Teddy Bridgewater Has Proven He's Ready to Take Reins as Vikings' Starter
Once Teddy Bridgewater became a first-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings, the figurative clock began counting down to the day he would step in as the starting quarterback.
Incumbent starter Matt Cassel went down with a broken foot in the second quarter of the Vikings’ Week 3 loss to the Saints, bumping Bridgewater to the top of the depth chart before the Minnesota coaching staff had planned.
Cassel had earned the starting gig through impressive training camp and preseason performances. After naming the veteran the starter back in August, head coach Mike Zimmer commented on the youngster’s future, as quoted by Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press:
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"Zimmer on Bridgewater: “When he was at Louisville he didn’t start his first 3 games. … So he’s been in this situation before...He’ll be fine
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) August 25, 2014"
As fate would have it, Bridgewater will take over as the starter in the fourth game of his NFL career as well.
Pre-draft criticisms of Bridgewater ran the gamut from a comparison to a fictional character to a glut of opinions from anonymous scouts. Some criticisms were deserved. Others were a matter of piling on through second-hand information. Either way, Bridgewater has the starting job and now it’s up to him to prove capable of handling the responsibility.
Bridgewater’s quarterback instincts and mental capacity have always been his biggest strengths. His demeanor follows right behind. The even-keeled quarterback has always shown significant calmness in the face of the storm. That trait was called upon when he got his first NFL appearance in the ear-piercing Superdome. In post-game interviews, Bridgewater gave a matter-of-fact account of where his nerves were at:
"Was Teddy Bridgewater nervous during his NFL debut? “I wasn’t nervous at all,” he said. “I mean, this is where I wanted to be." #Vikings
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) September 21, 2014"
Despite being rushed into duty in less than optimal circumstances, Bridgewater played well enough to make that comment believable. He was calm and composed, never taking unnecessary risks or showing panic under pressure.
The biggest compliment Bridgewater earned is that he took what the defense gave him. Instead of trying to play beyond himself in a situation he wasn’t entirely prepared for, he let the Saints defense tell him what to do with the football. He took care of the ball as a result.
New Orleans shows two high safeties pre-snap, even though one of them tries to disguise by walking forward briefly. The read has all the makings of a two man under, which puts two safeties over top of man coverage across the board.
That almost immediately takes away the post to Bridgewater’s left and the go route to his right. When he starts to retreat after catching the snap, the Saints actually bring five rushers. They don’t have the numbers to match up underneath.
Bridgewater scans quickly and then dumps it off to Matt Asiata, who has acres of space to run into, picking up 41 yards. The play itself isn’t highlight-tape material from the rookie quarterback. Making correct decisions in a timely matter is very important, though. This play was one of many that exhibited Bridgewater’s patience to let the defense show their hand and then quickly take what it gave.
Routine throws like this one haven’t been so routine in the last few years in Minnesota. The exciting, explosive plays will come, but these completions point to a quarterback who will avoid big mistakes.
The Saints began to vary their coverage looks to adjust to what Bridgewater brought to the table. He took advantage of a man coverage gaffe in the above example. He also victimized New Orleans with his legs, running for a few first downs when the middle of the field was left open by man coverage alignments.
Bridgewater was able to pick on zone coverage, too, much to the dismay of Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
The Vikings flood the left side of the field, which couldn’t have been a more perfect call while New Orleans dropped into zone coverage.
An inside linebacker and the two safeties deepen, showing a Tampa 2 coverage. Bridgewater diagnoses it immediately and does something beyond most rookies in their first career action. He immediately turns his head and stares down his fullback in the flat. This draws the shallow cornerback forward, creating a hole in the defense for the corner route to Greg Jennings.
The cornerback obliges. Bridgewater throws a downfield strike to about 40 yards from where he releases. He had all the arm strength he needed to fit the ball in, but earned himself a much bigger window through the deceptive usage of his eyes.
So in his first game, in which he played a little over one half, Bridgewater was able to victimize both man and zone coverage. His quarterback intelligence also showed up in his ability to identify blitzes and react accordingly.
Safety Kenny Vacarro blitzes off the left side of the offensive formation after initially disguising his intentions. Bridgewater wastes no time deciding how to deal with the situation, which worked out because running back Jerick McKinnon missed his blitz pickup.
Bridgewater plants his back foot and gets the ball out in rhythm, hitting Jennings on the hook route and keeping the offense moving in the right direction. He was very efficient against the blitz, with statistics that were even better than when the Saints didn’t blitz on Sunday.
| No. of Plays | Comp. % | Yards Per Att. | QB Rating | |
| Not Blitzed | 16 | 58.3% | 7.5 | 81.9 |
| Blitzed | 9 | 62.5% | 7.5 | 85.4 |
The sample size is small, but this type of play is not foreign to Bridgewater at all. He showcased the ability to diagnose blitzes and make timely decisions at Louisville. In fact, his completion percentage hardly budged against the blitz, especially in comparison to the other top quarterback prospects of the 2014 class.
| Affect on Comp. % When Blitzed | |
| Teddy Bridgewater | -1.05% |
| Blake Bortles | -7.35% |
| Derek Carr | -9.87% |
| Johnny Manziel | -9.93% |
More evidence keeps piling up that Bridgewater is a cerebral quarterback who understands the game at a high level. This shows when opposing defenses try to blitz him. Efficiency against the blitz is a trait that the league’s best quarterbacks share, so early signs that Bridgewater’s handling of it is translating to Sunday football are very encouraging.
That should bring even more comfort to Vikings fans concerned about where the offense is headed under Bridgewater. He possesses the baseline traits to certainly function, if not thrive, right away.
The maneuvering he does in the pocket is another reason that Bridgewater can be relied upon early in his career. He has an innate feel for the spacing of a pocket and is especially willing to climb forward when advantageous. One play from Sunday’s game stands out in particular.
As right tackle Phil Loadholt does his best matador impression, it becomes decision time for Bridgewater. Because of how quickly he processes information in these situations, it’s more of a reaction than a decision. Bridgewater climbs right into the thick of the rush, figuratively picking up Loadholt in the process.
He then delivers a strike over the middle while a defensive tackle is draped over his shoulders.
Being able to make timely throws from a congested pocket is just another reason why Bridgewater is ready to take over in Minnesota. This is also something he does significantly better than Cassel, who is two inches taller than Bridgewater.
The pocket tolerance Bridgewater shows and the timeliness with which he gets the ball out of his hands should also aid an offensive line that has been inconsistent thus far in the 2014 season. That’s one more reason why Bridgewater can be effective immediately. In fact, his style of play has shown more synergy with the offensive line than Cassel ever had.
As Bridgewater’s season progresses from here, eye his development in terms of producing bigger plays and being more decisive overall. There were times where he was hesitant to let it rip on Sunday, often playing it safe with the football. Limiting turnovers was a positive result, but some plays were left on the field. As he begins to settle in, these issues should iron themselves out.
Finally, the most encouraging sign from Sunday was the way Bridgewater improved over the course of the game. That points to his ability to retain information and quickly implement what he’s learned, even in the middle of a fast-moving football game.
If Bridgewater’s first regular-season game was any indication of where his career is headed, expect positive results. In the meantime, Vikings fans can enjoy not having to praise routine completions anymore.
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