Do we overrate Teddy Bridgewaters Offensive Weapons?

[Purple Domination]

While Wallace has dropped some passes this year the number of over throws to him clearly outnumbers the drops. I think it's more a QB issue than WR issues.

I agree with this. Wallace proved more than capable with Big Ben throwing him the deep ball. Look what happened to Antonio Brown the few games that Roethlisberger was out this year... pretty much a nonfactor. I think Teddy and Wallace look out of sync because their skill sets do not match up.

[DK Sweets]

While Wallace has dropped some passes this year the number of over throws to him clearly outnumbers the drops. I think it's more a QB issue than WR issues.

I disagree. The he's missed Wallace, but it's not a clearly larger number than the times Wallace has dropped the ball.

Why does it have to be one player's fault? Isn't it more likely that they're both missing opportunities?

[chicagopurple]

this is NOT Teddys rookie year. that is a silly statement.

There HAVE been far more over and under throws then drops. There have been a ton of poor passes that should have been INTs but God seems to be a Viking fan lately.

Our receivers arent all that bad. Diggs, Johnson, and Wallace would certainly be starters on most NFL teams. Rudolph would most certainly start on every NFL team.

I really feel that there is NO ONE coaching Teddy. We need a different QB coach.....didnt that job get handed to Norv's little boy?? Nepotism at its finest.

[fiestavike]

this is NOT Teddys rookie year. that is a silly statement.

There HAVE been far more over and under throws then drops. There have been a ton of poor passes that should have been INTs but God seems to be a Viking fan lately.

Our receivers arent all that bad. Diggs, Johnson, and Wallace would certainly be starters on most NFL teams. Rudolph would most certainly start on every NFL team.

I really feel that there is NO ONE coaching Teddy. We need a different QB coach.....didnt that job get handed to Norv's little boy?? Nepotism at its finest.

patience. you are just spouting nonsense at this point.

[chicagopurple]

REALLY?
You dont see all the under and over throws (more then last year)?
You dont think our WR corp is better and more experienced this year?
you dont think Teddy should be better a bit simply because he has the luxury of the leagues best RB at his side this year?!?
You dont see how unwilling he is to throw the ball less then 2 minutes fter the snap?

I am patient. I would not bench or trade him. But, I am not at all impressed by his progress ( I see none this year) and I think we need a better QB coach.

[PurpleKoolaid]

REALLY?
You dont see all the under and over throws (more then last year)?
You dont think our WR corp is better and more experienced this year?
you dont think Teddy should be better a bit simply because he has the luxury of the leagues best RB at his side this year?!?
You dont see how unwilling he is to throw the ball less then 2 minutes fter the snap?

I am patient. I would not bench or trade him. But, I am not at all impressed by his progress ( I see none this year) and I think we need a better QB coach.

Yeah, Really. And patient? You rarely make a post without trashing Teddy. He's 22 (or did he turn 23 yet?). He has a little over a season of starts. I dont think we have had a decent QB coach in, well, as long as I can remember. He has a horrible Oline. He has led his team to 7-2. He's trying not to make mistakes (like Carr did yesterday). He has average WR's at best, other then Diggs, who does everything right. And guess what? Teddy will throw to him in traffic. Diggs can catch the ball because Teddy can put it so he has a chance to fight for it. Oakland had tight coverage for most of the game (and AD made them pay.)

Not all QBs start out like Carr. Some take a few years, and a decent Oline. Some flop after a few years of looking good. And some have better OC's then Norv. I dont think Teddy's accuracy or touch have impressed many this year. But Zimmer likes him. Others have said he has a lot of the things needed to be a good QB. If he starts costing us games, you get to see Hill. Maybe Heinikie or whatever his name is.

If we can get some good route running WRs, other then Diggs, Teddy will start looking better. And a Healthy Oline.

[fiestavike]

REALLY?
You dont see all the under and over throws (more then last year)?
You dont think our WR corp is better and more experienced this year?
you dont think Teddy should be better a bit simply because he has the luxury of the leagues best RB at his side this year?!?
You dont see how unwilling he is to throw the ball less then 2 minutes fter the snap?

I am patient. I would not bench or trade him. But, I am not at all impressed by his progress ( I see none this year) and I think we need a better QB coach.

I think you've pinpointed the problem...Scott Turner is obviously to blame.

[TeddyBaller]

this is NOT Teddys rookie year. that is a silly statement.

There HAVE been far more over and under throws then drops. There have been a ton of poor passes that should have been INTs but God seems to be a Viking fan lately.

Our receivers arent all that bad. Diggs, Johnson, and Wallace would certainly be starters on most NFL teams. Rudolph would most certainly start on every NFL team.

I really feel that there is NO ONE coaching Teddy. We need a different QB coach.....didnt that job get handed to Norv's little boy?? Nepotism at its finest.

rudoplh is washed up, charles johnson would not start on the jets

[PurpleKoolaid]

I also wonder if Teddy has been hurt. Hes certainly on his back a lot. Was nice seeing him run behind AD all the way to the endzone.

[fiestavike]

I also wonder if Teddy has been hurt. Hes certainly on his back a lot. Was nice seeing him run behind AD all the way to the endzone.

I believe he is hurt.

edit* not saying I attribute his struggles to that, but I think he is a tough kid.

[losperros]

this all sounds like alot of excuses for a QB that consistently overthrows all his recievers every time he gets a chance to throw vertical. Actually, most of the time he just holds the ball and never throws downfield. BUT, when he does he passes to someone on the sidelines. Its not a receiver problem......Teddy is fading.

The long passing inaccuracy is an issue, but I sure don't believe Teddy is fading. This is a problem he also had with Louisville and it's only really being worked on now, mainly because the Cardinals were a short to mid-range WCO team. Bridgewater is a young guy jumping from the Atlantic Coast Conference to a starting slot on a NFL team. That's a big jump. Yet he's compiled a winning record in his current NFL starts, which ultimately is the most important part of his game. The guy does usually manage games well and, for the most part, we're seeing that this season.

According to Zimmer, Bridgewater is already looking better with his deep throws in practice, but I agree that's not translating to the field yet. Given Bridgewater's impressive work ethic, I think he'll get over the hump and start connecting on his deep shots.

On another note, I don't agree with those who think the Vikings have WRs that can't run pass routes or catch the ball. That doesn't mean there won't be changes in the future to the WR corps. It's just that the passing game is still a work in progress, not unlike the offensive line is.

[fiestavike]

On another note, I don't agree with those who think the Vikings have WRs that can't run pass routes or catch the ball. That doesn't mean there won't be changes in the future to the WR corps. It's just that the passing game is still a work in progress, not unlike the offensive line is.

exactly.

[VikeMike]

I disagree with the statement Norm Turner hasn't changed his tactics as the season has progressed. He's using Peterson more out of the I, using double and triple TE sets in the power run and bringing in extra TEs to help Clemons in pass protection more often than not.

They are working with two things that hamper a down-field passing attack: an inexperienced QB that tends to hold the ball too long and a leaky OL. Teddy has got to learn to get the ball out quicker. There are times when I see receivers open (not wide open, but hittable coming out of their breaks) and Teddy hasn't pulled the trigger. Let's face it; he has a lot of growing to do. But, I still am encouraged by him because 1) he has shown he can elevate his play when the game on the line. Not in even instance, but enough times to think he has that capacity. 2) He continues to look downfield and through his progressions. There were plays against the Raiders that TB had plenty of time in the the pocket and held the ball too long. He's been playing cautiously and hopefully he can learn to be a little more aggressively.

It's a little too easy to simply point to the WRs and say they suck. Sometimes a defense covers everyone, yes, but I think TB's tentativeness has left some plays on the field.

Norm has adapted the offense as the season has moved along. They didn't run out of the pistol at all this week and Bridgewater is behind center the majority of the time now.

Note: I'm not very proud of all the cliches I used in this post.

[fiestavike]

I disagree with the statement Norm Turner hasn't changed his tactics as the season has progressed. He's using Peterson more out of the I, using double and triple TE sets in the power run and bringing in extra TEs to help Clemons in pass protection more often than not.

They are working with two things that hamper a down-field passing attack: an inexperienced QB that tends to hold the ball too long and a leaky OL. Teddy has got to learn to get the ball out quicker. There are times when I see receivers open (not wide open, but hittable coming out of their breaks) and Teddy hasn't pulled the trigger. Let's face it; he has a lot of growing to do. But, I still am encouraged by him because 1) he has shown he can elevate his play when the game on the line. Not in even instance, but enough times to think he has that capacity. 2) He continues to look downfield and through his progressions. There were plays against the Raiders that TB had plenty of time in the the pocket and held the ball too long. He's been playing cautiously and hopefully he can learn to be a little more aggressively.

It's a little too easy to simply point to the WRs and say they suck. Sometimes a defense covers everyone, yes, but I think TB's tentativeness has left some plays on the field.

Norm has adapted the offense as the season has moved along. They didn't run out of the pistol at all this week and Bridgewater is behind center the majority of the time now.

Note: I'm not very proud of all the cliches I used in this post.

I'm too busy to do it, but I would like to superimpose Norv Turner's face on Norm from Cheers.

[Mothman]

I disagree with the statement Norm Turner hasn't changed his tactics as the season has progressed. He's using Peterson more out of the I, using double and triple TE sets in the power run and bringing in extra TEs to help Clemons in pass protection more often than not.

They are working with two things that hamper a down-field passing attack: an inexperienced QB that tends to hold the ball too long and a leaky OL. Teddy has got to learn to get the ball out quicker. There are times when I see receivers open (not wide open, but hittable coming out of their breaks) and Teddy hasn't pulled the trigger. Let's face it; he has a lot of growing to do. But, I still am encouraged by him because 1) he has shown he can elevate his play when the game on the line. Not in even instance, but enough times to think he has that capacity. 2) He continues to look downfield and through his progressions. There were plays against the Raiders that TB had plenty of time in the the pocket and held the ball too long. He's been playing cautiously and hopefully he can learn to be a little more aggressively.

It's a little too easy to simply point to the WRs and say they suck. Sometimes a defense covers everyone, yes, but I think TB's tentativeness has left some plays on the field.

Norm has adapted the offense as the season has moved along. They didn't run out of the pistol at all this week and Bridgewater is behind center the majority of the time now.

Note: I'm not very proud of all the cliches I used in this post.

LOL! Plus, you kept referring to Norv as "Norm".

It was a good post, Mike and you're right, Turner has adapted quite a bit as the season has progressed.