QB Teddy Bridgewater, DET (2 Viewers)

[LawFitz]

If TB turns out to be at least a capable starter then by trading to get him in the first instead of the second, they have a starting QB locked up for cheap for the next 5 years.

They could need that badly given the fact that they've taken seven 1st round players in the past 3 years.

And I love this landing in general for Teddy. AD, Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and all in a Norv system.

Bridgewater has to be thrilled with his decision not to throw with a glove at his Pro Day.

I suspect you're being sarcastic, but he should be thrilled with going to Minny. #32 means a lot less cash over the next five years, but his odds of breaking the bank on contract #2 just went up exponentially, compared to going to Jax, Oak, Cle and a host of other spots.

 

[cstu]

If TB turns out to be at least a capable starter then by trading to get him in the first instead of the second, they have a starting QB locked up for cheap for the next 5 years.

They could need that badly given the fact that they've taken seven 1st round players in the past 3 years.

And I love this landing in general for Teddy. AD, Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and all in a Norv system.

Bridgewater has to be thrilled with his decision not to throw with a glove at his Pro Day.

I suspect you're being sarcastic, but he should be thrilled with going to Minny. #32 means a lot less cash over the next five years, but his odds of breaking the bank on contract #2 just went up exponentially, compared to going to Jax, Oak, Cle and a host of other spots.

No, I'm serious. Sure, he lost a little money being a late 1st pick but the odds of him having long term success went way up. Instead of Shorts, maybe Blackmon and Gerhart in the backfield he has Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and AP.

 

[LawFitz]

If TB turns out to be at least a capable starter then by trading to get him in the first instead of the second, they have a starting QB locked up for cheap for the next 5 years.

They could need that badly given the fact that they've taken seven 1st round players in the past 3 years.

And I love this landing in general for Teddy. AD, Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and all in a Norv system.

Bridgewater has to be thrilled with his decision not to throw with a glove at his Pro Day.

I suspect you're being sarcastic, but he should be thrilled with going to Minny. #32 means a lot less cash over the next five years, but his odds of breaking the bank on contract #2 just went up exponentially, compared to going to Jax, Oak, Cle and a host of other spots.

No, I'm serious. Sure, he lost a little money being a late 1st pick but the odds of him having long term success went way up. Instead of Shorts, maybe Blackmon and Gerhart in the backfield he has Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and AP.

Gotcha and I agree 100%. Minny fans should be doing backflips over their last few drafts. Khalil, Floyd, Patterson, Barr and Bridgewater are all studs IMO. Rhodes ain't too shabby either.

 

[cstu]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

 

[LawFitz]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

Yes but don't they have 4 outdoor home games in Minny after that date? They're playing outdoors the next couple years, right?

 

[Beefeaters]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

Yes but don't they have 4 outdoor home games in Minny after that date? They're playing outdoors the next couple years, right?

Correct... the next two years for the Vikings will be played at the MN Gophers TCF stadium which is outdoors.

 

[John 14:6]

If TB turns out to be at least a capable starter then by trading to get him in the first instead of the second, they have a starting QB locked up for cheap for the next 5 years.

They could need that badly given the fact that they've taken seven 1st round players in the past 3 years.

And I love this landing in general for Teddy. AD, Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and all in a Norv system.

Bridgewater has to be thrilled with his decision not to throw with a glove at his Pro Day.

I suspect you're being sarcastic, but he should be thrilled with going to Minny. #32 means a lot less cash over the next five years, but his odds of breaking the bank on contract #2 just went up exponentially, compared to going to Jax, Oak, Cle and a host of other spots.

No, I'm serious. Sure, he lost a little money being a late 1st pick but the odds of him having long term success went way up. Instead of Shorts, maybe Blackmon and Gerhart in the backfield he has Patterson, Jennings, Rudolph and AP.

Gotcha and I agree 100%. Minny fans should be doing backflips over their last few drafts. Khalil, Floyd, Patterson, Barr and Bridgewater are all studs IMO. Rhodes ain't too shabby either.

Yep, I for one am pretty happy with how things turned out. AP probably doesn't have much time left, though...

 

[massraider]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

Yes but don't they have 4 outdoor home games in Minny after that date? They're playing outdoors the next couple years, right?

Counting on El Nino for unseasonably warm winter.

 

[John 14:6]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

Yes but don't they have 4 outdoor home games in Minny after that date? They're playing outdoors the next couple years, right?

Counting on El Nino for unseasonably warm winter.

We're due...

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

How about at home? They play outside the next two seasons.

 

[cstu]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

How about at home? They play outside the next two seasons.

Well, never mind then...

 

[cstu]

The Vikings don't have an outdoor road game in a cold city after the Bears on Nov. 16.

Yes but don't they have 4 outdoor home games in Minny after that date? They're playing outdoors the next couple years, right?

Correct... the next two years for the Vikings will be played at the MN Gophers TCF stadium which is outdoors.

Forgot about that...at least they're at 'home'.

 

[Faust]

Handling pressure set Bridgewater apart

By Ben Goessling | ESPN.com

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- If there was one thing that wore the sheen off the Minnesota Vikings' pick of Christian Ponder quicker than any other, it was how the quarterback reacted when he was under pressure. It was there -- when Ponder would fixate on a pass rush, either pulling the ball down to run after his first read or forcing a throw -- where his appeal as an intelligent, engaging young quarterback dissipated, and it was there that the Vikings most needed to make sure their next young passer could be better.

So they commissioned a deep analytical study of the quarterbacks in the 2014 draft class -- true to Rick Spielman's style as a general manager -- and as they measured how this crop of passers handled pressure, they kept coming back to one name: Teddy Bridgewater.

The Louisville quarterback wasn't just competent against a pass rush, he was better than anybody else in the class. He completed 53.5 percent of his passes under duress, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, throwing for 508 yards and connecting on seven touchdown passes against one interception. Only Florida State's Jameis Winston and Missouri's James Franklin were better. Bridgewater hit 70.1 percent of his throws against pass rushes of five or more; UCLA's Brett Hundley was the only FBS QB with a higher completion percentage.

"He was the best against the blitz. He's very cool and calm under pressure," Spielman said.

Bridgewater saw plenty of other pressure during the pre-draft process, following a heavily scrutinized pro day that dinged his draft stock and removed him from the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick. His decision not to wear a glove, after throwing with one during his college career, backfired, and the narrative changed to whether Bridgewater would go in the first round of the draft at all. But once offensive coordinator Norv Turner started coaching Bridgewater during a workout in Florida last month, Spielman said, "some of the flaws you may have seen during the original pro day, those things were getting corrected, and getting corrected quickly."

The quarterback said in a conference call on Thursday night that he met "four or five times" with the Vikings, and had told coach Mike Zimmer he thought Minnesota was the place for him. Zimmer talked during the pre-draft process about how important it was for a quarterback to mirror his personality, and with Bridgewater, he clicked.

"You know the thing I like the most about him? He wins," Zimmer said. "Everywhere he's ever been, he wins. Starts as a freshman in high school: wins. Starts as a freshman in college, and wins. This guy, he's got something about him. One of the reasons we had him come in [to Minnesota] was, he had another physical. He had a little thing about his heart. I said, 'How's your heart?' He said, 'Well, it was too big.'"

He impressed the Vikings with how he handled adversity off the field, but Bridgewater initially stood out because of how he managed it on the field. That was one thing the Vikings needed their next quarterback to do well, and it's what set Bridgewater apart from the rest of the group.

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported Friday that Teddy Bridgewater was the No. 2 quarterback on the Vikings' draft board.
Johnny Manziel was No. 1. Holtzman reported the Vikings did try to trade up for Johnny Football, but fell short when the Browns moved ahead of them, and Minnesota "settled" for a trade at No. 32 with Seattle that brought Bridgewater to the Vikes. Regardless of draft-day projections and dealings, Bridgewater is now the Vikings' QB of the future. He'll push Matt Cassel hard this summer.

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Teddy Bridgewater said he wants to get his weight up into the 225 pounds range.
Bridgewater's slight build was one of the major concerns teams had with him. He currently tips the scales at 214 pounds and even mindbogglingly dipped into the 180s last season. Bridgewater is going to need to get stronger to take hits in the NFL. He also confirmed he'll continue to we are gloves with the Vikings.

Source: Albert Breer on Twitter

 

[Faust]

Teddy Bridgewater: Willie Beamen comparison harshBy Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League Editor

The draft process was not a kind one for Teddy Bridgewater. In December, he heard plenty of analysts say he was the potential No. 1 pick in the draft.

After an awful pro day, Bridgewater was picked apart by draft analysts who mostly dropped him out of the first round of their mock drafts. Now the newest "quarterback of the future" in Minnesota after getting taken No. 32 overall, Bridgewater thought of one draft critique more than the rest.

"The comparison to Willie Beamen," Bridgewater remembered Friday. "That was pretty harsh, but everything happens for a reason and like I said, you can't control it."

Bridgewater is making reference to the NFL coach who compared Bridgewater to Jamie Foxx's flashy character from the disappointing movie "Any Given Sunday." It was a ridiculous thing to say in so many ways that it's not worth trying to explain. Bridgewater might forget that comparison, but he'll probably never forget his pro day experince.

"I just struggled the whole day, but I embraced the fact that it didn't go well," Bridgewater told NFL Network's Albert Breer. "In order for me to get better, I had to move forward from that. Everything didn't go the way I planned or expected, but it happened for a reason. I'm glad to be here with the Minnesota Vikings."

Bridgewater confirmed that he will wear a glove at the NFL level, something he surprisingly decided not to do at the pro day. In the end, Bridgewater is in position to succeed. He called Norv and Scott Turner "masterminds" and there are plenty of weapons around him with Adrian Peterson, Cordarelle Patterson, Kyle Rudolph and Greg Jennings.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" provides instant reaction to all the wild happenings in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

 

[LawFitz]

Probably the best landing spot possible for TB in terms of teams without entrenched starting QBs. Happy for the guy and look forward to having him on my fantasy teams in the years to come.

 

[Faust]

Teddy Bridgewater lands with Vikings thanks to careful QB hunt

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Coach Mike Zimmer stated after the draft the Vikings are open to starting No. 32 pick Teddy Bridgewater as a rookie.
Zimmer went so far as to suggest he "hopes" Bridgewater will beat out Matt Cassel. "Teddy will play when we feel like he’s ready, if he’s the best guy, which we hope that he will be," Zimmer said. "We always want to have competition." The competition from journeyman Cassel isn't stiff. Like Bridgewater will be, Cassel is learning a new offense under first-year OC Norv Turner. If Bridgewater outplays Cassel in preseason games, he'll get the Opening Day nod.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

 

[Faust]

2014 NFL Draft: Catch-22: Did Teddy Bridgewater boycott Browns? Teddy Bridgewater: Cleveland 'not the place where I wanted to be'

 

[Soulfly3]

Soooooo salty this kid is.

The burn must be unimaginable to go from #1 overall studmuffin to being one pick away from Rnd 2.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Yeah, those are the words of a leader and face of the franchise. LOL at Waldman and Bloom pounding the racism table over this guy.

 

[Faust]

Vikings not worried about Teddy Bridgewater in coldBy Marc Sessler

Around the League Writer

When the Vikings traded up into the first round to draft Teddy Bridgewater, they knew their quarterback of the future would spend his first two seasons in Minnesota playing outdoors at oft-frigid TCF Bank Stadium.

Amid draftniks' concerns over Bridgewater's 9 1/4-inch hand size and questionable ability to drive the ball deep against the elements, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman says the team's two-year pact to play outdoors didn't "enter in at all" during Minnesota's pursuit of a passer who completed 71 percent of his throws as a senior at Louisville, according to The Star Tribune.

Is the cold a concern? Bridgewater has never made a start in subfreezing temperatures, but he's shown well in 11 starts in games under 50 degrees. In those tilts, Bridgewater completed 63 percent of his throws and posted a 20:9 touchdown-to-pick ratio while seeing his total quarterback rating dip to 66.9 from a 71.0 mark in warmer games, per ESPN.com.

The coldest start he made came in a 34-degree affair against Connecticut in 2012. In that 23-20 Louisville loss, Bridgewater's QBR dipped to 55.1 -- down from his 77.3 season average -- but he still threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns while playing through a broken left wrist.

NFL Media's Nolan Nawrocki believes Bridgewater is better suited to a warm-weather or dome environment, but the rookie is widely seen as one of the smartest quarterbacks in this year's class. The Vikings won't have to keep the training wheels strapped on for long.

Draft analyst Matt Waldman said the cool-under-pressure Bridgewater "has the skills to be the most productive rookie of this crop with as much upside as any of his peers," adding that he has Johnny Manziel-like on-field imagination "with a better governor over his limitations." Scouts have noted Bridgewater's decreased velocity and accuracy on passes beyond 35 yards, but proven quarterback tutor Norv Turner will build this attack around Bridgewater's upside.

Playing in the elements isn't a picnic for any NFL starter. The Vikings have done their homework and believe Bridgewater can handle Mother Nature, as does the determined Bridgewater, who said: "I think we'll be able to use that to our advantage here in Minnesota. It's a mental thing and I'll just block it out and continue to play."

The "Around The League Podcast" wrapped up the draft by picking our winners and losers.

Kudos to Matt Waldman picking up a mention on NFL.com, not too shabby!

 

[Xue]

His gloves will negate his small hands. What's his hand size WITH the glove?

 

[Sabertooth]

Depends on the gloves I guess Welding gloves might get him over 10 inches.

 

[Khy]

Going into this season in two different leagues needing a QB with an early pick makes things tough. I love Bridgewater's landing spot, by far the best crowd around him. And it all starts at the top:

Rick Spielman - Lets face it, these past two seasons of drafts by Spielman have been straight up A+ drafts in my eyes. I feel like I can count on him to fill the holes of some of the aging offensive players like Peterson and Jennings in the next few seasons as they get phased out.

Norv Turner - He may be the OC and not the HC but I'm willing to bet Zimmer lets him take full ownership of the offense. Zimmer's a defensive guy, I doubt he'll argue much with Turner on what to do when the balls in their hands. He tends to make good quarterbacks out of scrap metal. And when he has a decent to good QB they're typically among the elite in fantasy.

Peterson - The best RB football has seen in years and unquestionable humble leader.

Jennings - At one point one of the better WRs in the game. Has played with both Favre and Rodgers and can really help Bridgewater learn the pro game.

Patterson - Probably would've been a Top 5 pick if he came out this year. He really started to blow up late last season.

Rudolph - Has been inconsistent in his career so far but if you look at past Norv Turner teams... he's going to be used a lot and the talent is there. Gates for most of his career, Cameron last season with the Browns.

I'm really in a pretty big fight with myself over whether to take Bridgewater or Manziel with my first round pick in all my drafts. Honestly, I think Bortles was the best QB in the draft... I'm just not a huge fan of him landing in Jacksonville there's far to many questions there. Trying to look at this from a long term standpoint though...

Bridgewater

Patterson - Young, easily a potential WR1 in this league for many, many years to come. If Bridgewater is successful these two could be the next Ryan/White type of duo.

Rudolph - Also young and has the talent to be a top TE in this league if used properly.

Peterson - 29 years old, he might have 2 more good years left in the tank.

Jennings - 30 years old, same thing as Peterson really

Inconsistent in his pro day

Far from the best defense in the league, he's definitely going to have some games where he's in catch up mode and they can't just keep running draws to Peterson.

Seems like a fairly humble kid who I can see transistioning into a good leader.

Can run but doesn't like too. Which is a pro and a con. Con on the point potential for him in bigs games. But it's a big pro because you don't really have to worry about him in an RG3 style and you still have that knowledge that he can escape a collapsing pocket and get a couple yards. Again, he's never likely to get you one of those 50-80 yard rushing games but he does make the plays with his arm.

Manziel

Cameron - Young, extremely talented TE

Gordon - Probably one of the best WRs in the league. The question is... can he screw his head one straight or is he going the way of Ricky Williams where he's going to just fall out of the league?

Little - Has never come into form, brick hands wouldn't even be the word. It's like his hands are covered in cement blocks then polished with olive oil.

Much better in his pro day

What I'd consider to be a top 5 defense, especially with the drafting of Gilbert now they have potentially two shutdown corners. Manziel won't be asked to take everything on his back often.

Hot headed, definitely full of himself. I'm honestly unsure of how his personality will work with others on the team. He walks and talks like he's the second coming of John Elway and he has never once sounded humble to me in an interview. So while talent is a big deal and he has a lot of it, I'm not really sure if he has enough leadership qualities to get guys to play for him instead of against him.

Ray Farmer/Mike Pettine - I'm honestly not sure how I feel about either of these guys. Farmer's first year as GM and I sit here staring at this draft board for the Browns having a love hate with it. Like, I'm loving 3/6 picks. I thought Gilbert was brilliant when they were able to cycle back and snag Manziel @ 22. Not a huge fan of Bitonio at 35th... not that I don't like the player it's more, why? You had Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews, Paul Richardson, Allen Robinson, Davante Adams etc. all sitting there at that pick. And you NEED a WR that can start this season and make an impact. Even without Gordon's suspension who is Manziel throwing too this year? Greg Little? Nate Burleson? I'm a fan of the Terrance West pick though, Tate can never stay healthy.

We've seen other situations where potential talent is destroyed by shotty surrounding talent. Look at... Sam Bradford for example. He looked amazing coming out and great in his first season but they never got him the talent he needed and he simply collapsed. Now he has next to no confidence in himself and will likely be sitting backup in a year or two.

When I look at this on paper after writing it all out... Bridgewater seems like a no-brainer to me over Manziel in dynasty. For this year and the next 3-4 years as well. Interested to hear other thoughts on this as well. Yet I think most people would color you insane for making that selection judging by every other draft and fantasy analyst around.

 

[John 14:6]

I think Rudolph's inconsistency is due in large part to the QB play...

 

[Khy]

I think Rudolph's inconsistency is due in large part to the QB play...

Well yes, that was kind of my point. Between shotty QB play and a system that wasn't that favorable to TEs since he joined the team. Now he'll potentially have better QB play and a much more TE friendly system. Could be a nice target this year in redrafts or possible dynasty trade target.

 

[Faust]

Finding Comfort

 

[Khy]

Finding Comfort

Honestly, that was a really awesome read. Assuming most of that is true it only further cements my point that he should be the first QB off the board in dynasty drafts.

 

[Faust]

Teddy Bridgewater will take first-team reps at OTAs

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on NFL Live that the Vikings are "determined" to not rush No. 32 pick Teddy Bridgewater onto the field too soon.
The Vikings re-signed Matt Cassel and return Christian Ponder, and Schefter insisted they are "determined" to make sure Bridgewater knows Norv Turner's offense before putting him on the field. Both Schefter and GM Rick Spielman said on ESPN Tuesday that Bridgewater has been the "first one in the building and last one to leave" every day since the Vikings drafted him. A known football junkie, we don't think it'll take long for Teddy to learn the system.

 

[Khy]

Rotoworld:

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on NFL Live that the Vikings are "determined" to not rush No. 32 pick Teddy Bridgewater onto the field too soon.
The Vikings re-signed Matt Cassel and return Christian Ponder, and Schefter insisted they are "determined" to make sure Bridgewater knows Norv Turner's offense before putting him on the field. Both Schefter and GM Rick Spielman said on ESPN Tuesday that Bridgewater has been the "first one in the building and last one to leave" every day since the Vikings drafted him. A known football junkie, we don't think it'll take long for Teddy to learn the system.

Being that this is a brand new system for all the QBs, I'm willing to bet Teddy greatly out performs Cassel in all preseason activites and starts the season as the QB1 on the team. Honestly, Bloom has a post about the Bills being the 'breakout' offense this season. But I'm thinking it just might be the Vikings. There's a lot of talent around this offense and Norv notoriously brings us interesting fantasy seasons wherever he goes if there's talent there to support it.

 

[Faust]

Watch Teddy Bridgewater rise

 

[Tool]

Going into this season in two different leagues needing a QB with an early pick makes things tough. I love Bridgewater's landing spot, by far the best crowd around him. And it all starts at the top:

Rick Spielman - Lets face it, these past two seasons of drafts by Spielman have been straight up A+ drafts in my eyes. I feel like I can count on him to fill the holes of some of the aging offensive players like Peterson and Jennings in the next few seasons as they get phased out.

Norv Turner - He may be the OC and not the HC but I'm willing to bet Zimmer lets him take full ownership of the offense. Zimmer's a defensive guy, I doubt he'll argue much with Turner on what to do when the balls in their hands. He tends to make good quarterbacks out of scrap metal. And when he has a decent to good QB they're typically among the elite in fantasy.

Peterson - The best RB football has seen in years and unquestionable humble leader.

Jennings - At one point one of the better WRs in the game. Has played with both Favre and Rodgers and can really help Bridgewater learn the pro game.

Patterson - Probably would've been a Top 5 pick if he came out this year. He really started to blow up late last season.

Rudolph - Has been inconsistent in his career so far but if you look at past Norv Turner teams... he's going to be used a lot and the talent is there. Gates for most of his career, Cameron last season with the Browns.

I'm really in a pretty big fight with myself over whether to take Bridgewater or Manziel with my first round pick in all my drafts. Honestly, I think Bortles was the best QB in the draft... I'm just not a huge fan of him landing in Jacksonville there's far to many questions there. Trying to look at this from a long term standpoint though...

Bridgewater

Patterson - Young, easily a potential WR1 in this league for many, many years to come. If Bridgewater is successful these two could be the next Ryan/White type of duo.

Rudolph - Also young and has the talent to be a top TE in this league if used properly.

Peterson - 29 years old, he might have 2 more good years left in the tank.

Jennings - 30 years old, same thing as Peterson really

Inconsistent in his pro day

Far from the best defense in the league, he's definitely going to have some games where he's in catch up mode and they can't just keep running draws to Peterson.

Seems like a fairly humble kid who I can see transistioning into a good leader.

Can run but doesn't like too. Which is a pro and a con. Con on the point potential for him in bigs games. But it's a big pro because you don't really have to worry about him in an RG3 style and you still have that knowledge that he can escape a collapsing pocket and get a couple yards. Again, he's never likely to get you one of those 50-80 yard rushing games but he does make the plays with his arm.

Manziel

Cameron - Young, extremely talented TE

Gordon - Probably one of the best WRs in the league. The question is... can he screw his head one straight or is he going the way of Ricky Williams where he's going to just fall out of the league?

Little - Has never come into form, brick hands wouldn't even be the word. It's like his hands are covered in cement blocks then polished with olive oil.

Much better in his pro day

What I'd consider to be a top 5 defense, especially with the drafting of Gilbert now they have potentially two shutdown corners. Manziel won't be asked to take everything on his back often.

Hot headed, definitely full of himself. I'm honestly unsure of how his personality will work with others on the team. He walks and talks like he's the second coming of John Elway and he has never once sounded humble to me in an interview. So while talent is a big deal and he has a lot of it, I'm not really sure if he has enough leadership qualities to get guys to play for him instead of against him.

Ray Farmer/Mike Pettine - I'm honestly not sure how I feel about either of these guys. Farmer's first year as GM and I sit here staring at this draft board for the Browns having a love hate with it. Like, I'm loving 3/6 picks. I thought Gilbert was brilliant when they were able to cycle back and snag Manziel @ 22. Not a huge fan of Bitonio at 35th... not that I don't like the player it's more, why? You had Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews, Paul Richardson, Allen Robinson, Davante Adams etc. all sitting there at that pick. And you NEED a WR that can start this season and make an impact. Even without Gordon's suspension who is Manziel throwing too this year? Greg Little? Nate Burleson? I'm a fan of the Terrance West pick though, Tate can never stay healthy.

We've seen other situations where potential talent is destroyed by shotty surrounding talent. Look at... Sam Bradford for example. He looked amazing coming out and great in his first season but they never got him the talent he needed and he simply collapsed. Now he has next to no confidence in himself and will likely be sitting backup in a year or two.

When I look at this on paper after writing it all out... Bridgewater seems like a no-brainer to me over Manziel in dynasty. For this year and the next 3-4 years as well. Interested to hear other thoughts on this as well. Yet I think most people would color you insane for making that selection judging by every other draft and fantasy analyst around.

Bortles

 

[Khy]

Honestly, Bortles is barely even on my radar.

1. He won't like start this season: Sometimes this works out, for example in the cases of Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers. But they also sat behind future HoF QBs, Bortles is learning from Chad Henne. Not really the best tutor now is it?

2. As I stated above, my personal opinion is the 'needs a little refining' QBs that turn into top level QBs in this league typically sat behind someone who was generally considered a good QB for their time prior to starting. Rodgers - Favre, Manning - Warner, Brady - Bledsoe, Brees - Flutie, etc. etc. again this isn't always the case but it helps a lot. Learning things from a barely servicable QB in Henne doesn't really help in my eyes.

3. I'm a fan of his game but not his situation. Similar to, but worse than the Cleveland situation in my mind. We really have no idea how to grade the Jags brass.

• GM - David Caldwell - He was an on and off scout for the Colts and the Falcons. He was a member of the Colts scouting team during the Manning era (including the year Manning himself was drafted). But this is his first GM gig. We know from a lot of places that being good at one aspect of football doesn't make you good at others. For an example, see Wade Phillips, brilliant DCoord... awful awful AWFUL Head Coach.
• Head coach - Gus Bradley - Finally someone we know a little bit about, the man who built the Legion of Boom. Still, same as I stated with Phillips above, we have no idea how good or bad he'll be as a head coach. That said, he is a DC at heart, he won't have much reasonable input on the offensive side of the ball.
• Offensive Coordinator - Jedd Fisch - A QB coach from college who is now an offensive coordinator. We know so little about him that his entire Wikipedia page says this "
  Jedd Fisch (born May 5, 1976) is the current offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was hired on January 19, 2013.[1]".
  
• Surrounding Cast - Cecil Shorts, might not be around after this season. Justin Blackmon, may never play in the NFL again. Allen Robinson, good prospect but a rookie. Marquise Lee, good prospect but a rookie. Toby Gerhert, journeyman RB.
  

See my point? Teddy's situation is so much better than Bortles and Manziel it's almost sickening. We have no idea how Jacksonville and Cleveland will work out with their GMs and Coaching staffs. I just like knowing that Minnesota is a more stable situation. And that's besides the point that I liked Teddy the most even after his pro day debacle.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Wow, between Khy's nice breakdown between Bridgewater and Manziel and Faust's link to "Finding Comfort", there is some quality posting in here. I really liked Bridgewater the last two years and have pegged him for my teams. I then really started drinking the Manziel kool-aid big time. I now read this thread and find myself going back to my original liking of Teddy B.

 

[Faust]

Fixing the QBs: Solving the vertical passing game with Teddy Bridgewater

 

[Faust]

Teddy Bridgewater plans to wear gloves the rest of his career

 

[cstu]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

 

[cstu]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 3h

Thing w/ Norv's offense that are eye-opening: (a) lots of motion, (b) players seem to have mega room to roam when they catch passes. #Scheme

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Teddy Bridgewater plans to wear gloves the rest of his career

Both Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner wear/wore gloves. It's a non-issue.

I wish Duante Culpepper would have worn them. :kingfumble:

 

[Khy]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Yeah, people were clearly overblowing his arm strength issues. It's not like he's Chad Pennington. He can complete passes of more than 15 yards.

 

[jurb26]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Yeah, people were clearly overblowing his arm strength issues. It's not like he's Chad Pennington. He can complete passes of more than 15 yards.

Yup, it was truly ridiculous. I'd say his arm is comparable to Dalton. Dalton has some issues with his deep ball but also has enough arm zip to make all the throws you need.

 

[John 14:6]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 3h

Thing w/ Norv's offense that are eye-opening: (a) lots of motion, (b) players seem to have mega room to roam when they catch passes. #Scheme

Not that I disagree with Paul Allen here, I just want to note that he's a HUGE Vikings homer...

 

[Biabreakable]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 3h

Thing w/ Norv's offense that are eye-opening: (a) lots of motion, (b) players seem to have mega room to roam when they catch passes. #Scheme

Not that I disagree with Paul Allen here, I just want to note that he's a HUGE Vikings homer...

Yep. And they are playing no contact without pads on. A lot easier to make space in that scenario.

I did like a comment from Mike Zimmer early on in the OTAs where he was talking about the motions and things confusing some of the players a bit with their assignments and that they need to work on fixing it.

 

[Faust]

Norv Turner: Bridgewater's deep ball 'outstanding'

Posted by: Master Tesfatsion

The biggest knock against Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was his deep ball accuracy.

Well, offensive coordinator Norv Turner said on Wednesday that he hasn’t seen that as a weakness from the rookie.

“I knew he’d make great decisions, quick decisions, but he has been outstanding throwing the deep ball, which some people thought would be an issue.

“I think in the six-to-eight weeks we’ve had him on the field, I think he’s been put in a position where’s he’s had to make most of the throws he would have to make. I think he can make all the throws he needs to make.”

Turner said that Bridgewater has been very instinctive during OTAs and following the first of three mandatory minicamp days on Tuesday and someone that knows how to work. The Vikings have already allowed Bridgewater to ability to audible play calls. Turner said Bridgewater receives multiple plays at the line of scrimmage, like Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel. It was on display during Tuesday’s minicamp when Bridgewater audibled during the team portion of practice.

“I think Teddy came in as a great quarterback obviously,” Cassel said on Tuesday. “I think he was well-coached in college [at Louisville]. He does a great job picking up the system. He’s aware of defenses and very knowledgeable on it. I think he’s done a great job up to this point.”

It’s still an open competition at quarterback, as Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said on Tuesday, but a lot of positive signs so far in regards to the quarterback with skinny knees and small hands.

 

[Sabertooth]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Yeah, people were clearly overblowing his arm strength issues. It's not like he's Chad Pennington. He can complete passes of more than 15 yards.

Yup, it was truly ridiculous. I'd say his arm is comparable to Dalton. Dalton has some issues with his deep ball but also has enough arm zip to make all the throws you need.

I think he's probably got a better arm than Dalton, who is one of the weakest armed starters in the league. I was able to snag Teddy in both my 2QB and my Superflex leagues. He's a backup in both for me but these reports are what I expected to hear. He was the consensus number 1 QB heading into the season, heading into the post draft season, and he fell because of a couple of workouts in shorts. Seems to me that people got caught up in the Manziel mania. Teddy was always said to have great intangibles. I tend to think he's going to have a Kurt Warner like game. Deadly accurate and he knows where the ball needs to go. Hits players in stride and on time. Strong leader and hard worker. Vikings might have found their man in Teddy. Tony Romo without the meltdowns.

 

[Khy]

Paul Allen ‏@PAkfanvikes 2h

NFL anaysts ripping Teddy's arm strength were wrong. Spun it very well today & with confidence. If he can handle pressure we're in business

Yeah, people were clearly overblowing his arm strength issues. It's not like he's Chad Pennington. He can complete passes of more than 15 yards.

Yup, it was truly ridiculous. I'd say his arm is comparable to Dalton. Dalton has some issues with his deep ball but also has enough arm zip to make all the throws you need.

I think he's probably got a better arm than Dalton, who is one of the weakest armed starters in the league. I was able to snag Teddy in both my 2QB and my Superflex leagues. He's a backup in both for me but these reports are what I expected to hear. He was the consensus number 1 QB heading into the season, heading into the post draft season, and he fell because of a couple of workouts in shorts. Seems to me that people got caught up in the Manziel mania. Teddy was always said to have great intangibles. I tend to think he's going to have a Kurt Warner like game. Deadly accurate and he knows where the ball needs to go. Hits players in stride and on time. Strong leader and hard worker. Vikings might have found their man in Teddy. Tony Romo without the meltdowns.

These were my thoughts on it as well. I had Teddy as my #1 QB for dynasty going into the real NFL Draft. I felt like everything was being blown out of proportion and people were over-reacting like crazy to Manziel's amazing pro-day and Bortles amazing Combine. Teddy was hands down, no contest the #1 QB in this draft all of last season and the entire time leading up to the combine. If he has a pro day of Manziel's level it's possible he goes #1 overall to the Texans or #3 to the Jags instead of Bortles.

Instead though, for dynasty purposes, I think he gained even more value post-draft. I've said it all over these boards since the draft:

I could not have imagined a better situation for him than to land in Minnesota.

This reminds me a lot of the Aaron Rodgers random draft day slip from the 05' draft. The 49ers should've picked Rodgers and instead they selected Alex Smith and let Rodgers fall all the way down to the Packers at 24th overall. In part because he didn't have the most amazing combine and a lot of people felt like his stats were inflated from Cal's system. I also happen to think Teddy and Rodgers are very similar in their comparisons. Rodgers definitely had a stronger arm, but there ability to move around the pocket and throw extremely accurate short-intermediate passes.

If Teddy goes to any other team besides the Texans, I think I drop him below Manziel on my board. But I can't get over how beautiful the landing spot is for him. I've taken him in all of my 2QB leagues in dynasty and I'm rather excited for it.

Norv Turner - Who decent QB hasn't this guy made great?

• Aikman had his best seasons under Turner (in fact the only time he eclipsed 20 TDs in his career)
• Trent Green (Norv essentially launched his career Green was an 8th round nobody without him)
• Gus Ferrotte's only productive seasons were with Turner
• Jay Fielder's only decent seasons were with Turner
• Kerry Collins career was rejuvenated under him
• Phillip Rivers - Obviously

Rick Spielman - Has clearly showed he's willing to make the ballsy decisions to try and bring this team back to it's former greatness. He's definitely one of the 'up and coming' GM's in my mind. With what he's done so far I can see us talking about him in the same vein as your Ted Thompson and Ozzie Newsome's of the world in 4-5 seasons.

Cordarrelle Patterson - Say what you will about him, he has all the talent to become one of the best young WRs in this league.

Kyle Rudolph - If he can wiggle out the injury woes, he has every opportunity to become the next big breakout TE. Especially in a Norv Turner offense.

Greg Jennings - Older, but a good veteran who has played with some of the best QBs of the past decade in Favre and Rodgers. He can definitely help mentor Teddy into a leadership role.

Other notables - Jarius Wright (could be a decent WR in this league), Adrian Peterson (best RB of our generation).

I just really feel like this kid is going to explode onto the scene, it may not be his rookie season like it was for your RG3 and Russell Wilson's of the world. But give him a year or two and I think he has all the talent and more importantly, surrounding talent to be one of the elite QBs in this league.

 

[lardonastick]