Young Theodore Bridgewater

[Mothman]

I don't know. But I'm assuming their methodology is the same for all QBs. Even if there is a +/- error of a few percentage points, it's still an encouraging stat and I won't let you belittle it! I know you're comparing stats to Ponder below, but this stat for Teddy's rookie year beats Ponder's for any year of his career. Reason for optimism for me.

It's not a very high bar to set.

Sorry... just kidding. I actually thought about your point above and should have mentioned it in my post. Hopefully PFF is at least relatively consistent with their methodology which still means Bridgewater scored well against his peers and that's encouraging.

If you want to go down the Bridgewater vs. Ponder road, you should also probably highlight the fact that Bridgewater's season completion percentage was a full 10 percentage points higher than Ponder's (64% vs. 54%) on 111 more attempts.

I really don't want to go down that road, at least not any further than I did.

It's OK, Dem..er...Jim. You clearly only want the Vikings to improve (desperately). I think you're just getting a bit fed up with all of the mediocrity (to sub-par) seasons since 2009. Nobody can blame you there. But you do seem a bit more curmudgeony for Bridgewater and his first year than what I recall your tone of Ponder and his. Just an observation.

Guilty as charged, although I prefer to think of my attitude as pragmatic rather than "more curmudgeony". I think I'm just responding to what's around me. When I felt people were being too quick to declare Ponder a bust after one season, I encouraged them to be patient and keep an open mind. Now, the more I'm surrounded by hype about Bridgewater after one season, I find myself also preaching patience but in a more cautionary sense. I'm probably too pragmatic for my own good but as you said, I'm fed up with mediocrity and if I'm honest with myself, probably not eager to get my hopes too high and have them dashed by the Vikes again.

Bridgewater had a solid season for a rookie but in the end, in terms of the overall quality of NFL QB play, it was a pretty mediocre season. I'm trying not to lose perspective on that. It was his first season so I'm not saying I expected more than that from him, nor am I implying that I'm fed up with Bridgewater just because I'm fed up with mediocrity. At this point, waving decent QB play in front of Vikes fans is like waving a steak in front of a starving dog so I understand the response to his performance. I'm attempting to keep it in perspective.

[Purple bruise]

It's not a very high bar to set.

Sorry... just kidding. I actually thought about your point above and should have mentioned it in my post. Hopefully PFF is at least relatively consistent with their methodology which still means Bridgewater scored well against his peers and that's encouraging.
I really don't want to go down that road, at least not any further than I did.


Guilty as charged, although I prefer to think of my attitude as pragmatic rather than "more curmudgeony". I think I'm just responding to what's around me. When I felt people were being too quick to declare Ponder a bust after one season, I encouraged them to be patient and keep an open mind. Now, the more I'm surrounded by hype about Bridgewater after one season, I find myself also preaching patience but in a more cautionary sense. I'm probably too pragmatic for my own good but as you said, I'm fed up with mediocrity and if I'm honest with myself, probably not eager to get my hopes too high and have them dashed by the Vikes again.

Bridgewater had a solid season for a rookie but in the end, in terms of the overall quality of NFL QB play, it was a pretty mediocre season. I'm trying not to lose perspective on that. It was his first season so I'm not saying I expected more than that from him, nor am I implying that I'm fed up with Bridgewater just because I'm fed up with mediocrity. At this point, waving decent QB play in front of Vikes fans is like waving a steak in front of a starving dog so I understand the response to his performance. I'm attempting to keep it in perspective.

Jim I totally agree. I am very hopeful and have seen his progression as the season came to a close. Was he ever spectacular, I say no but from the QB play over the last several years, in comparison, he seemed, at times, awfully good. I think that he will become a very good QB in time and will be somewhere between Russell Wilson and Drew Brees' level, which isn't half bad.

[Mothman]

Jim I totally agree. I am very hopeful and have seen his progression as the season came to a close. Was he ever spectacular, I say no but from the QB play over the last several years, in comparison, he seemed, at times, awfully good. I think that he will become a very good QB in time and will be somewhere between Russell Wilson and Drew Brees' level, which isn't half bad.

I'd gladly take that! I'm still at the point where I don't know who the "real" Bridgewater will be, if you know what I mean. Is he going to be the QB who lit up the Dolphins with beautiful, often precise passes for TDs and big gains or the guy who led an offense that only managed to score 26 points in two games against the Chicago Bears and their 30th-ranked pass defense?

[Purple bruise]

I'd gladly take that! I'm still at the point where I don't know who the "real" Bridgewater will be, if you know what I mean. Is he going to be the QB who lit up the Dolphins with beautiful, often precise passes for TDs and big gains or the guy who led an offense that only managed to score 26 points in two games against the Chicago Bears and their 30th-ranked pass defense?

That is true, we can only hope for the best.

[dead_poet]

@markcraignfl -- Some #Vikings offensive numbers for Dec: 12th in net yards (27th for the season). 7th in net passing (28th for the season).

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Now, if Minnesota can solidify the offense this offseason and START that way next season, we should be well on our way to the playoffs.

[Mothman]

That's encouraging. I wonder where they ranked for the month in scoring?

[dead_poet]

Huh.

@mattvensel -- Interesting observation from @TheRealTweeters... Bridgwater's first year at LOU: 64.5 completion%, 7.2 YPA, 14 touchdown, 12 interceptions.

Bridgewater's first year in Minnesota? 64.4 completion percentage, 7.26 yards per attempt, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions. #Vikings

[Mothman]

Huh.

Weird.

Well, if that trend persists, we're in for some very good news indeed!

His second year at LOU: 68.5 completion%, 8.9 YPA, 27 touchdowns, 8 interceptions

Year 3: 71.0 completion%, 9.3 YPA, 31 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

That would shut pragmatic, "curmudgeony" killjoys like me right up! I'd probably be too busy beaming to even post.

[PurpleMustReign]

"curmudgeony"

I prefer "crotchety"

Bt those numbers from his first year in Louisville and his first year here are almost impossibly similar. What are the odds?

[dead_poet]

That would shut pragmatic, "curmudgeony" killjoys like me right up!

If only.

[PurpleMustReign]

If only.

Lol, don't put fuel on the fire!!

[TeddyViking]

Well, it sounds great but how did they arrive at it? How many of those completions were simple check downs (Asiata alone had 44 receptions this year).

There's a lot of focus on TB's completion percentage, accuracy under pressure, etc., much of it encouraging (especially since he had some of his better games later in the season) but one stat that troubles me is the Vikings offense scored just 25 TDs in the 12.5 games he started, an average of 2 per game.

Jim the Killjoy (sorry, this stuff is just what's on my mind)

Don't be too troubled Jim. I doubt any QB would have done better with Teddy's offense this year. A little improvement in talent surrounding him should go a long way in resolving all issues including the most important one W's.

[jackal]

I think Beckham has OROY locked up ... he has been tearing it up all season ...

[dead_poet]

Jim, here's some more good news for your stats.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 80901.html

Statistically speaking, you can say the Vikings fell from 14th in points per game (24.4) last year to 20th (20.3) this season. You can say they dropped from 13th in yards per game (344.3) to 27th (315.5). But you would be spewing numbers with careless disregard for meaningful context or the marked improvement in December.

In Turner’s first season of implementing his detailed offense, he used 24 different starters, including eight offensive linemen and three quarterbacks. A rookie quarterback started 12 games, only two opening-day starters played all 16 games and, oh yeah, the man around whom the offense was built, Adrian Peterson, played only one game, a 34-6 road victory over a Rams team that beat Seattle and Denver in the same building.

In the six games after the first Bears game, the Vikings averaged 24 points and 342.5 yards per game. In December, Bridgewater ranked first in the league in average yards per attempt (9.18), second in completion percentage (72.3) and fourth in passer rating (99.8 ). Meanwhile, the team ranked 12th in net yards and seventh in net passing in December.

“I don’t think we really found an identity until after that first Chicago game,” Turner said. “Teddy has all the key characteristics to be an upper-echelon quarterback in this league. He really impressed me with how he played this year and how he continued to improve.”