Minnesota Vikings need Teddy Bridgewater to loosen up
By Adam Carlson
If the Minnesota Vikings want to take the next step in their passing offense, they’ll need young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to take more chances.
Last season was not a great one for the Minnesota Vikings passing game. After ranking near the bottom of the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns, the team will be looking to improve drastically during the 2016 NFL season.
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In a recent article on NFL.com’s website, one major question was listed for each franchise going into the 2016 NFL season. Here is the one that they chose for the Minnesota Vikings: Will Teddy Bridgewater play loose this season?
Their answer was a complicated one. And also one that doesn’t have a lot of resolutions to the issue at hand. Here was what NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison said about the Vikings hoping for a more gunslinging version of the usually conservative Bridgewater:
"“While no one is down on Bridgewater — in fact, most think he has a ton of upside — the young QB has been awfully conservative with the football at times. He also has seemingly been, at least from an outsider’s perspective, a bit tentative about taking on a leadership role with his Viking teammates. Being wary of turnovers has its benefits, but taking vertical chances down the field or with the occasional 50-50 ball in certain downs and distances also has its merits…Year 3 is the perfect time to take charge of the offense, particularly with a few new faces joining young players like Stefon Diggs.”"
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The Minnesota Vikings have done everything they can to help Teddy Bridgewater succeed this offseason. They went out and got tough left guard Alex Boone and offensive tackle Andre Smith in free agency as well as brought back standouts Joe Berger and Mike Harris as well as used a draft pick on offensive lineman Willie Beavers.
In addition to the offensive line help, using the team’s first round draft pick on Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell should help pay dividends for Bridgewater, as well as having a healthy Charles Johnson and developing Stefon Diggs at his disposal. With his high completion percentage and new targets, things could get interesting, as having these players available should open up new things in the passing game.
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You can see Teddy Bridgewater hopefully taking more chances during the 2016 NFL season as the team looks to make themselves a serious contender in the NFC North. With his accuracy and ability to convert third downs, taking a few chances could help open things up for running back Adrian Peterson and push the team toward another playoff appearance.