Vikings: Bridgewater questions make Mike Zimmer testy

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was in no mood to answer questions about Teddy Bridgewater after Thursday night’s preseason game.

Mike Zimmer is known for his fiery demeanor and no-BS attitude. The press got a glimpse of both those attributes Thursday after the Vikings’ preseason win over the Seahawks.

Zimmer decided just before the game to sit down Teddy Bridgewater and afterward the media wanted to know the reason. Zimmer had no interest in coughing up that particular piece of information.

When reporters pressed Zimmer on the matter, he became irate and shut them down (via 1500ESPN):

"Zimmer became annoyed with follow up questions during his press conference. “It was my decision,” he said. “How many times are we going to go through this? It was my decision. Good enough?”"

Maybe Zimmer should’ve eaten a Snickers before going out for his presser.

Bad mood or no, it probably would have helped Zim to be a little more forthcoming in that particular situation.

Withholding information from the media only opened a door for people to speculate and speculate they did.

Some wondered if Bridgewater might be hurt. As a matter of fact, he did reportedly have a sore shoulder Thursday night. But are we really buying that this was the reason for Bridgewater sitting or was the report something the Vikings floated out there after the fact as a means of shutting down speculation?

Another possible explanation for Bridgewater’s benching? The Vikings are not thrilled with their offensive line and wanted to protect Teddy by keeping him out.

Warren Moon seems to think there is some merit to this theory:

This theory only exists because Zim let his annoyance get the better of him. He would have been better off just telling the press about the shoulder.

Sometimes letting your feelings show is a good thing and sometimes it’s a bad thing. Zimmer doesn’t seem to have much of a filter when it comes to irritation.

Next: Jeff Locke's bad night

I don’t blame Zim for getting testy and I kind of like his overall grumpy-old-man demeanor, but lashing out at the media gets you nowhere.

Jerry Burns, Dennis Green and Brad Childress were other Vikings coaches who could sometimes spar with the press and it never did them any favors.

So for Zim, I recommend more patience with the ignorant dopes in the media. Maybe he should try some deep-breathing techniques or meditation. Or cut out the caffeine.