Teddy Bridgewater is Ready For His Second NFL Season

By Sam Verschaetse | May 26, 2015

Teddy Bridgewater.

Say that name here in Minnesota and the majority of people will smile and think of one word:

HOPE.

Nov 23, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) passes against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Green Bay Packers win 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Teddy Bridgewater has changed the outlook of Vikings fans, players, coaches and executives because he gives this team something we have not had at quarterback since the Silver Fox, Brett Favre, graced us with his presence for two very hopeful years back in 2009 (sigh…Who Dat?) and 2010 (sigh even more, but you get the point).

I remember Teddy’s first preseason game at TCF Bank Stadium and just how electric all of the fans were – myself included.

And I’m talking before he even took his first snap from under center. Just seeing #5 trot onto the field created the kind of buzz that only a handful of 16-oz Miller Lites can give.

That’s when I knew that things were going to be different.

That’s when I knew that the recent agony, jealousy and utter dismay were a thing of the distant past and that the Minnesota Vikings were no longer going to be the team that had every single spot figured out EXCEPT for a franchise quarterback.

The sonic chants of “TEDDY! TEDDY! TEDDY!” marked the start of a new era at quarterback for our Purple and Gold.

The cool, calm, glove-wearing cat from Louisville threw for nearly 3,000 yards as a rookie last year, including 14 touchdown passes – all of this in only 14 games of action. Sure, the numbers are great for a rookie, but it was the way Bridgewater carried himself on and off the field that really impressed me.

This guy just gets it.

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Throws a big touchdown: no big deal. Throws an interception: no big deal.

Nothing phases this kid.

He acts like he has done this forever on the biggest of stages. And when he does make a mistake, he learns from it, corrects it and rarely lets it happen again.

That is what Vikings fans should be stoked about: his play, not his often talked about lack of typical quarterback personality.

No one will deny that he isn’t the most out-spoken quarterback. He certainly is no prima donna either. But honestly, who really cares about that? I know that I sure don’t. As long as Teddy continues to produce on the field, I and every other Viking fanatic should care less if the guy is flappin’ his lips or a damn mute.

Dec 14, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) rolls out to his right during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

So what’s my point in all of this?

The point is that a lot of people have dinged Teddy because of his abnormal quarterback leadership style. Just because he isn’t Tom Brady or Phillip Rivers out there, showing every emotion from fist-pumping to berating an offensive coordinator, does not mean that the guy is not passionate or a true leader.

Bridgewater leads by example.

He is quietly loud with his play on the field.

I’ll never forget his first start last year at home against the Atlanta Falcons where he made their defense look flat out stupid.

He toyed with them.

Dink and dunk throws, level two and three throws, escape ability and running for touchdowns – it was unreal.

Every single fan that left TCF Bank that day knew that we had found OUR guy. There really isn’t a better feeling than that when it comes to football.

If you are a die-hard fan and you realize that YOUR team has found your quarterback for years to come… man, it just doesn’t get any better.

So here we are on the verge of Bridgewater’s sophomore campaign. What can we expect for year two?

In my humble, football opinion: a hell of a lot.

When the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs last year with a handful of games left in the regular season, the remainder of the year was focused on seeing week-to-week improvements from Teddy.

He didn’t disappoint.

The one thing that frustrated me throughout the course of the year was Bridgewater’s accuracy, or lack thereof, on deep balls. He missed several wide open receivers in early season games, either by severe under or overthrown passes.

As a result of those misses, Teddy shied away from taking those chances for several weeks and our offense became way too predictable.

But, because he is a student of the game and because he works so hard on his craft, he started to find his groove at the back end of the year, taking some great deep shots and connecting on them with wide receivers Charles Johnson, Greg Jennings and Jarius Wright.

The week-to-week improvements at the end of the year, plus the overall success as a rookie thrown into the fire (when starter Matt Cassel went down in Week 3 at New Orleans), gives me every reason under the sun to believe that this year is going to be a big one for Teddy.

Forecast: No Sophomore Slump.

Outlook: Sophomore Success

And here’s why…

The Minnesota Vikings have clearly made their young quarterback a top priority for the 2015 season and beyond.

The first move that speaks to that is the addition of I-am-the-fastest-player-in-the-entire-NFL, wide receiver Mike Wallace from the Miami Dolphins (let’s hope we get Mike Wallace circa Pittsburgh Steelers days…just sayin’).

This move alone should tell everyone one thing: Bridgewater is going to be stretching the field this year.

I LOVE IT.

Plus the additions of utility wide receiver Stefon Diggs (from Maryland) and athletic, Julius Thomas-esque tight end MyCole Pruitt (from Southern Illinois), in this year’s NFL Draft a couple of weeks ago, should be beneficial as well.

Throw those added weapons to the already loaded arsenal of sneaky-fast Charles Johnson, quick and sneakier Jarius Wright, unlimited-potential Cordarrelle Patterson and finally big-man Kyle Rudolph, and Teddy has a brigade of weapons for his passing attack.

2015 Passing Prediction for Bridgewater: 3,500 yards and 20 touchdown passes.

And the biggest reason for that prediction aside from the pass-catchers?

The return of Adrian Peterson (99.9% certain).

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

If Peterson is back for the Purple and Gold, Teddy Bridgewater’s life gets a hell of a lot easier just because of #28’s presence in the backfield.

One can only speculate the success Bridgewater would have had, had he had Peterson behind him for all of the 2014 season.

Peterson’s return will not only take some (A LOT) of the pressure off of Teddy, but it will open up the passing game, play-action in particular, and make defenses focus less on destroying a young QB’s day.

Opposing defenses will need to respect both the running and passing game.

Last year the running game was suspect at best and defenses really only had to focus on making our rookie quarterback’s life a living nightmare.

All of this being said, it’s obvious that the Vikings see Bridgewater as their golden goose and number one overall investment for years to come. No matter how good a team is on defense or at every skill position and the line on offense, nothing matters without the game’s most important position of quarterback.

If a team is lacking in that department, they might as well call it a day and pray for a decent draft class the following season. Case in point: Tampa Bay and Tennessee in this year’s draft where they took Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota with back-to-back picks, respectively.

Dec 21, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) is tackled by Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Jason Trusnik (93) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 37-35. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

We got our guy with the last pick of the first round in the 2014 draft (No. 32 overall). Teddy Bridgewater is bar none the best last pick of the first round in the history of the draft (in my opinion).

He proved that last year in his rookie debut.

Now it’s time for him to curb the trend of sophomore slumps and prove once again that his killer instinct and cool, calm and collected play are here in Minnesota and here in Minnesota to stay.

Teddy Bridgewater is ready for year two and I believe that he is going to take the NFL by surprise in 2015.

Rest easy, Vikings fans. We’ve got our guy for the future.

Just remember not to forget what Bridgewater gave us when we needed it the most:

HOPE.

I hope you’re all ready for some more Teddy Time this year.

Because you know what they (should) say?

The second time’s a charm.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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