Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a divisive figure in the NFL. One faction of supporters believes he is poised for a breakout year thanks to his accuracy and well roundedness. Another faction of detractors believes while he has several attractive skills, he'll never be a great player in this league.
For him to prove the doubters wrong, he'll have to take a step forward in his second season. But what, specifically, does he need to improve on? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling in his weekly mailbag.
@GoesslingESPN #VikingsMail Are there any benchmarks we should keep in mind while evaluating if Bridgewater has made the next step?
— Peder DeFor (@pdefor) July 22, 2015
"The big things Teddy Bridgewater to improve about his game, in my mind, are his ability to hit receivers in rhythm and eliminate negative plays (sacks and turnovers)," Goessling responded. "To do that, he'll have to be more decisive and better about hitting receivers in tight spaces than he was last year. We saw signs of him being able to throw receivers open at the end of last year, but he needs to do it consistently and give receivers a chance to run after the catch. It's worth noting that the best quarterbacks in the league last year - Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers - posted first downs on 43.4 and 42.1 percent of their attempts, respectively. Bridgewater was 24th in the league at 34.1 percent. That number will improve as he gets more confident hitting receivers in the second level of coverage and pulling the trigger on tough throws so he doesn't take sacks. I'd watch for him doing those things, and I'd keep that first-downs-per-attempt metric in mind. I'll try to mention that from time to time as we examine Bridgewater's performance this year."
Bridgewater threw for 2,919 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.4 percent of his passes in 13 games last year. Over the final five games of the season, Bridgewater completed more than 70 percent of his passes and was one of the league leaders in passer rating. Some expect a Drew Brees or Russell Wilson type jump from his this year.
But Bridgewater's slight frame and somewhat underwhelming arm strength still give critics doubt if can ever go from good-to-great as a quarterback. He'll have a chance to prove otherwise in 2015.
