Young Theodore Bridgewater

[Cliff]

Because that's what I was implying??

Well, I was mostly joking.

However, despite what the scheme is, I'm betting him standing there not actually blocking a person isn't the way it's supposed to go down. Is that the way the zone blocking scheme works, if there's nobody in front of you to block you still just stand there? I honestly don't know but that seems silly. Of course, it's also just a screen capture so it doesn't fully represent what he was doing.

Regardless, him just standing there like that is funny and after the season he has had, I think he's open to a few jokes at his expense.

[Purple Reign]

Didnt mean to say "entirely". My fault. You were saying it didnt matter that they put up a lot of points. Since they lost Teddy won't be considered a "winner" yet he has the most wins of any QB.

What world are you living in? Teddy has the most wins of any QB? He has 5 wins this year, there are a lot of other QBs that have way more than 5 wins. I can't believe you would say/believe that - you must have meant something else. And if you mean just rookie QBs, that isn't much of an argument this year as Carr is his only real competition and he has just 1 less win (and no, he isn't considered a 'winner' either). Besides, isn't the definition of being a 'winner' mean that you win more games than you lose?

I'm just saying that's the way it is - wins/losses of a team are more of a factor in the perception of a QB being a 'winner' than just his stats. Take Andy Dalton as an example, he has gotten the Bengals to the playoffs, what, the last 4 or 5 years and has pretty decent stats including a lot of regular season wins, but since he hasn't won a playoff game yet, most people don't really consider him a 'winner'.

[Pondering Her Percy]

What world are you living in? Teddy has the most wins of any QB? He has 5 wins this year, there are a lot of other QBs that have way more than 5 wins. I can't believe you would say/believe that - you must have meant something else. And if you mean just rookie QBs, that isn't much of an argument this year as Carr is his only real competition and he has just 1 less win (and no, he isn't considered a 'winner' either). Besides, isn't the definition of being a 'winner' mean that you win more games than you lose?

I'm just saying that's the way it is - wins/losses of a team are more of a factor in the perception of a QB being a 'winner' than just his stats. Take Andy Dalton as an example, he has gotten the Bengals to the playoffs, what, the last 4 or 5 years and has pretty decent stats including a lot of regular season wins, but since he hasn't won a playoff game yet, most people don't really consider him a 'winner'.

Dude relax I think you knew what I meant. I was saying rookie QBs. I've been working on a phone here so it's pretty difficult. I understand what you're saying regarding the winning thing and to be honest we're not going to be able to tell if Teddy is a winner or not until his career continues a few more years.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

I cannot find the source now, but I read something that said Teddy was the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to have four straight games with above a 70% completion rate. Just think how good this offense could be with a better offensive line, Kyle Rudolph healthy, and Adrian Peterson?

[Purple bruise]

I cannot find the source now, but I read something that said Teddy was the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to have four straight games with above a 70% completion rate. Just think how good this offense could be with a better offensive line, Kyle Rudolph healthy, and Adrian Peterson?

Hopefully that will all come to fruition next year and It would be awesome if AD returned with a huge chip on his shoulder and took it out on their opponents.

[John_Viveiros]

...I have criticized Teddy myself but you pointed out some of the nitpicking that's been going on with Teddy this season just like I did a few days back. I feel that some fans are sometimes overly critical of Teddy. Not saying he can't be criticized but there has been plenty more good than bad and for whatever reason, some focus more on the bad.

I don't remember if I took it to the board here, but I was certainly concerned early on with Teddy and his low YPA numbers and the lack of TD passes - both indicating that he was throwing the ball short. We all are (ahem) familiar with a QB who can't connect down the field at least 10 yard past the LOS, and how that cripples an offense. But as he has become more comfortable with the offense, the YPA has gone up (frankly, to a number in the last four games that boggles my mind, considering the quality of defenses he has faced, and the lack of either a superstar running or receiving threat to open things up for him) and the TD's have come (even if the refs occasionally take them away). Rookie interceptions don't bother me from a QB evaluation standpoint - it's a learning experience. Heck, Peyton Manning threw four last night, and had 28 interceptions during his rookie season.

[TeddyViking]

WOW what happen here? I came back here thinking I would find multiple threads on how great a season Teddy B is having. Instead I read posts about all of his faults and how he is inaccurate. How blind can you be. Teddy is shattering records with his accuracy and he is doing it with one of the least talented offenses in the league. I wrote this in may after you guys drafted Teddy...

Hey guys, new Member here. I am a Texans fan who migrated over here because I wanted to follow Bridgewater. The Texans biggest need by far was quarterback. So of course I studied every quarterback in the draft. I watched video, I mean a lot of video. I watched everything on Bridgewater and most everything on Manziel, Carr, Bortles plus some on Boyd, Mettenberg, McCarron, Garrapolo, Logan Thomas and even some kid from Wyoming. I even watched Famous Jameis and Mariota. And what I came away with is Bridgewater does possess those intangibles that separate him from all of those guys.

Yeah his athleticism isn't great but what stuck out for me is his poise under pressure. It's not like Bridgewater is head and shoulders above all the qb's. There are faster qb's and stronger armed QB's, there are QB's that are a little more accurate and bigger QB's but Teddy Bridgewater is at or near the top in almost all categories. In footwork, pocket presence, mobility accuracy, strength, decision making, fearlessness. That's what separates him from the rest.

What I use in analyzing QBs is to watch what they do in the brightest lights on the biggest stage. In lieu of that watch what they do in big games and then at the end of close games and then in 3rd down situations. Teddy steps up more than anyone in college in those situations.

That’s the thing he does better than anyone is read the blitz and act under pressure. He is better than Bortles, Manziel, Winston, Mariota, everyone and it's really not that close. He simply has more poise and better pocket presence and Teddy Bridgewater just seems to get better under pressure. He shines in the lights. Whether 3rd down coversions, 2 minute drills, conference important games, bowl games winning drives, when everything is on the line is when he puts his cape on.

I watched enough of TB and Manziel and Bortles etc. to know TB was who I wanted to take number 1 overall. But I didn’t stop there. I started looking at Luck's college days and comparing him to Bridgewater and yes of course Luck is all around better but Bridgewater still has that footwork and pocket presence that make it closer than you might think. And when you consider Luck's pedigree and all of his preparation and that he was older when he left college that gap really narrows. Just watch their last games in college and judge for yourself. But remember to look for those subtle nuances in footwork and pocket presence and handling blitzes and pressure.

That’s the other thing, I think Teddy Bridgewater has much more upside than most realize. Teddy Bridgewater was not groomed like many elite prep QB’s and then he went to a Louisville football program that wasn’t even on the map. And not to take anything away from Strong and Watson, but weren’t prepared to develop him the way Luck, Winston, Mariota got groomed. He is still very raw in many ways. Your guy Turner could see that but more importantly he could see this kid could be taught.

Do not underestimate Coach Turner. He stomped his hand down for a reason. He sees the same things I see. There are no guarantees but TB will be a very good to great QB in this league for many years. Yeah he had a bad pro day. But that is the best thing that could have happened for the Vikings.

So when we let you guys jump in front of us and take Teddy I was so pissed. For a brief moment I thought we might get Clowney and Bridgewater. I have since learned the Texans had no intention of picking Bridgewater even if you guys didn't select him. Bridgewater puts fear in GM’s. Most of them don’t really know how to evaluate talent. Even your GM says he watched some film and went to 4 games. That’s nothing. I watched 22 games of TB and watched some as many as 5 times. You got to do that to truly see that this kid is special. Because what that shows you is what he does well he does again and again.

You guys are so lucky to have Coach Turner. He may not be a great head coach but he is a great quarterback coach. We are destined for sucktitude with that kind of player evaluation. Not saying Clowney won’t be good. But you win championships with quarterbacks and you guys got the best one by far in this draft. It’s a shame our weak #### GM was afraid to do what you guys did. TB and Clowney was a dream and TB and Barr might even be better."

I admit I wasn't sure everything would transfer to the NFL. But what Teddy is doing now is better than I even imagined when I saw the problems with Pterson and your OL. Still overall it's no coincidence. The one thing Teddy has been consistent at in college and now the pros is improvement. He started off a little slow his freshman year and by the end of the season was entrenched as their starter and future at Louisville. He had a very good sophomore and capped it off with his best game of the season as a 2 td underdog against the second best defense in college and beat them handily. He finished up his junior by obliterating a favorite Miami team. And now he is finishing up his rookie year with record breaking stats on one of the worst offensive teams without him.

You can not overlook that and you can not overlook his improvement in such a short period of time. Once I saw him do the things he was doing in college and continue the same in the pros I was as confident as I could be he would succeed in the NFL. The thing is in college he also had a pathetic offensive line. Imagine when you surround him with more talent and a decent O/L. The sky is the limit for him. Teddy Bridgewater can lead the Vikings to the super bowl and people are stupidly arguing about his accuracy.

Really guys if you don't want him we will gladly give you Fitzpatrick, Clowney and anyone not named JJWatt for him. I personally would consider giving up JJ Watt. The Texans would have my head for that but there is a thread on Houston forum asking would you trade Andrew Luck for JJ Watt and more than half said yes. I wasn't one of them but Teddy B is better than Andrew Luck. There are things Teddy B does now that Luck will never do in his career. You just can't see it because you can't see how pathetic your offensive line is and how bad your running game is and how average your recievers are. And how amazing what Teddy is accomplishing in spite of that. As much as I love Watt it's a quarterbacks league and Teddy is going to be a star!

[808vikingsfan]

WOW what happen here? I came back here thinking I would find multiple threads on how great a season Teddy B is having. Instead I read posts about all of his faults and how he is inaccurate. How blind can you be. Teddy is shattering records with his accuracy and he is doing it with one of the least talented offenses in the league. I wrote this in may after you guys drafted Teddy...

Hey guys, new Member here. I am a Texans fan who migrated over here because I wanted to follow Bridgewater. The Texans biggest need by far was quarterback. So of course I studied every quarterback in the draft. I watched video, I mean a lot of video. I watched everything on Bridgewater and most everything on Manziel, Carr, Bortles plus some on Boyd, Mettenberg, McCarron, Garrapolo, Logan Thomas and even some kid from Wyoming. I even watched Famous Jameis and Mariota. And what I came away with is Bridgewater does possess those intangibles that separate him from all of those guys.

Yeah his athleticism isn't great but what stuck out for me is his poise under pressure. It's not like Bridgewater is head and shoulders above all the qb's. There are faster qb's and stronger armed QB's, there are QB's that are a little more accurate and bigger QB's but Teddy Bridgewater is at or near the top in almost all categories. In footwork, pocket presence, mobility accuracy, strength, decision making, fearlessness. That's what separates him from the rest.

What I use in analyzing QBs is to watch what they do in the brightest lights on the biggest stage. In lieu of that watch what they do in big games and then at the end of close games and then in 3rd down situations. Teddy steps up more than anyone in college in those situations.

That’s the thing he does better than anyone is read the blitz and act under pressure. He is better than Bortles, Manziel, Winston, Mariota, everyone and it's really not that close. He simply has more poise and better pocket presence and Teddy Bridgewater just seems to get better under pressure. He shines in the lights. Whether 3rd down coversions, 2 minute drills, conference important games, bowl games winning drives, when everything is on the line is when he puts his cape on.

I watched enough of TB and Manziel and Bortles etc. to know TB was who I wanted to take number 1 overall. But I didn’t stop there. I started looking at Luck's college days and comparing him to Bridgewater and yes of course Luck is all around better but Bridgewater still has that footwork and pocket presence that make it closer than you might think. And when you consider Luck's pedigree and all of his preparation and that he was older when he left college that gap really narrows. Just watch their last games in college and judge for yourself. But remember to look for those subtle nuances in footwork and pocket presence and handling blitzes and pressure.

That’s the other thing, I think Teddy Bridgewater has much more upside than most realize. Teddy Bridgewater was not groomed like many elite prep QB’s and then he went to a Louisville football program that wasn’t even on the map. And not to take anything away from Strong and Watson, but weren’t prepared to develop him the way Luck, Winston, Mariota got groomed. He is still very raw in many ways. Your guy Turner could see that but more importantly he could see this kid could be taught.

Do not underestimate Coach Turner. He stomped his hand down for a reason. He sees the same things I see. There are no guarantees but TB will be a very good to great QB in this league for many years. Yeah he had a bad pro day. But that is the best thing that could have happened for the Vikings.

So when we let you guys jump in front of us and take Teddy I was so pissed. For a brief moment I thought we might get Clowney and Bridgewater. I have since learned the Texans had no intention of picking Bridgewater even if you guys didn't select him. Bridgewater puts fear in GM’s. Most of them don’t really know how to evaluate talent. Even your GM says he watched some film and went to 4 games. That’s nothing. I watched 22 games of TB and watched some as many as 5 times. You got to do that to truly see that this kid is special. Because what that shows you is what he does well he does again and again.

You guys are so lucky to have Coach Turner. He may not be a great head coach but he is a great quarterback coach. We are destined for sucktitude with that kind of player evaluation. Not saying Clowney won’t be good. But you win championships with quarterbacks and you guys got the best one by far in this draft. It’s a shame our weak #### GM was afraid to do what you guys did. TB and Clowney was a dream and TB and Barr might even be better."

I admit I wasn't sure everything would transfer to the NFL. But what Teddy is doing now is better than I even imagined when I saw the problems with Pterson and your OL. Still overall it's no coincidence. The one thing Teddy has been consistent at in college and now the pros is improvement. He started off a little slow his freshman year and by the end of the season was entrenched as their starter and future at Louisville. He had a very good sophomore and capped it off with his best game of the season as a 2 td underdog against the second best defense in college and beat them handily. He finished up his junior by obliterating a favorite Miami team. And now he is finishing up his rookie year with record breaking stats on one of the worst offensive teams without him.

You can not overlook that and you can not overlook his improvement in such a short period of time. Once I saw him do the things he was doing in college and continue the same in the pros I was as confident as I could be he would succeed in the NFL. The thing is in college he also had a pathetic offensive line. Imagine when you surround him with more talent and a decent O/L. The sky is the limit for him. Teddy Bridgewater can lead the Vikings to the super bowl and people are stupidly arguing about his accuracy.

Really guys if you don't want him we will gladly give you Fitzpatrick, Clowney and anyone not named JJWatt for him. I personally would consider giving up JJ Watt. The Texans would have my head for that but there is a thread on Houston forum asking would you trade Andrew Luck for JJ Watt. Teddy B is better than Andrew Luck. You just can't see it because you can't see how pathetic your offensive line is and how bad your running game is and how average your recievers are. As much as I love Watt it's a quarterbacks league and Teddy is going to be a star.

It's clear to some how good Teddy will be. Most are in a 'wait and see' mode. You have to remember we are Vikings fans. We've been burned like no other fan base has been burned. I think even if the Vikings drafted Luck a couple of years ago, we'd still have a few questioning the pick.

[Mothman]

It's clear to some how good Teddy will be. Most are in a 'wait and see' mode. You have to remember we are Vikings fans. We've been burned like no other fan base has been burned. I think even if the Vikings drafted Luck a couple of years ago, we'd still have a few questioning the pick.

Is anybody here even questioning the pick?

As you said, we've been burned a number of times so some of us are cautiously optimistic rather than fanatically devoted at this point.

I want to touch on a point our new friend made above:

And now he is finishing up his rookie year with record breaking stats on one of the worst offensive teams without him.

The Vikings have one of the league's worst offenses with him. He's been their QB the majority of the year and they're ranked 26th on offense, 27th in passing. I'm not denying the obvious improvement Bridgewater has made recently, just pointing out a fact and I'm doing so because I feel compelled to defend his teammates on offense. In this age of QB glorification, I'm seeing Bridgewater get the lion's share of credit for what the Vikings are doing well on offense but almost 55% of the team's passing yards have come after the catch. The Vikes lack star power on that side of the ball and that's one of the main reasons their offense isn't ranked higher but they're a hard-working bunch and Teddy's teammates have done a lot to help him shine in some recent games. I'm not trying to take anything away from Bridgewater's contribution but when the Vikes offense has been effective, as it was last week against Miami, it's been far from a one man show. Everybody is doing their part, which is good, because that's how football is supposed to work.

[Purple bruise]

Is anybody here even questioning the pick?

As you said, we've been burned a number of times so some of us are cautiously optimistic rather than fanatically devoted at this point.

I want to touch on a point our new friend made above:
The Vikings have one of the league's worst offenses with him. He's been their QB the majority of the year and they're ranked 26th on offense, 27th in passing. I'm not denying the obvious improvement Bridgewater has made recently, just pointing out a fact and I'm doing so because I feel compelled to defend his teammates on offense. In this age of QB glorification, I'm seeing Bridgewater get the lion's share of credit for what the Vikings are doing well on offense but almost 55% of the team's passing yards have come after the catch. The Vikes lack star power on that side of the ball and that's one of the main reasons their offense isn't ranked higher but they're a hard-working bunch and Teddy's teammates have done a lot to help him shine in some recent games. I'm not trying to take anything away from Bridgewater's contribution but when the Vikes offense has been effective, as it was last week against Miami, it's been far from a one man show. Everybody is doing their part, which is good, because that's how football is supposed to work.

Great points and I must agree, from some, he seems to get all of the credit and none of the blame. You cannot have it both ways.

[Mothman]

Great points and I must agree, from some, he seems to get all of the credit and none of the blame. You cannot have it both ways.

Exactly (and thank you).

By the way, just to be clear, when I wrote "The Vikings have one of the league's worst offenses with him", I hope it was clear that I was referring to their rankings for the season. They've obviously been playing better on offense lately so I wouldn't say their offense, over the past month, has been one of the worst in the league. It's been good.

[Mothman]

QB snapshot: Teddy Bridgewater

The past four weeks, Bridgewater has hit 65.4 percent of his throws of at least 10 yards, which is the highest completion percentage in the league over that stretch. His completion percentage when throwing at least 15 yards also leads the league, and it's even more impressive -- 76.5 percent. And 20-plus yards? Bridgewater's completion percentage is tops in the league there too -- he's gone 6-for-9 on such throws for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Now, it should be noted no QB who has started the past four weeks has tried fewer throws of 15 yards or more than Bridgewater, who has attempted just 17. But the Vikings' pass protection issues and their search for bona fide deep threats have plenty to do with that, as well. The rookie will need to get more comfortable going down the field frequently, and he'll need to maintain his accuracy over higher volumes of those throws. But the Vikings coaches who staunchly defended the rookie when he was missing deep throws earlier this season -- Turner, head coach Mike Zimmer and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner -- appear to have been vindicated.

[Purple Reign]

but Teddy B is better than Andrew Luck.

Wow - that is a pretty bold statement. Maybe Teddy will be better in the future, but right now I don't see how you can say Teddy is better than Luck. I know I would trade Teddy for Luck even up right now.

[Yomaine]

Wow - that is a pretty bold statement. Maybe Teddy will be better in the future, but right now I don't see how you can say Teddy is better than Luck. I know I would trade Teddy for Luck even up right now.

I'm new here. I am a Texans/Vikings fan. I wanted Teddy in Houston. However, before he was drafted I made the argument to some friends that he was equal if not better than Luck. There college stats are very similar. They both played in a pro-style offense at their schools. There is a question of talent. A lot of people like to make the argument that if a person is from a smaller school that they play against inferior talent. However, they never add that that player also plays with inferior talent. This normalizes the situations. I argued and still argue that if you put Teddy in Luck's situation he would have shown himself to be better.

Even in the NFL he is playing with inferior talent and actually raising that inferior talents level of play. Vikings receiving core is actually pretty terrible. Think about if you guys had Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins as his go to guys instead of Charles Johnson and Wright?
You guys offensive line is terrible and your running backs are inexperienced.

I wouldn't trade Teddy for Luck in a million years. Luck has his own issues mainly with turning the ball over and its a serious one.

[sneaxsneax]

I would rather luck. I can't believe that's even a discussion. Teddy COULD be something special. Luck is special already. This was a winning team with Andrew luck at the helm. NIt that teddy didn't do great for a rookie, but luck is just better right now plain and simple. I also doubt teddy ever becomes on par with luck, luck is basically the next manning. Teddy's seems more like a 5-10 guy than a 1-3.