Top 25 Vikings of 2014: No. 20 QB Teddy Bridgewater
By Dan Zinski
Rolling on in our countdown of the Top 25 Vikings of 2014, the man at #20…
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QB Teddy Bridgewater
If this were a list of the 25 Most Important Vikings, Teddy Bridgewater would probably be #1. Not because he’s necessarily that vital to the plan for 2014, but because of what he represents for the future.
Weighing Bridgewater’s current value on the roster is tricky because, as of today, he is only the backup quarterback. And there’s no guarantee that he would necessarily be the first man in if Matt Cassel were to get injured. A case could be made for using Christian Ponder to backup Cassel early on, rather than risk throwing Bridgewater into the fire if he’s not ready.
So how do we arrive at the conclusion that Bridgewater should rank #20 when he’s not even a starting player at this point? What is his contribution expected to be right away?
The #20 ranking is due to a complicated mixture of factors. Expectation enters into it. Intrigue. Potential to quickly grab the starting job from Cassel, if things go really well in training camp.
What we’ve seen of Teddy Bridgewater so far, or more properly what we’ve heard about him, has been encouraging. He seems like a young man who is serious about his career. He seems dedicated. He goes about his business in a professional way.
He was a first round pick, he has a good head on his shoulders, and he seems like a fit for the offense Norv Turner wants to run. That’s enough to garner the #20 ranking, even in the absence of professional snaps.
Next year at this time, where will Teddy Bridgewater rank? That is the really important question.
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