mondry wrote:We just don't know as we're on the outside looking in. He may have bombed the interview process as well. He may not have impressed the coaches who talked directly with him. Maybe they don't like his attitude, maybe they don't think he can be a leader, maybe he's too timid. When they ask him to draw up plays and explain the options / routes maybe he failed miserably. When they talk about pass protections maybe he's clueless.
I'm not saying that's the case, only that I don't know because I'm not there. If he gets drafted #1 overall or even in the top 10 it'll be pretty clear that it was mostly talking heads creating drama around him. If he falls to late round 1 or round 2 then we'll know there was some substance to it.
Most of this can actually be discounted. I think it's fair to say there's no problems with his personality as he's a very likable person and all of his teamates and coaches love him. His football intelligence has been attested to by his former coaches who said he learned there playbook shorter than any QB they've had, and also by John Gruden who said on QB camp that Teddy's Football knowledge is top 5 all time of people he's had on the show. Teddy was one of the few college QB's who called his own line protections so I also think we can rule that out.
The problems I think can be Narrowed down to 3 main things: Quiet personality, Small hands/Gloves, and Slight Frame.
I feel his Quiet personality is the biggest concern for teams. If he's a 1st round pick He'll likely be asked to come in at some point his rookie year and take command of a group of alpha males. Which will be difficult for him no doubt, especially if he struggles early. Also franchise QB's can't be afraid to get after lineman or recievers if they aren't doing there job right, again something Teddy may struggle with.
Small hands/Gloves is basically 1.b. as far as concern for teams go. Of the teams in the draft that Need a QB almost all of them play outdoors. And of those that play outdoors a good portion play in areas of the country that are subject to inclement weather in the later months of the season. Teddy has said he doesn't wear his gloves in rain or snow. This causes for great concern when combined with what he showed throwing without the glove in his pro day. It's also cause for concern that to win a superbowl he could possibly have to play 2-3 games outside in bad weather. Small hands also lead to more fumbles.
Slight Frame is also cause for concern but I think significantly less than the other two. I think teams who are overly concerned with the first two will use this as another reason to distance themselves from Teddy even further. I think it'd be a concern if he was running a lot like RG3, but he doesn't and he's proven to be a tough SOB with taking the hit in the florida game while completing the pass and instantly looking downfield to see if he completed the pass, or when he wasn't supposed to play vs. Rutgers but told coach to put him in even with a bum ankle and a broken wrist and led his team to victory.
Even with some of the concerns I think teams have with Teddy I think he has a chance to be a franchise QB. The no gloves in bad weather thing genuinely scares me, especially come play off time. but I think He's proven to be an extremely accurate and football savvy QB. I think it'll take him time to become a vocal leader but I think It'll develop along with his play, and the vikings would be an exelent team for him since all of the guys on offense are very mature and would be supportive of Bridgewater while he transitions to be more and more of a leader.