The cordial QBs: Bridgewater still calls this the 'perfect situation for me'

The announcement that came as no surprise to anyone outside of the organization was of no surprise to the two participants as well.

Matt Cassel, were you surprised to be named the Vikings starting quarterback this morning?

"To be honest with you, I worked tremendously hard this offseason to put myself in this position," he said. "I'm excited that it's gone the way it has. I played well in the preseason and I'm excited that the coach has given me the confidence and the trust to name me the starter."

What about you, runner-up Teddy Bridgewater? Are you surprised?

"Not at all," he said. "Matt has been playing some good football so far. He's been great at mentoring the guys in the room. It was an overall team decision and I'm very excited for Matt."

Cassel praised Bridgewater's play — which includes a preseason with no turnovers and a passer rating of 117.1 — and Bridgewater returned the compliments later on.

"I take my hats off to Matt," Bridgewater said. "He's been playing great this preseason. I'm just going to continue to learn under him."

"I've been through a lot in my career," he said. "I've been through the ups, I've been through the downs. I've been through the highs and the lows, so at this point, nothing really surprises me in my career. So I think because of those, it calluses you to a few different situations that as a younger player, I might not have taken it as well."

Meanwhile, Bridgewater, the rookie first-round draft pick, said he hasn't changed his initial opinion about the Vikings and how he fits into their future.