Halfway through the day of scouting via television Sunday, the Falcons’ coaching staff had to switch gears.
Minnesota’s starting quarterback Matt Cassel, who the Falcons last in the 2012 season opener when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs, suffered a broken left foot and was replaced by rookie Teddy Bridgewater.
“Up until 2:30 Sunday we were game-planning like we were going to see (Cassel),” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Monday. “So, obviously we had to change a little bit.”
The Falcons (2-1) face the Vikings (1-2) at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Vikings, in their first season under coach Mike Zimmer, are reeling amid a sea of injuries and off-the-field controversy surrounding their star running back Adrian Peterson.
Peterson was indicted for child-abuse charges in Texas. After the team initially said he “deserved to play,” Peterson was placed on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list Wednesday.
The indictment stems from the injuries he caused while spanking his 4-year-old son with a tree switch.
In addition to playing without their starting quarterback and running back, the Vikings also lost starting tight end Kyle Rudolph to a groin injury. The Vikings’ top defensive player, linebacker Chad Greenway, played against the Saints with his broken hand in a cast.
Of the utmost concern for the Falcons is Bridgewater, who had a stellar career at Louisville before he was drafted in the first round (32nd overall) by the Vikings.
“You’ll see that they’ll want to put the ball in his hands and give him some run-pass options,” Smith said. “That’s one of his strengths, the ability to extend plays.”
Last season, the Falcons posted a 2-2 mark against rookie quarterbacks as Geno Smith led the New York Jets to a victory, as did Tampa Bay’s Mike Glennon. The Falcons posted a victory over Glennon and defeated rookie Buffalo rookie E.J. Manuel in overtime.
“I think it’s going to be a challenge for us with the rookie quarterback,” Smith said. “He’s very athletic. When he came into the ballgame yesterday, he was able to make some plays with his feet.”
The Falcons’ defense struggled in the first two outings of the season against New Orleans and Cincinnati. They showed some playmaking ability against Tampa Bay, which started Josh McCown. He was replaced by Glennon after suffering a thumb injury.
The Falcons’ defense held Tampa Bay to 217 yards, registered three sacks and gave up one touchdown.
With the day off, the players also scouted by watching television.
“I caught a little of the TV version against the Saints,” linebacker Paul Worrilow said. “We are going to start preparing today for Teddy and everything that they’ve got going on.”
Worrilow came away impressed.
“He can make those good throws to the sideline,” Worrilow said. “They are going to base their offense off of what he can do well, which is obviously run and move around. That’s going to be something that we’ll have to prepare for.”
In the 20-9 loss to the Saints, Bridgewater completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards and finished with a passer rating of 83.3. He ran six times for 27 yards, including a long of 15 yards.
Some of the Falcons said he reminded them of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson because when he scrambles he’s looking to pass first.
“We’re going to have to do some different things in practice in preparing for him with regards to pass rush and pass-rush lanes,” Smith said.
Bridgewater will be backed by Christian Ponder, the former starter in Minnesota. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Falcons defeated Ponder and the Vikings 24-14 in 2011 at the Georgia Dome.
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