… Any chance he finishes even 8 games… 1 full season since 2010

    thats weird. started all 16 games in 2012.missed 9 games in 7 season. i think rodgers missed 7 or 8 last season alome

  81. Pack fan here. If I was a Vikings fan I’d be happy with this decision. Bridgewater should be around for a long time as it doesn’t seem he’s struggled – at least no more than any other rookie QB and patience is most often rewarded in these cases.

  82. lateefthetruthspeaker says:
    Aug 25, 2014 12:43 PM
    Wishing doesn’t make it so!
    ———————————-
    How true, if it did the Vikings would have won a Superbowl by now.

  84. We all knew Cassel was starting anyways, right? No surprises here.

    The important thing to note here is that the waterboy will be seeing more of the field during an NFL game than Ponder (sitting at #3 on the depth chart). If we can’t purge him now, at least there’s no chance he’ll be playing during a relegation game, outside of the fantastically unimportant 4th pre-season game.

    It’s only a matter of time before Teddy is running the huddle, as others here have stated. And I second the motion that Bridgewater has already shown us more play-making ability in three preseason games than Ponder has displayed over the last three years.

  88. Someone said we were the NFL Worst Offense? Vikings were top half of the NFL and I believe finished with more points than the Packers. I also think within a touchdown of the Lions so less than 1 point a game. Fix the defense and we will be fine.

  90. Dude has turned two good seasons into a bundle of cash and a career. Good for you Matt.
    Too bad the Vikings are already cashing in the 2014 season before it starts.
    This guy needs at least 15 seconds in the pocket and still makes a bad decision.

  93. All I can say is right now I’d rather be a Viking fan than a Ram fan.

    They were primed for being a contender and now lost their QB for the season. At least we have a chance for a wild card and they have to wait another year or more. I feel really bad for them!

  95. Nice to see Cassel named the starter. He couldn’t start in college but he can start for the vikings.

    Bridewater appears to be a real slow learner and the vikings still have Ponder if Cassel is injured.

    A 7th round pick from another organization beats out 2 viking first round picks and the vikings are proud of this.

    Looking at the history of vikings drafting and developing QB’s one can see that Bridewater will fit in with that history nicely.

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