"Touchdown Teddy" Bridgwater

[DrJuice1980]

I bet Ponder has a stronger arm

[pikestabber]

I bet Ponder has a stronger arm

So does Arnold Schwarzenegger... Doesn't mean he should be throwing a football.

[CaptainMusky]

I bet Ponder has a stronger arm

Hmm, not sure about that. I never remember Ponder overthrowing a receiver well downfield. Perhaps thats because by the time the receiver got far enough down the field he had either checked down, was sacked or ran from the pocket.

[DrJuice1980]

Just saying Bridgewater's arm strength is very suspect, and if you dont think ask yourself if you know the difference between a stop route and an under thrown ball. There were way too many yesterday. He'll be picked off 3 times next game, at least. Yesterdays game film is a Defensive coordinators wet dream.

[DrJuice1980]

Teddy struggles to connect on a 30 yard go route. If McCoy starts that game we lose. Teddy did not win us that game.

[Big Dave2]

That said, he's shown intangibles in five starts

You may very well be right when all is said and done but I'm sure that some of the same things were said about Ponder when he was only 5 games in.

[corncob]

I am optimistic about the Vikings going forward. Many of you forget , NEW sytems on both sides of the ball, many NEW players and a young roster, a NEW quarterback that is progressing nicely, and, all aspects of the game are improving......All things considered, I see an upward spiral!

[Big Dave2]

Many of you forget , NEW sytems on both sides of the ball, many NEW players and a young roster, a NEW quarterback

How could we forget? This same stuff was said every time a new coach is hired. Leslie, Childress, etc, etc.

[CaptainMusky]

His arm strength has has zero to do with the interceptions he's thrown this year. Either poor decision, tipped ball etc. I don't think he has favres arm but itss more than adequate and certainly better than ponder or Cassel.

[DrJuice1980]

Captain, you must love the Asiata check downs. And the unintentional back shoulders. I'm talking about the the INTs next week, like I said that game film is a D coords wet dream.

[fishersofmen]

Much better than Ponder's wet noodle.

[CaptainMusky]

I'm 100% confident Bridgewater will have ZERO interceptions next week.

[Michael L]

I'm 100% confident Bridgewater will have ZERO interceptions next week.

[BuckSutherland]

Captain, you must love the Asiata check downs. And the unintentional back shoulders. I'm talking about the the INTs next week, like I said that game film is a D coords wet dream.

At least someone gets it. The guy CANNOT throw the ball down the field. Last time I checked that's generally the requirement for an NFL QB. All these excuses that he is a rookie and blah blah blah. Give me a break. For the last 10-12 years that's all this guy has done is to throw the ball. At this point if he cant figure out how to get it into a tiny window at 20-30 yards there is NO WAY he will ever figure it out. He has BLOWN a ton of open receivers and opted for the checkdown way too much. He could also help himself out of the poor line play by getting rid of the ball sooner or audible to a better play.

Dont get me wrong, there are a couple things about him that I certainly like, but I just dont see enough upside in the guy that he will be the answer. I think 10 years from now he will be just good enough to still be starting and have a heck of a game once in a while, but he will never make it deep into the playoffs, and the drought will continue for this franchise.

In regards to last weeks game I cant figure out why Washington didnt all out blitz him on every play like they did to Dallas and go man to man with press coverage on our sub-par receivers. The line would have caved and Teddy would have been forced into some mistakes.

[corncob]

I doubt 100% completions would please some of you....

[Nick Kuhn]

I doubt 100% completions would please some of you....

Isn't that the truth. He is 3-2 as a starter, even though he is supposed to be on the sideline learning the system still. Maybe in the bye week he will have time to work on things like footwork and mechanics a little more. I'm certain the primary focus for him in practice is understanding the gameplan and what the defense is doing. He demonstrated a lot of accuracy in college (and his average pass attempt was longer than any other of the QBs drafted), so I'm thinking he just has a slight issue with mechanics. That wouldn't surprise me at all, considering how bad the O-line has played he may be rushing just a bit in game situations.

[schmitty3]

I think he moves pretty well in the pocket, just wish he wasn't so hesitant to run. I was thinking it was the coaches telling him not to run, but sounds like Zimmer got in his face after he through the ball away on 4th down instead of easily running for the first down.

Either way he is still very young, only time will tell.

[Big Dave2]

(and his average pass attempt was longer than any other of the QBs drafted)

What stat are you referring to specifically? The reason I ask is because his last years yards per attempt number is slightly lower than both Blake Bortles and Johnny Manzeil.

[FISHINGURU]

Teddy is still young, he's learning a new system/mechanics with new players. I'm happy we are trying to stretch the field and if you are going to miss on the long ball you'd rather miss long then short. He just needs to learn to put a little air under the ball and let the WR make a play.

Even the so called great Eli Manning is struggling after 10 yrs playing at a high level in the league just because they changed the system and he's learning new mechanics with new WR's. You'd think since all he's done is thrown a football his whole life a little change wouldn't be nothing but obviously it is. They look like dung until garbage time when the opposing team packs it in for the night.

We'll have to wait and see how Teddy turns out, the part I like is his poise and goes through his progressions even under heavy pressure.

He does need to run though when given the chance, most rookies are looking to run under pressure when Teddy is still looking to pass, that's a good thing but when the 1st down is a few steps away tuck the ball and take it. I was yelling at the TV for him to run, it was nice to see later in the game when the same situation came up he did run.

[Nick Kuhn]

What stat are you referring to specifically? The reason I ask is because his last years yards per attempt number is slightly lower than both Blake Bortles and Johnny Manzeil.

Air yards per attempt is a better measure of depth of throws than YPA, as YAC comes into play a lot.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/story/_...ter-succeed-nfl

[Rick]

Here's a little something I read on Bridgewater from a College and NFL football talent analyst:

Despite an offensive line that thinks it's a turnstile in a metro train station, an option quarterback-turned-running back, and the closest thing we might be seeing to Forrest Gump at wide receiver, Bridgewater is 30 seconds and a Sammy Watkins catch away from guiding the Vikings to a 4-1 record with his starts in Minnesota. The rookie has converted 45.3 percent of his third down passes. Peyton Manning has converted 44.9 percent. The best performer on third downs this year is Tony Romo at 59.5 percent.

The key things that have impressed me about Bridgewater is his decision-making under pressure and his performance after he makes mistakes. Despite taking numerous sacks and knockdowns thus far, the rookie maintains a strong balance of aggression and caution with his down field throws. He's willing to hang in the pocket and take the hits to deliver the ball to an open target, but when it comes to reading coverage Bridgewater rarely makes the same mistake twice.

Bridgewater's greatest issue entering the NFL was his deep accuracy. Some questioned his arm strength, but according to Norv Turner, the issue was more mechanical than physiological. Since entering the league, Bridgewater has routinely overthrown his vertical targets. Considering the adjustments he's made during the off-season, it only seems logical that the rookie would err long.

While Bridgewater will never have a gun like Rodgers, Stafford, or Cutler, I don't believe we're looking at the next Alex Smith, either. If I'm wrong, then Smith will be that proper comparison point in terms of production. However, Smith is routinely shy of his target as a deep passer whereas Bridgewater has been routinely overthrowing his options.

Cordarrelle Patterson has struggled all year as a route runner, and it's a lesson that consistent technique is the difference between most highly productive pros and most inconsistent athletic talents trying to gain a foothold in the NFL. As of this week, Patterson remains more of a Run Forrest, run! option for the Vikings and this is hurting Brigewater's overall productivity. Of the four rookie starting quarterbacks, Bridgewater remains the passer I'm most impressed with.

If Adrian Peterson returns to Minnesota and the Vikings use him, we may see Bridgewater's production increase thanks to Peterson limiting certain situational pass rushes and strengthening the believability of the play-action game. If Peterson stays in Minnesota long-term and has another 2-3 seasons as the starter, I'd bet Bridgewater will perform even better.

[Big Dave2]

Meh......you can find lots of those kind of "selling hope" articles about Ponder back in 2011 too.

Quote:

- Christian Ponder: A lot of focus is going to be put on Ponder after this week's performance, especially considering he almost took down the undefeated Packers. He proved his head coach Leslie Frazier right when Frazier said earlier this week that Minnesota's best chance to win on Sunday was by starting Ponder. While Ponder struggled with a few throws early on, he looked very cool under pressure, and showed great accuracy on the move, fitting balls into extremely tight windows. For as miserable a season that this has been for the Vikings, Ponder is a definite bright spot moving forward.

[CaptainMusky]

BigDave was that written by Paul Allen?

[Big Dave2]

BigDave was that written by Paul Allen?

[CaptainMusky]

Hey since your good at sleuthing this stuff. Find where someone reputable says Johnny Football is the second coming of Christ.

[FISHINGURU]

I can't ever recall where Blunder looked cool under pressure, he always had happy feet and would get rocked. He'd also lock onto 1 WR and if he was covered he'd want to run.

[DrJuice1980]

This guys arm is weaker than circus lemonade. You guys still drinking the "water" or do you all seen that he's only good for check downs and dump passes? What led to the lovefest, a fluke 300yrd game? Are you all that blind?

[DrJuice1980]

Nice analysis, what a joke. I love the "what if" scenarios, worth as much as a wet fart.

[DrJuice1980]

I can't ever recall where Blunder looked cool under pressure, he always had happy feet and would get rocked. He'd also lock onto 1 WR and if he was covered he'd want to run.

You never seen Bridgewater play then

[ANYFISH2]

Really getting tired of the 3yd checkdowns on 3 and 5+. Make a play.