After Draft-Day Slide, Teddy Bridgewater Proving He Can Be a Starting NFL QB
In March, before the University of Louisville’s pro day, NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock rated Teddy Bridgewater his top quarterback of the 2014 class.
Mayock arrived at that evaluation based on extensive study of Bridgewater’s play at Louisville, where he spearheaded a 12-1 record last year and posted impressive statistics, most notably throwing 31 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
In movie-speak, Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M was the blockbuster favorite and Blake Bortles of Central Florida was the indie choice, yet Bridgewater was Mayock’s man.
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That was—in Mayock’s eyes—until Bridgewater’s 30-minute workout cast doubt on his 39 collegiate games.
"A pro day is set up where you’re practicing 60 or 70 throws for a month, with the same receivers," Mayock told Bleacher Report. "It’s really a simple process, and every quarterback gets an A.
"I’ve never seen a highly rated quarterback have a pro day that was that bad," said Mayock, who later dropped Bridgewater behind Manziel and Bortles. "That was unchartered territory for me. I felt like Teddy Bridgewater was the most difficult quarterback evaluation I’ve done in the last 10 or 12 years."
On May 8, during the first round of the NFL draft, Bridgewater watched over and over as other names were called instead of his own, including Bortles (third overall) and Manziel (22nd). Then, after trading into the final spot of the first round (32nd), the Minnesota Vikings selected Bridgewater.
His slide was reminiscent of another top-rated quarterback: Aaron Rodgers in 2005, who went No. 24 overall. On Thursday Night Football, Bridgewater was expected to make his second NFL start for the Vikings against the Packers and Rodgers, who is making his 92nd start, though ESPN's Bob Holtzman has confirmed Bridgewater will not play Thursday night due to an ankle sprain.
Breakout Performance
On Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium, Bridgewater made his first NFL start against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Vikings hadn’t planned on playing him this soon in the season since they re-signed veteran Matt Cassel to a two-year, $10 million contract in March. But Cassel fractured several bones in his left foot in a Week 3 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Against the Falcons, Bridgewater completed 19 of 30 passes for 317 yards and ran five times for 27 yards, including one for a touchdown. He didn’t have any turnovers in a 41-28 Vikings win.
"You couldn’t expect that," Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner said of Bridgewater’s strong debut. "Everything had to go right."
That wasn’t an accident, Mayock said.
Bridgewater was successful, in part, because Turner was his coach.
"The game plan that Norv put together and Teddy executed was as good a game plan as you could have for a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start," Mayock said.
Mayock, though, noted there were circumstances that dramatically helped Bridgewater.
First, the Falcons’ 31st-ranked defense couldn't stop the run and couldn't pressure the rookie quarterback. The Vikings gained 241 rushing yards on 44 carries, along with four scores.
In addition, according to Mayock, Bridgewater’s first 10 passes were within 11 yards of the line of scrimmage, many of them quick screens or checkdowns to his running back.
"Point being, Norv gave him a bunch of opportunities to be successful early," Mayock said. "He got comfortable, and he got confident.
"It’s a phenomenal situation [for Bridgewater]," Mayock said. "Norv has seen everything, and he’s quarterback-friendly, and he puts quarterbacks in places where they have opportunities to succeed. It’s a great place for Teddy to develop."
Asked if he had wished the Vikings had used their ninth pick on him (they selected pass-rushing linebacker Anthony Barr), Bridgewater said, "It really doesn't matter, as long as I’m here in Minnesota trying to be the best Viking that I can be."
Pro Day Rewind
In 2005, the expectation was that the San Francisco 49ers, owners of the draft’s top pick, were debating whether to pick Rodgers or Utah quarterback Alex Smith. The 49ers picked Smith, but then Rodgers was passed by 20 other teams, all of it agonizingly showcased since cameras often panned to the Cal quarterback while he was onsite at the draft in New York.
At the time, there were numerous stories documenting the success—or lack thereof—of quarterbacks (Akili Smith, David Carr and Joey Harrington, for example) groomed by then-Cal coach Jeff Tedford.
The Green Bay Packers, despite having Brett Favre, couldn’t pass on a player they valued so highly and selected Rodgers with the 24th overall pick.
"It wasn’t easy," Rodgers told ESPN.com’s John Clayton on April 24, 2005. "…But good things happen to those who wait."
That’s an understatement; Rodgers is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who was named the regular-season MVP (2011 season) and Super Bowl MVP (2010 season).
Norv Turner was at Louisville's pro day, along with Mayock, and three NFL head coaches. Representatives from 29 NFL clubs were present.
After the workout, Mayock approached Turner, whom he admired and respected.
"I asked him what he thought because he’s a veteran," Mayock said, recalling his conversation with Turner. "He’s been around forever. He said, 'Mike, it wasn’t that bad. Everything is correctable. It’s no problem.'"
Turner didn’t address his conversation with Mayock on Tuesday after the Vikings' practice, but he bristled at the negative perception of Bridgewater’s performance during his pro day.
"First of all, because someone said [Bridgewater] had a bad pro day doesn’t mean he had a bad pro day," Turner said. "I didn't think he had a bad pro day. I thought he showed everything he needed to show.
"Then when you watched the tape, you said, 'Hey, he’s going to be an outstanding quarterback in this league.' It depends on what you’re looking at on a pro day, and I look at things differently than some other people."
Added an AFC general manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity: "It wasn’t that bad. Everyone wanted to script it for TV so it was like a reality show. That’s not a real workout. It’s a circus."
Turner highlighted traits that can’t be determined at a pro day, for instance, composure and decision-making.
"He is a great decision-maker, he’s got unbelievable vision," Turner said. "He can see where the defenders are, and where to put the ball, and he’s extremely accurate."
Turner didn’t stop with his praise of Bridgewater.
"There are certain things—I don't care who you are and how long you’ve been doing it—that you can’t teach," Turner said. "He’s got a naturalness about him that you’re not going to teach."
Asked his reaction when the Vikings secured Bridgewater in the NFL draft, Turner reflected on the 2001 NFL draft, when he was the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.
"We got Drew Brees with the first pick of the second round," Turner recalled.
Turner added that the Vikings spent a lot of time evaluating quarterbacks this offseason.
"We felt that Teddy was that type of player," Turner said, referring to Brees. "It was outstanding to get him where we got him."
Although he left the Chargers, Brees is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and, like Rodgers, a Super Bowl MVP.
The Vikings have had a tumultuous start to the 2014 season. Perennial Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson hasn't played since child-endangerment charges surfaced last month, and the Vikings have lost several other key players, including tight end Kyle Rudolph. Yet Bridgewater was widely praised for his performance against the Falcons.
At TCF Bank Stadium, Viking fans chanted, "Teddy, Teddy, Teddy," before kickoff, and they chanted his name after the victory. With the exception of Favre's brilliant 2009 season, the Vikings haven't had much to rally around, especially at the quarterback position.
Is Bridgewater the franchise quarterback the Vikings need? Is he—with Peterson's future with the club very much in doubt—now the face of the franchise?
Bridgewater isn't shying away from anything.
Asked if his life is any different after Sunday's win, Bridgewater said, "Nothing’s changed at all.
"I feel that I’ve set the bar pretty high, but that’s what I expect of, not only myself, but from this entire team," he said. "We have a great group of guys in the locker room here and guys who just love what they do, which is playing football. For me, nothing has changed, and I’m just going to continue to be a great teammate."
For 16 years, Sean Jensen served as a beat writer or NFL columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (St. Paul) Pioneer Press and Chicago Sun-Times. He has also been an NFL contributor or columnist for AOL Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
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