Adrian Peterson Compares Teddy Bridgewater to Tom Brady

Minnesota Vikings superstar running back Adrian Peterson said Friday there are elements of Teddy Bridgewater's game that remind him of Tom Brady.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk passed along comments Peterson made about his quarterback during an appearance on PFT Live. The veteran believes Bridgewater is about to come into his own thanks in part to skills also put on display by the New England Patriots signal-caller:

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He reminds me of a Tom Brady because Tom Brady is great at those mediocre passes. Those short passes and midrange passes and that's exactly what Teddy does as well. He's the type of guy that needs the receiver that runs routes and that's at a specific location that you're practicing. So I feel like with the additions that we've made to the offensive line and of course me envisioning what I'll be able to bring to the offense as well I think that's going to make his job a lot easier. With that he'll feel more comfortable and he can really get back there and just play his game. So I'm expecting big things from Teddy this year.

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The resumes of Brady and Bridgewater are massively different at this stage of their respective careers. That said, Peterson made an interesting point about Bridgewater's comfort with shorter throws, which are vital to keeping drives alive.

The Patriots legend has rarely been afforded the opportunity to work with elite deep threats during his career aside from a three-year partnership with Randy Moss. In turn, he's become a master at beating defenses with quick, precise throws to good route-runners.

Peyton Manning, another future Hall of Famer, utilized a similar approach during the latter stages of his career as his arm strength began to diminish.

Peterson is hoping Bridgewater can follow the same path to success. The Louisville product flashed potential across his first two seasons leading the Vikings offense, but his overall numbers (28 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and a 87.0 passer rating) are mundane in the pass-happy NFL.

Louis Riddick of ESPN noted the outlook for the Minnesota offense comes down to the play of Bridgewater and the offensive line:

The Vikings don't need Bridgewater to play at Brady's level in order to win games. They ranked fifth in scoring defense last season, and Peterson led them to the league's fourth-best rushing attack.

Perhaps Peterson's comparison will provide Bridgewater with a boost of confidence heading into training camp. Then it will be up to the quarterback to take that next step toward the upper echelon of quarterbacks.