The Teddy Bridgewater Thread

[losperros]

One of my main problems with bridgewater is that he has bad throwing mechanics. The announcers kept bringing it up yesterday about his poor throwing motion. He had that issue coming out of college and still has what would be considered bad mechanics. I hoped they would have improved after 2 years.

I may have missed it, but has he tried to seriously change them? There are guys like Tom House who focus specifically on throwing mechanics. There are quite a few NFL qb's that he has worked with. I don't understand why a NFL guy wouldn't try to fix it when it's been brought up repeatedly about how bad his throwing motion is.

I've thought about that too. Is Bridgewater incapable of fixing his technique issues? Are the Vikings coaches seriously addressing his bad mechanics?

If that answer is "no" to either question, then changes need to be made.

[Cliff]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... inant-form

Seattle also made things miserable for second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 17 of 28 passes (most of them under duress) for 118 yards, absorbed four sacks and served up a pivotal interception to All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas late in the first half, setting up the dagger of a touchdown that made it 21-0 heading into intermission.


"He was so scared," said linebacker Bruce Irvin, who had one of the Seattle sacks. "Teddy's a really good quarterback, and he's going to do some big things in this league. But we had him (rattled)."

[chicagopurple]

hmmmmmmm, "bad mechanics".....sounds alot like ponder and no Mn Coach ever made a dent in improving him either........

[MrPurplenGold]

http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/12/7/ ... gotta-give

We've heard on numerous occasions that Peterson doesn't like running out of the shotgun and how he'd rather be lined up seven yards back, allowing him to get a head of steam before reaching the line of scrimmage. The numbers bear that out, as he's been pretty awful running out of the shotgun so far this season.

The problem with that, at least as it pertains to Bridgewater, is that it runs exactly counter to what he does best.

[chicagopurple]

you are beating a dead horse. Both guys need to be able to funcion in either formation. That is part of being a Pro. In APs case, if you want to be the superstar with the HYPER salary.....you better be able to do both AND pass block at least as good as my sisteer....he seems to be failing there.

[DK Sweets]

http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/12/7/ ... gotta-give

Thanks for the post.

It's frustrating to see a combination of everything working against our offense right now.

Teddy and Adrian have completely opposite strengths. The line is comically bad. Drops have been an issue at times. Teddy's mechanics aren't what they need to be.

I think an underplayed issue right now is Teddy's left shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that needs surgery after the season, and it seems like at least once every game he gets hit hard enough where he lays on the field trying to decide if going back to the huddle is worth it. On the surface, a non-throwing shoulder might not seem to be a big deal, but that is the side of his body that is facing the defense on most throws and he's getting hit far too often. I don't care how tough you are, that gets in your head eventually.

[J. Kapp 11]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... inant-form

That comment, if true, is scary.

[Mothman]

That comment, if true, is scary.

It IS scary and based on what I saw, it may very well be true. Bridgewater is playing nervous football these days. I almost wonder if they should bench him for a game in an effort to settle him down and help him "reset". I'm seeing him hesitate to make even simple throws and easy decisions. He shows a serious reluctance to throw into tight windows and he's developed a tendency to flee the pocket at the first sign of pressure. I understand that. He has the athleticism to extend plays and he faces too much pressure but sometimes, he needs to hang in there and deliver the ball, even if it means getting hit.

[dead_poet]

It IS scary and based on what I saw, it may very well be true. Bridgewater is playing nervous football these days. I almost wonder if they should bench him for a game in an effort to settle him down and help him "reset". I'm seeing him hesitate to make even simple throws and easy decisions. He shows a serious reluctance to throw into tight windows and he's developed a tendency to flee the pocket at the first sign of pressure. I understand that. He has the athleticism to extend plays and he faces too much pressure but sometimes, he needs to hang in there and deliver the ball, even if it means getting hit.

He does that. How many times have we seen Teddy in a crumpled heap after delivering the ball? That's not to say the delivery is always complete, of course.

The more I think about it, the more I blame the offensive line (and I suppose Rick by extension) for Teddy's regression. We all said how vital the offensive line needed to be addressed, mostly to benefit Teddy. I just didn't fully appreciate how much he'd regress by lack of help at the position. Of course nobody could predict that their two best offensive linemen would go down for the season. But still.

I really wonder how he'd look behind Oakland's offensive line (and throwing to Cooper). That's not to say Teddy is absolved completely because he isn't. But his development is significantly hampered by being under consistently constant duress.

[Mothman]

He does that. How many times have we seen Teddy in a crumpled heap after delivering the ball? That's not to say the delivery is always complete, of course

I wasn't trying to suggest he never does that. My point is simply that he's taking off too early at times. It's another way he's leaving plays on the field.

The more I think about it, the more I blame the offensive line (and I suppose Rick by extension) for Teddy's regression. I really wonder how he'd look behind Oakland's offensive line (and throwing to Cooper). That's not to say Teddy is absolved completely because he isn't. But his development is significantly hampered by being under consistently constant duress.

The Vikes desperately need more athleticism and better overall play on that line.

[chicagopurple]

If I was Teddy and I was stuck behind this horrid OL, I would be scared too! He spent the very begining of his career bravely surviving a crappy OL, now it is taking a toll. He is injured and panicked. It needs to be fixed. BUT, being scared doesnt neccessarily account for a weak arm but it does aggravate a tendency to hold the ball too long, to avoid throwing down field and settling for quick useless short routes, etc. If we are going to make any use of a possibly good young QB and a supeerstar RB in the last years of his career, they better fix the damn OL and QUICK.

[losperros]

The Vikes desperately need more athleticism and better overall play on that line.

How long have we been saying that?

[Mothman]

How long have we been saying that?

Sheesh... well over a decade...

[mondry]

We broke Teddy like we broke Ponder, it's that simple for me. While the two have vastly different ceilings, playing QB in a situation this difficult and this poorly equipped and this poorly run is a recipe for disaster. No matter how talented the QB and how high the ceiling is, the floor is always going to look similar in these kind of circumstances. Doesn't matter if it's Ponder, Teddy, or Phillip Rivers, they've all looked good (or at least slightly better in Ponder's case) with better circumstances and just awful when the circumstances get this bad.

Everyone looked at Rivers earlier saying "hey he's still throwing the ball with a banged up / crappy O-line, why can't teddy!" Well in 2 of his last 3 games they've scored 3 points and 3 points. So yeah, it just doesn't work, at least not CONSISTENTLY which is what this thread is about. There are far too many variables between Norv and the O-line for teddy to realistically play consistently.

So NO i'm not giving Teddy a pass, all things considered he's been TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERIBLE. I just firmly believe the circumstances around him are far too chaotic to make judging him right now a worth while task. YMMV

[Mothman]

We broke Teddy like we broke Ponder, it's that simple for me. While the two have vastly different ceilings, playing QB in a situation this difficult and this poorly equipped and this poorly run is a recipe for disaster. No matter how talented the QB and how high the ceiling is, the floor is always going to look similar in these kind of circumstances. Doesn't matter if it's Ponder, Teddy, or Phillip Rivers, they've all looked good (or at least slightly better in Ponder's case) with better circumstances and just awful when the circumstances get this bad.

Everyone looked at Rivers earlier saying "hey he's still throwing the ball with a banged up / crappy O-line, why can't teddy!" Well in 2 of his last 3 games they've scored 3 points and 3 points. So yeah, it just doesn't work, at least not CONSISTENTLY which is what this thread is about. There are far too many variables between Norv and the O-line for teddy to realistically play consistently.

So NO i'm not giving Teddy a pass, all things considered he's been TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERIBLE. I just firmly believe the circumstances around him are far too chaotic to make judging him right now a worth while task. YMMV

At this point, I just don't think he was that good in the first place. I may be proven wrong but I'm inclined to think it was mostly hype and hope. I'm no longer even buying the idea that he has or had a vastly different ceiling than Ponder. I started doubting that after I saw him play in person for the first time last year. He takes better care of the ball and overall, he's more poised. That's about it. Basically, I think he's just as described by some of the scouts and NFL personnel directors that were quoted in Mike Sando's QB tiers column last summer for ESPN:

"I think he is a 3 right now," a personnel director said. "He has a lot of confidence, some mobility, some little traits that you like. I just do not think he has a lot of a lot of those traits. He will flash 2, never be a 1 and settle in at being a 3, needing good people around him. He is one of those guys who is a jack of all trades, master of none."

A GM challenged anyone to find an area where Bridgewater projected as above average. Multiple voters thought Bridgewater would be a solid 3 playing with Adrian Peterson and under offensive coordinator Norv Turner. A personnel director who was one of five voters placing Bridgewater in the second tier cited the poise Bridgewater showed leading an offense without Peterson.

"I question his accuracy," a different director said. "Ten-plus yards down the field and in tight windows with the game on the line, I'm not sure. If you scheme it up and have a great run game with a top offensive coordinator, he is good. I don't know if he can ever put it on his back. You did not see it in college.

The article is behind ESPN's Insider paywall. Daily Norseman quoted it and included the tiers:

Tier 1 quarterbacks can carry their teams week after week and contend for championships without as much help.
Tier 2 QBs are less consistent and need more help, but good enough to figure prominently into a championship equation.
Tier 3 are quarterbacks who are good enough to start but need lots of support, making it tougher to contend at the highest level.
Tier 4 is typically reserved for unproven starters or those who might not be expected to last in the lineup all season. Voters used the fifth tier sparingly.