That meme of Michael Jordan — the basketball legend, not the former Cincinnati Bengals guard — from The Last Dance Netflix documentary where he says, "It became personal with me," sure appears to apply to young journeyman quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Throughout Bengals training camp and the preseason, Ridder was in the running for the backup quarterback job behind Joe Burrow. Unfortunately for Ridder, Jake Browning had years of experience in Cincinnati's system on him, which offset the novelty of the former Cincinnati Bearcats QB's rushing ability.
When the Bengals acquired Brett Rypien the day after waiving Ridder, and then signed Mike White and Sean Clifford to their practice squad on Tuesday, it became clear Ridder wasn't in their future plans.
Now Ridder has turned the tables.
Vikings sign recent Bengals QB Desmond Ridder before Week 3 showdown
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported the news of Ridder landing with the Minnesota Vikings. Most notable here is the fact that Minnesota isn't merely placing Ridder on the practice squad. He's headed straight to the 53-man roster. This comes in the wake of the news that new Vikings starting QB J.J. McCarthy will miss at least a couple weeks with a high-ankle sprain.
The Vikings host the Bengals this coming Sunday, so who better to glean some insider knowledge from than Ridder? It's something of a heel turn for the celebrated collegiate Cincinnati star, but shoot, Ridder had the chance to extend his career with a great organization. Why would he turn it down?
This iteration of the Bengals is off to the first 2-0 start to a season in head coach Zac Taylor's tenure. It was already going to be a tall task to go to Minnesota and pull out a victory, especially with the Vikings coming off an embarrassing 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
Taylor's resilient team just lost Burrow for at least three months, thrusting the ex-Viking Browning into starting duty. I've been critical of how the Bengals have set up shop with Burrow running the offense, and Browning has his work cut out against Brian Flores' schematic brilliance.
Ridder was with the Bengals from just before training camp to late August. His insight should be invaluable for a Vikings team desperately trying to avoid a 1-2 start.
Even without McCarthy in the lineup, though, it's not as if a seasoned veteran like Carson Wentz will be a total pushover. Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell is an elite play-caller who's made his offense work with a full-blown carousel of various quarterbacks in recent years.
This certainly thickens the plot for both teams entering their Week 3 clash. So much crossover happening here! Browning was waived thrice in his career by the Vikings. Rypien got released from Minnesota in late August before he wound up in Cincinnati. New Bengals right guard Dalton Risner played for the Vikings last season and the year before. Wild stuff.
It might not mean much in the end, yet Ridder joining the Vikings with multiple full days of prep time ahead isn't nothing. We'll have to wait to Sunday to know for sure how significant Ridder's presence is in the short term.