Souhan: Suddenly, Bridgewater is the face of Vikings' franchise

NEW ORLEANS – Ten days ago, Adrian Peterson was the Vikings' unquestioned franchise player, and Teddy Bridgewater had yet to take a snap in the NFL.

Sunday, the Vikings' woes continued, but the story blessedly changed.

In their 20-9 loss to the Saints at the Superdome, Bridgewater made his debut, meaning the face of the franchise is now a likable kid with a quick release and a ready smile, not a suspended player who admitted to whipping a 4-year-old.

Peterson didn't pass the torch; he fumbled it. Sunday, Bridgewater grabbed it the way a New Orleans street performer would snatch a $10 bill.

As a coach told Bridgewater before he entered the game, ''It's your time.''

There was no comfortable segue in this transition. Peterson didn't play during the preseason, while Bridgewater was learning the offense, and Bridgewater didn't play in the regular season until Peterson was suspended. The two have never played a down together. There's a chance they never will.

With apologies to Matt Cassel's metatarsals and family members, Sunday couldn't have worked out much better for the Vikings unless they had become the first team to beat the Saints in the Superdome in 18 games.

With Cassel and Peterson out indefinitely, this becomes Bridgewater's team. With Peterson gone, the Vikings need to build their offense around three young, gifted players — Bridgewater, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and running back Jerick McKinnon.

If Bridgewater rallies the Vikings, he becomes one of the best stories in the NFL. If he shows poise and improvement during a losing season, his growth creates hope.

From the moment they traded for a first-round pick specifically to draft Bridgewater, the Vikings intended for him to become their most important player. The transition figured to take place in late winter or spring, when Vikings management was expected to either ask Peterson to take a pay cut, or considered trading or cutting him.

Peterson's suspension and Cassel's injury accelerated Bridgewater's ascension.

Asked if the kid is ready, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, understated as usual, nodded and said, "I believe that he's going to be very good."

Making your first appearance with your team losing in the Superdome, with wireless equipment in your helmet malfunctioning, is not ideal, but Bridgewater looked calm.

"I wasn't nervous at all,'' he said, recoiling at the thought. "I mean this is where I wanted to be."

You have to believe him. He moved well in the pocket under pressure, ran when lanes appeared, but mostly kept his eyes downfield. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards and didn't commit a turnover against a defense that didn't have to worry much about the Vikings' suddenly woeful running game. He rushed six times for 27 yards.

He hit receivers in stride, didn't put the ball in danger of being intercepted, and pushed the ball farther downfield than Cassel.

"I thought he was very composed," Zimmer said. "I didn't see any panic.''

The last time Bridgewater played in the Superdome, he completed 20 of 32 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns as Louisville upset fourth-ranked Florida in the Sugar Bowl, on Jan. 3, 2013. He was chosen the game's most outstanding player.

"It was great to be back in a facility that I pretty much had my best college football game in," he said. "And then you get a chance to play your first professional game here — it was just a great feeling."

This week he'll transition from nostalgia to hope in another college venue, starting at TCF Bank Stadium against Atlanta.

Late Sunday afternoon, he still looked like a college kid as he conducted a TV interview and headed across the turf toward the team bus.

He looks young enough to be an intern. He wore a backpack. He pulled a rolling suitcase — maybe for the last time in an NFL stadium, since starting quarterbacks have people who do those things for them.

A Vikings fan in the nearly empty stands shouted, "We love you, Teddy! You're going to be great!"

Bridgewater laughed and waved, but he didn't look back.

Jim Souhan can be heard weekdays at noon and Sundays from 10 to noon on 1500 ESPN. @SouhanStrib • jsouhan@startribune.com