From the day he took that ambulance ride out of 9520 Viking Drive to Wednesday's practice, Teddy Bridgewater spent 59 weeks thinking, wondering and working toward this moment.
So it wasn't all about how much he did with the Vikings on his first day back, it was that he did anything.
"Just being able to get back on the football field [Wednesday], that was a mini-milestone," Bridgewater said. "Still got some work to do."
Speaking to Twin Cities reporters Thursday for just the second time since his gruesome injury nearly 14 months ago, Bridgewater exuded the same ear-to-ear grin he had through his 17-12 record as the Vikings starter before dislocating his left knee and tearing multiple ligaments during a routine August practice drill last year.
In his first full practice since that day, he was allotted roughly one-fifth of the team reps in order to ease his surgically-repaired left knee into action.
"Didn't feel rusty at all," Bridgewater said. "Just good to be out there with the guys _ in the huddle, calling plays, looking those guys in the eyes and seeing those guys trust in me and I trust in those guys."
Experiencing that again is a dream realized for the 24-year-old Bridgewater, who said doctors "probably" told him along the way he may never play again.
"I've been thinking about that moment every day," Bridgewater said, "because I use it as motivation. I use that to tell myself, 'Hey I'm one step closer.' Being out there, running out of that tunnel [Wednesday] just did something to me, in a good way."
Bridgewater didn't want to put a timetable on when he thinks he'll be able to play again, using an analogy about needing to see if he can run the race first: "So if we're not being smart and doing everything to get to the race, I'm not running the race."
He and the Vikings are taking baby steps together as his rehab intensifies. Working him into practice during the regular season presents its own complications, since reps are a crucial, finite resource while game planning for that week's opponent.
The current focus is putting Bridgewater into "uncontrolled environments," head coach Mike Zimmer said this week, which includes a couple 11-on-11 reps taken away from starter Case Keenum during team drills.
The Vikings have three weeks from Wednesday to evaluate Bridgewater in practice before needing to activate or shelve him for the season.
But that's not a question to Bridgewater.
"I definitely believe I'll play this year," Bridgewater said. "I can't just sit here and say it. I have to continue to put the work in on the field, on the practice field and show the training staff or higher authority I eventually can get back to the player I was."
