FLOWERY BRANCH -- Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer, who was with the Falcons as the defensive coordinator in 2007, knows a thing or two about managing a team through a crisis situation.
Back in 2007, the Falcons lost quarterback Michael Vick to a federal dog-fighting investigation.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Zimmer, in his first season as Minnesota's head coach, has lost his star running back Adrian Peterson because he's been indicted for child abuse in Texas.
In a conference call with the Atlanta media on Wednesday, here's what Zimmer had to say:
Q: How are you managing the crisis situation surrounding running back Adrian Peterson?
A: Some things have come up that we didn't anticipate, but this team is pretty resilient. We're going forward and we're excited about the opportunity to play the Falcons.
Q: How is Teddy Bridgewater doing as he prepares for his first NFL start?
A: Atlanta has a very good defense. They are very physical and well-coached. We've been very, very pleased with everything that Teddy has done since he's come in here. He has great composure. He's quick with his decisions. He's been on top of his game as far as trying to learn everything that is going on. He's a good kid to have around. We're excited to have him.
Q: Could you talk about the local kid (Jerick) McKinnon?
A: Jerick was a guy who played multiple positions in college (at Georgia Southern). He's a very, very good athlete. He's strong and physical kid for his stature. He has excellent hands. Great quickness. He's a young guy developing into what we hope to be a very good running back.
Q: How is Cordarrelle Patterson developing as a wide receiver?
A: He's doing well. We always need to keep him involved as much as possible. He's a good kid and he's still young. He's still learning at receiver. Obviously, he's an excellent kick returner. He's strong after the catch. He runs good routes. We just need to keep him going.
Q: Who are you going to plug in at tight with (Kyle) Rudolph going down to injury?
A: We've had quite a few injuries this past week. Rudolph had a procedure done (on Tuesday). But Rhett Ellison has been doing a very nice job. We have MarQueis Gray who we signed a couple of weeks ago. They are guys who have been in Norv Turner's system.
Q: How is cornerback Captain Munnerlyn fitting in for you?
A: As you know, Captain is a very competitive player. He does a great job as far as trying to teach some of these younger guys how to play. We have a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball. But Captain is a veteran guy who's had some good experience in the league. He's really adapted to what we are trying to do here defensively.
Q: Can you talk about the transition for the team and the fans to the new stadium and what type of atmosphere you expect there on Sunday?
A: It's an outdoor stadium at the University of Minnesota. We've only had the one home game there thus far. The fans have been great. It's a fairly loud place for an outdoor stadium. They were good in the preseason. We've got some good fans here, so we are hoping that they come out and continue to be nice and loud for that no-huddle offense.
Q: What have you seen from the Falcons offense?
A: They are very explosive. Matt Ryan is such a good quarterback. When I was in Cincinnati we had the opportunity to scrimmage against him last year for a couple of days. (Falcons offensive coordinator) Dirk (Koetter) does a great job offensively. They've got weapons. I think Steven Jackson is running the ball very, very well. Julio Jones and Roddy White … they've got a lot of great weapons. Their offensive line is playing much better than they did a year ago. It's showing up. Matt is one of the better quarterbacks in the league. They are playing with a lot of confidence. Hester is helping them out quite a bit, too.
Q: How’s your defense performing? That front looks pretty stout.
A: We need to play better than we did against the Saints, but we have seven or eight new starters on this defense from a year ago. We are still gelling. Brian Robinson, who's our left end, he's a tough hard-nosed player. Everson Griffen is a good athlete Sharrif Floyd is a second-year guy who is kind of coming into his own a little bit. Linval Joseph is a guy that we signed from the Giants. Defensively, we are still a work in progress. But I like the way this team plays and I like the way they prepare.
Q: Anybody tougher than the (Chad) Greenway kid who was trying to play with a broken hand and ribs last week?
A: He's a tough kid. We have quite a few tough kids. In the NFL now you must have a tough and physical mindset and Chad is very smart guy. He's a good competitor and he kind of helps keeps this team together.
Q: Do you have to hold anything back with Bridgewater?
A: We'll tailor things to what he can do. From the first day he walked in the door, the thing with Teddy is when we drafted him he came in here for press conference. Most people leave and go back home until you have your rookie minicamp. He stayed here the entire time and started studying. He had all of his bags packed and was ready to be here the entire time. He's a good kid. He can run the system that we have in place. That's why we drafted him.
Q: Has there been change in his demeanor this week knowing that he’s going to start on Sunday?
A: He's a very composed individual. Last week against New Orleans, that's not the easier place to go in when you're down 13 on the road in the Superdome. He was extremely composed. We did start him in a preseason game this year. So, he got the opportunity to do that. I don't think his demeanor will change one bit. I think Teddy is always is going to be Teddy. Whether if good things happen or bad things happen, he's the same even keeled guy.
Q: What challenges will Devin Hester present?
A: He looks extremely fast. Their whole team looks fast to me. But Devin, I think he is playing receiver well now. He's great on some of the routes, some of the pick routes that they run. I think he does a great job with them and some of the slants and then obviously some of the deep throws. Then you always had to be aware of him on the reverses and quick screens as well. It's another added dimension for their attack and I'm sure that they are glad to have him. He's playing exceptionally well.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
GAME STORY: Falcons rebound by routing hapless Bucs, 56-14
Deion Sanders gladly passes his record to Devin Hester
After whirlwind start, Falcons get a chance to exhale
Matt Ryan sets completion percentage record
Julio Jones leads league in receiving yards
Falcons hope to end struggles against rookie quarterbacks when they face Teddy Bridgewater
