By the end of the 2013 season, Minnesota was a team in need of turnaround specialists. The Vikings defense ranked last in the league in points-against (30.0 PPG) and next-to-last in yardage (397.6 YPG). The offense was one of the few to finish with more interceptions (19) than passing touchdowns (18).

Of course no team with an all-time running back like Adrian Peterson and an All-Pro kick returner like Cordarrelle Patterson can be considered all-phases bad. But this roster desperately needed an infusion of young talent, and the coaching staff needed exactly what it got — proven tacticians who will not suffer fools. Mike Zimmer might be a first-time NFL head coach, but he has a deep history of success and the autocratic demeanor of a man born for the job. It's tough to imagine a Zimmer-coached club — one with Norv Turner as its offensive coordinator — ever getting out-worked or out-schemed. So things are definitely looking up for this franchise.

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Minnesota allowed a few familiar vets to leave in the offseason — notably Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Toby Gerhart — while adding 10 new draftees (seven on defense) and a pile of free agents. Turner takes control of an offense that features upper-tier talent at pretty much every position group except ... well, except for the game's most important position.

View photos Teddy Bridgewater taking snaps in camp, plotting the takeover. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) More

If the Vikings are going to make a serious leap this season, record-wise, then rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will very likely need to usurp Matt Cassel, the incumbent who was part of last year's three-headed mess. Minnesota traded up on the first day of the NFL draft to snag Bridgewater, leapfrogging QB-needy Houston. The rookie has generated camp buzz, which comes as no surprise to anyone who's seen his collegiate tape. Bridgewater was mostly brilliant at Louisville last season (and the year before). He completed 71 percent of his throws for the Cardinals in 2013, passing for 3,970 yards and 31 scores while tossing just four interceptions. (Yup, four. His last multi-interception game was in September 2012.)

Bridgewater averaged 9.3 yards per pass attempt last season and finished with a ridiculous 171.1 rating. The kid was basically asked to be an OC on the field at Louisville, running a pro-style attack, manipulating defenders, making accurate throws with touch and sufficient zip. Watch his 2013 Sugar Bowl performance against Florida and tell me you don't see a pro — probably a very good pro. To my eye, Bridgewater was easily the most polished, skilled and NFL-ready QB in his draft class. It's still tough to believe that a poor pro day impacted his stock so much; again, this guy's track record is crazy-good. He's the first QB I'd want in a rookie dynasty draft, and the only one I've taken thus far.

However, it's one thing to be an exciting rookie quarterback and quite another to be a fantasy relevant QB. I won't make any hyper-aggressive pronouncements about Bridgewater's first-year fantasy potential. It's damn hard to adjust to the NFL at any position, but particularly difficult at his. If you need an official forecast, put me down for 3,650 yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 INTs — the typical Joe Flacco season, essentially. I'll draft Teddy all day in keeper formats and two-quarterback leagues; in standard re-drafts, I'll leave him in the free-agent pool. (And yes, I'm assuming he surges past Cassel. Let's not even imagine the Cassel-as-16-game-starter scenario.)

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