Young Theodore Bridgewater

[DK Sweets]

I want to preface this statement by saying that the measure of greatness is not to be better than Tarvaris Jackson or Christian Ponder. I think we can all agree that those two QBs were not bright spots in the history of this franchise.

However, Teddy already has more total yards, a better completion percentage, better YPA, fewer fumbles, fewer INTs, and a better rating than those two did in their first 10 games. He's also tied the amount of 300 yard games that those two had for their entire Vikings careers combined.

I want to say this twice so that I am not misunderstood: those two QBs were horrible starters. However, they seemed to hold a higher amount of optimism in their early games than Teddy has this season. I just bring this up because I'm wondering if the problem with Teddy isn't his actual production; the problem is we as a fanbase are afraid to be let down again.

I'm not ready to say that this kid is the answer, but he has shown signs of being able to lead an offense that his predecessors never showed. His glaring weakness (deep ball accuracy) has looked much better lately, and his composure and awareness are better than those two have NOW. Wright might have done most of the work to get that screen pass to the endzone against the Jets, but it was Teddy's call at the line of scrimmage after reading the defense that put Wright in position to make the play. That is what good QBs do.

I've twice stated what I'm NOT trying to say, so now I'm going to be clear with what I AM saying: Teddy Bridgewater needs support if we want him to be great. This team has fared well with him learning on the job, but we aren't a great team yet. Spending a draft pick on a new QB after one year in which Teddy played solid football would be irresponsible and would leave the next QB with the same holes in the supporting cast that Teddy has right now. The best thing we can do is continue to build a contending squad in all phases and see what Teddy can do.

If Teddy fails to progress next season (or God forbid he regresses) then we can begin talking about new QBs. The difference, however, is that the new signal-caller will be placed into a more solid situation and will be more likely to succeed.

Patience is difficult, but if we make a knee-jerk reaction, it helps nobody.

[Crax]

Spending a draft pick on a new QB after one year in which Teddy played solid football would be irresponsible and would leave the next QB with the same holes in the supporting cast that Teddy has right now. The best thing we can do is continue to build a contending squad in all phases and see what Teddy can do.

I'm not sure I quite agree with this. I think you may have meant a first rounder though. I think the Vikings in general need to do a much better job at getting a qb pipeline going. There is nothing saying we can't spend a non 1st rounder on a development guy. Lots of teams have drafted a QB when already having an above average one. It wouldn't hurt the vikings to have someone else in case Teddy gets hurt. I don't know Cassel's future here, so maybe we are fine with him being the backup, but either way, we need to start continually developing backups even if they don't do a lot.

[Mothman]

I'm not sure I quite agree with this. I think you may have meant a first rounder though. I think the Vikings in general need to do a much better job at getting a qb pipeline going. There is nothing saying we can't spend a non 1st rounder on a development guy. Lots of teams have drafted a QB when already having an above average one. It wouldn't hurt the vikings to have someone else in case Teddy gets hurt. I don't know Cassel's future here, so maybe we are fine with him being the backup, but either way, we need to start continually developing backups even if they don't do a lot.

Well said. I absolutely agree that the Vikings need to get a better "QB pipeline" going. I've been saying that for years now so the truth is, I'll be very disappointed if they don't draft a QB next year. I think that's something that needs to happen.

That said, I get the feeling, as you did, that DKSweets was referring to a first round QB or at least a QB drafted to supplant Bridgewater as the starter. I don't think that's necessary, although I'm honestly not opposed to it in theory, IF the Vikings find themselves in the right situation. However, I don't think they're likely to be in that position and even if they are, I seriously doubt that's a move they would make so the subject is probably a moot point. I believe they're fully committed to Bridgewater so if they draft a QB, they will likely do so in the mid-to-late rounds.

Regarding support and enthusiasm for Bridgewater: I definitely think there's a percentage of the fan base that doesn't want to be let down again. I think some of us are just in "wait and see" mode with him too. I am, as I was with Ponder. It takes time to develop a an NFL QB and at this stage, there's simply no way to tell if Teddy will be a good long-term starter or not.

I definitely think the Vikes need to place an emphasis on building a strong team around him. Frankly, that's one of the reasons I'd be fine with them bringing Adrian Peterson back next year, even if they were unable to get him to renegotiate his contract. I think the presence of Peterson in the backfield could really help accelerate Teddy's development. It would be one less hole for the Vikes to fill too. Give Bridgewater AD and a better OL, and we might see serious development from him in year 2. I'll bet it would help the Vikes get more out of Patterson too. However, those are topics for other threads. I just mention them here because I think the second year for a QB is critically important and it makes sense to surround hims with the best offensive players possible.

[DK Sweets]

You're right, I was referring to the Mariota talk. I am actually in favor of a Mettenberger/Flynn/Cousins type flyer in the later rounds.

[Purple Reign]

However, Teddy already has more total yards, a better completion percentage, better YPA, fewer fumbles, fewer INTs, and a better rating than those two did in their first 10 games. He's also tied the amount of 300 yard games that those two had for their entire Vikings careers combined.

Comparing passing stats in this case doesn't hold that much weight, at least with me. The other two qbs had AP in the backfield and relied quite heavily on the run while Teddy hasn't had much of a running game and they've had to rely more on the pass. The bottom line to me is if he can put W's up on the board and be a leader and so far he has been doing a pretty job of that, but also acknowledging that we haven't beaten a team with a winning record yet. A good test will be this weekend against Detroit. Regardless of how the rest of this season goes, I think we will have a better feel for how good Teddy will be around this time next year.

[J. Kapp 11]

However, I don't think they're likely to be in that position and even if they are, I seriously doubt that's a move they would make so the subject is probably a moot point. I believe they're fully committed to Bridgewater so if they draft a QB, they will likely do so in the mid-to-late rounds.

That's especially true considering this class of quarterbacks isn't projected to be very strong, outside of Mariota. We have no chance of drafting him unless we trade up ... a move that would seriously cause me to question Rick Spielman's mental acuity.

Regarding support and enthusiasm for Bridgewater: I definitely think there's a percentage of the fan base that doesn't want to be let down again. I think some of us are just in "wait and see" mode with him too. I am, as I was with Ponder. It takes time to develop a an NFL QB and at this stage, there's simply no way to tell if Teddy will be a good long-term starter or not.

There's no way to tell at this point, but the eye test and his trend in performance looks good. I really enjoyed the 3-game breakdowns of Teddy's starts ... it definitely shows improvement. My eyes also tell me he's improving ... he's shown a lot of progress on specific things that I criticized openly early in the season. That being said, there's no way to tell what the future holds. The last three games will tell us a lot because he'll face two very good defenses in Detroit and Miami, both on the road.

I definitely think the Vikes need to place an emphasis on building a strong team around him. Frankly, that's one of the reasons I'd be fine with them bringing Adrian Peterson back next year, even if they were unable to get him to renegotiate his contract. I think the presence of Peterson in the backfield could really help accelerate Teddy's development. It would be one less hole for the Vikes to fill too. Give Bridgewater AD and a better OL, and we might see serious development from him in year 2. I'll bet it would help the Vikes get more out of Patterson too. However, those are topics for other threads. I just mention them here because I think the second year for a QB is critically important and it makes sense to surround hims with the best offensive players possible.

This may be the most important aspect of all.

Look at Andrew Luck. Now, first of all, Andrew Luck would probably be OK without the weapons he has. But he's got Reggie Wayne, TY Hilton, Coby Fleener, Hakeem Nicks, and an entire battery of running backs who catch the ball well. We've got Greg Jennings, a mostly injured Kyle Rudolph, an underperforming Cordarrelle Patterson, Matt Asiata, and a 7th-round draft pick stolen off Cleveland's practice squad. We need to do better for our young QB.

[losperros]

There's no way to tell at this point, but the eye test and his trend in performance looks good. I really enjoyed the 3-game breakdowns of Teddy's starts ... it definitely shows improvement. My eyes also tell me he's improving ... he's shown a lot of progress on specific things that I criticized openly early in the season. That being said, there's no way to tell what the future holds. The last three games will tell us a lot because he'll face two very good defenses in Detroit and Miami, both on the road.

I'm definitely in "wait and see" mode with Bridgewater, though I'm way less concerned about Teddy than I am about the OL and some positions on the D. He's passing my "eye test" as well. I'm seeing improvement and I don't expect it all overnight. I think the maturation process will be much more evident during next preseason. Teddy was kind of dropped into the middle of a #### storm during his rookie year.

As for the OL, I realize there have been some injuries but even the starters weren't exactly playing great. The OL needs some serious reworking from top to bottom, and I'm not convinced it can be done in just one more off-season.

[shannontw]

I cant believe that we are having a convo about drafting another QB in the 1st round. What about drafting a LB,CB,LG,WR in the 1st round. not a QB.

[mansquatch]

Isn't the "talent" around the QB thing a bit of “the Chicken or the egg”? It seems circular to me. Some WR make a QB look better. Some QB make the WR look better.

I personally think the Vikings have some decent WR who are doing the little things right even though they may not blow you away with their talent. Johnson and Jennings seem to fit into this mold. They are not Megatron or anything like that, but they are doing the little things an getting open. Teddy is finding them.

So then what about the QB? IMO, Bridgewater is currently not a QB that needs his WR to bail him out all the time. The extreme case of this was Ponder with his inaccuracy. On the flipside, Bridgewater’s game has also not reached a point where he is like a Manning, Brady, or Rogers where he makes his guys look better than they are. He is somewhere in the middle. As an aside, this excited the heck out of me. Teddy is only a rookie, thus he will get better than what we are seeing. This is a reason for optimism IMO.

What is missing is the big play threat. Right now Teddy is the big play threat, albeit not a huge one as he is a rookie. The hope was that CP84 would be that guy, but CP84 has his head up his rear orifice and is not doing the work and the little things he needs to do develop the rest of his game so his talent can shine. My guess is that the decision to draft WR in the next year’s draft will be depend a lot on CP84. How much faith will the staff have in him to get it together this offseason?

Also, how will the draft shake out? We are probably going to be drafting somewhere between 10 and 20 next spring. Will there be some kind of other worldly talent at WR available at this spot? My guess is that the chances are low. Also, one has to consider other needs. Do they want another tall CB or help on O Line? I think these two needs are likely to trump WR. On the same note, they probably will not use a 2nd or 3rd rounder on the position either. Why do that when Jarius Wright is on the roster?

[Pondering Her Percy]

I cant believe that we are having a convo about drafting another QB in the 1st round. What about drafting a LB,CB,LG,WR in the 1st round. not a QB.

Exactly what I've been saying. It makes absolutely zero sense and would be a waste of a pick. Maybe draft one in a later round? Yeah that's fine but to waste an early pick where you can get prime time talent at another position is ridiculous and about as unrealistic as it gets

[Mothman]

Exactly what I've been saying. It makes absolutely zero sense and would be a waste of a pick. Maybe draft one in a later round? Yeah that's fine but to waste an early pick where you can get prime time talent at another position is ridiculous and about as unrealistic as it gets

Look, it may be unrealistic but it wouldn't necessarily be a "waste". In theory, the only compelling reason to do it is if the team believes the player they're selecting has a greater upside than the QB they already have under contract. We can debate the merits of the various options but in the abstract, it's hardly an unreasonable consideration. It's a question of the individuals involved. For example, if there was an Elway, Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck-level prospect in this draft, possibly even a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who fell but clearly had tremendous potential, would it be a waste to draft that player when the Vikings already have Bridgewater? Not all QBs are equal and it's the most important position in football. If a team feels they have a shot at a great one, they'd be foolish to pass it up just because they invested a late first round pick and a season of development into someone else. Good QBs are an asset. Depth is an asset and getting the best possible player at that position is just smart.

I understand that when you get down to the specific players involved, it becomes much more debatable but the idea that drafting another QB in R1 would be a ridiculous waste makes no sense to me. Why is it more important to get "prime time talent at another position"? QB is the prime position so get the best young QB possible.

[Purple bruise]

Look, it may be unrealistic but it wouldn't necessarily be a "waste". In theory, the only compelling reason to do it is if the team believes the player they're selecting has a greater upside than the QB they already have under contract. We can debate the merits of the various options but in the abstract, it's hardly an unreasonable consideration. It's a question of the individuals involved. For example, if there was an Elway, Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck-level prospect in this draft, possibly even a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who fell but clearly had tremendous potential, would it be a waste to draft that player when the Vikings already have Bridgewater? Not all QBs are equal and it's the most important position in football. If a team feels they have a shot at a great one, they'd be foolish to pass it up just because they invested a late first round pick and a season of development into someone else. Good QBs are an asset. Depth is an asset and getting the best possible player at that position is just smart.

I understand that when you get down to the specific players involved, it becomes much more debatable but the idea that drafting another QB in R1 would be a ridiculous waste makes no sense to me. Why is it more important to get "prime time talent at another position"? QB is the prime position so get the best young QB possible.

Exactly, and that was my point. I am forbidden to mention that QB's name and so I will not. But that unnamed QB, I feel certain will win the Heisman and I believe he does have that same potential that you talk about with Rodgers, Elway, Steve Young etc.
That being said, I once again state that I hope that the Vikings already have their guy but it would be extremely difficult to pass up a talent like the unnamed QB if he fell into their laps.

[TeddyBaller]

That's especially true considering this class of quarterbacks isn't projected to be very strong, outside of Mariota. We have no chance of drafting him unless we trade up ... a move that would seriously cause me to question Rick Spielman's mental acuity.
There's no way to tell at this point, but the eye test and his trend in performance looks good. I really enjoyed the 3-game breakdowns of Teddy's starts ... it definitely shows improvement. My eyes also tell me he's improving ... he's shown a lot of progress on specific things that I criticized openly early in the season. That being said, there's no way to tell what the future holds. The last three games will tell us a lot because he'll face two very good defenses in Detroit and Miami, both on the road.
This may be the most important aspect of all.

Look at Andrew Luck. Now, first of all, Andrew Luck would probably be OK without the weapons he has. But he's got Reggie Wayne, TY Hilton, Coby Fleener, Hakeem Nicks, and an entire battery of running backs who catch the ball well. We've got Greg Jennings, a mostly injured Kyle Rudolph, an underperforming Cordarrelle Patterson, Matt Asiata, and a 7th-round draft pick stolen off Cleveland's practice squad. We need to do better for our young QB.

Mariota will be a bust, has never played under center, throws to wide open recievers... next kaepernick/rg3 as far as im concerned.. Winston will be the better pro

watch this video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjYD6tgmucU

[Pondering Her Percy]

Look, it may be unrealistic but it wouldn't necessarily be a "waste". In theory, the only compelling reason to do it is if the team believes the player they're selecting has a greater upside than the QB they already have under contract. We can debate the merits of the various options but in the abstract, it's hardly an unreasonable consideration. It's a question of the individuals involved. For example, if there was an Elway, Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck-level prospect in this draft, possibly even a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who fell but clearly had tremendous potential, would it be a waste to draft that player when the Vikings already have Bridgewater? Not all QBs are equal and it's the most important position in football. If a team feels they have a shot at a great one, they'd be foolish to pass it up just because they invested a late first round pick and a season of development into someone else. Good QBs are an asset. Depth is an asset and getting the best possible player at that position is just smart.

I understand that when you get down to the specific players involved, it becomes much more debatable but the idea that drafting another QB in R1 would be a ridiculous waste makes no sense to me. Why is it more important to get "prime time talent at another position"? QB is the prime position so get the best young QB possible.

We have a good PROGRESSING QB already!!! Why add something to the mix that we don't need. And let's remember, we're talking about Mariota if anyone and he is NOT Andrew Luck, Manning or Rodgers so we can throw that out the door now before that creates another explosion on here. We have holes to fill on this team. I'm sorry but QB is NOT a hole. Are you going to go replace Anthony Barr in the draft this year if there is a guy available?? No I would hope not. When teams find themselves in situations like that, what do they do?? They TRADE DOWN!! They would usually receive that teams first round pick and more which provides more DEPTH (which many on here say we don't have) on this team.

Drafting a QB in the first this year IS a waste of a pick because bottom line is, only 1 starts. So when it all boils down, either picking Bridgewater last year or Mariota this year would have been a waste because one of them would be carrying a clipboard which is turn is........a waste. It would be a pick we missed out on that could have filled another hole. It's not like we're dealing with Ponder at QB right now. We have a good young rookie that has shown tremendous improvement over the year. You roll with him, not create havoc for this team and start a QB controversy. ITS NOT NEEDED!!!

If Mariota is sitting there and we are up, you trade down. Trust me, there are always teams every year that are desperate enough to trade for a QB. We've seen it plenty of times. I would take more picks any day over a guy that runs a non-NFL offense and runs around all day like RGIII and Cam did. No thanks. The days of the running QB are over, never existed, whatever you want to call it. We need a pure pocket passer and that's what we have. Hence why I can just about guarantee, Mariota will not be on this team next year. I am still completely baffled as to why we are even discussing this.

[shannontw]

Yall do know the St.Louis Rams was pretty much in the same situation we talking about right. They had Sam Bradford "who was playing well before he got injuried" and The Rams had the #2 pick in the draft. They could of taken RG3 "which is the same type of QB Marriota is" The Rams was smart to trade down and get mutiple of picks from the Redskins. That trade really havent worked out well for the Redskins and now they havent had first round pick since 2012. The Rams got like 5-6 players in that deal. They all playing well. It just sucks that Sam Bradford cant stay healthy.