Vikings Message Board.Com

jackal wrote: IMO Ponder had one super big problem he could not handle the speed of the game IMO and stop looking down receivers ...

Ponder has good arm strength but his brain and skill set could handle pressure.

Ponder might have been okay on New England after three seasons learning the game ...happens to a lot of QB's I'm quessing

But here’s where Zimmer is being polite: Bridgewater, through nine games this season, is at the very least being USED like a game manager. The Vikings are 7-2, so it is hard to quibble with the results. That record, though, has an element of fragility to it. Yes, the NFL is a league that comes down to a handful of plays a game in many cases to determine winners and losers. The Vikings have been on the right side of that ledger many times this year, most notably against Kansas City, Chicago and St. Louis. The strength of this team is clearly its defense, which ranks No. 2 in the NFL in points allowed at 17.1 per game. Why wouldn’t you build around that?

That said, it’s also not a crime to have a potent offense and a shutdown defense. The Vikings are on pace to allow fewer than 300 points for the first time since … 1998, when they set an NFL record (at the time) for points scored. So we shouldn’t totally buy into the notion that a safe offense is a defense’s best friend. It very well might be for the Vikings as currently constructed, but that again goes back to their personnel on offense — with Bridgewater right in the middle of that. His attempts, completions, yards and touchdown passes all rank in the bottom third of NFL quarterbacks. He’s being used in a specific way.

Mothman wrote:More at the link. Overall, it's a pretty positive take.

losperros wrote: Good article. That said, I think Rand is right about the schedule. At some time soon Bridgewater just might have to be a playmaker with little time on the clock. He will have to put mucho points on the board quickly and with big pass plays. Not to be cynical but I'm not sure Bridgewater and this offense (including the pass blocking) can do that, at least not in a big way.

With the incredible defense and AD, they've avoided this kind of scenario. But can they hold out an entire season and throughout the playoffs that way?

losperros wrote: Good article. That said, I think Rand is right about the schedule. At some time soon Bridgewater just might have to be a playmaker with little time on the clock. He will have to put mucho points on the board quickly and with big pass plays. Not to be cynical but I'm not sure Bridgewater and this offense (including the pass blocking) can do that, at least not in a big way.

With the incredible defense and AD, they've avoided this kind of scenario. But can they hold out an entire season and throughout the playoffs that way?

Mothman wrote:
It would be quite a feat...

Purple bruise wrote:What Troy Aikman thinks about Teddy: http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... 7562764194

The Breeze wrote:I'm thinking that TBs lack of INTs is being somewhat overblown. Given the strength of the defense, outside of last week, there should be some incentive to take some risks in the passing game.
I really can't imagine how this kid is going to improve his downfield passing if he doesn't take multiple shots downfield.
I expect that there are going to be picks as a result of taking those shots. So what?

The Breeze wrote:I'm thinking that TBs lack of INTs is being somewhat overblown. Given the strength of the defense, outside of last week, there should be some incentive to take some risks in the passing game.
I really can't imagine how this kid is going to improve his downfield passing if he doesn't take multiple shots downfield.
I expect that there are going to be picks as a result of taking those shots. So what?

Ben Goessling @GoesslingESPN wrote: Per @ESPNStatsInfo, #Vikings are 6-0 when Teddy Bridgewater throws for fewer than 200 yards. It's counterintuitive, but it's working.

John_Viveiros wrote:Do we really want Teddy to have better stats? By my count, "he-who-will-not-be-named" was 8-10 in games under 200 yards passing with the Vikings (6-3 in the 2012 playoff year).

HardcoreVikesFan wrote: I believe Teddy is already consistent. His play is similar every week. And I am just fine with it - for now.

I still believe that he would thrive even more in a different style of offense.

However, at 8-3, I shouldn't complain. When is the last time we even had a QB that brought us to within one game of having a winning record on the road (besides Brett Favre)?