Mankato

The other day I asked the Vikings if I could spend a couple of minutes with Teddy Bridgewater.

I figured it would be a routine interview in which an athlete tries to politely say nothing until the interviewer runs out of time. Which is fine, That's part of the game athletes and journalists play.

Another reporter wrapped up a short session with Teddy, and then I spoke with him as he headed across the street to the Vikings' lockerroom.

We stopped inside the doors, in the lobby, as I asked him what he was like when he was with his teammates, and away from people like me.

That's when I was introduced to something closer to the real Bridgewater than we usually see.

He danced. Literally. He cracked jokes. He spoke passionately about his teammates and becoming a leader.

The result is my column in the Sunday paper.

Please check it out.

I liked Bridgewater a lot last year, and I saw a few glimpses of his true personality. Just never during structured interviews.

It looks like now, with his position on the team secure, and with the confidence of a player who expects to be great, we might see the side of his personality that has won over so many of his teammates.

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The MalePatternPodcasts.com network is growing. I recently added FSN analyst Roy Smalley to go with Strib hockey guru Michael Russo and Viking Update publisher Tim Yotter, and I run my own interview show at Souhan Uncensored.

Please check out the podcasts and the website. My latest interviews are with Matt Birk, Jumpin' Jim Brunzell, Chad Greenway, Torii Hunter, Eddie Guardado and Brian Dozier. Birk and Brunzell will be released in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading, and listening.

@Souhanstrib