Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is going to be playing a lot of Madden football before training camp, but it isn’t because he’s shirking his responsibilities as a first-round pick.
Bridgewater says that he’s imported the Vikings’ playbook into the popular video game so that he can take “virtual reps” against defense he’s expecting to see in games. Bridgewater did the same thing at Louisville and said that he’s found it is a helpful way to continue the mental preparation that
“It helps because you get one more rep than you had in practice, actual practice,” Bridgewater said, via ESPN.com. “Any chance you get to take an extra rep or go the extra step, extra mile, it’s going to be very beneficial transferring it to the field.”
Bridgewater says the games are part of his attempt to maximize every opportunity he can get to immerse himself in the offense, which is an effort that the Vikings will surely appreciate if it helps Bridgewater get ready to help the team sooner rather than later.
And, if it does, it will serve as a good endorsement for the realism of the games even as the attempts of most Madden-players to claim deeper benefits from time spent in front of their screens fall on deaf ears.