The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... With 18 wins in two seasons, a great young defensive core, and a franchise quarterback, Vikings HC Zimmer's future looks safe. Zimmer just wants his young quarterback, Bridgewater, to take charge of his team even more. "I think he's improved a lot," Zimmer said on Thursday. "But I think there's sometimes where he needs to believe that this is my time, my team."

Diehards Line: Speaking about Bridgewater's development, Zimmer was not overly concerned about Bridgewater's skill set or whether the team wins games 13-10 or 24-10. Zimmer was clear what he really wants is Bridgewater to be more assertive. "At the end of the day, when I come back here next year. ... I want to be able to say, 'Teddy really took over this offense. ... He took charge of the league. Whatever that means, whether it's putting us in the right place, throwing the ball more, throwing the ball less. Just taking charge of this thing. Because it's going to be his baby," Zimmer said. ... As NFL.com suggested, implicit in Zimmer's words: This is not Bridgewater's team completely yet. The focus on Bridgewater's relatively slow growth in year two has tended to focus on his decision-making, accuracy, and deep passes. But Zimmer sounds more focused on his quarterback's ability to take control of the team.