Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater enters his second season with a lot of hype. The young QB finished the 2014 regular season in a flurry, completing more than 70 percent of his passes during the final five games while displaying the poise and accuracy that made him a first round pick. Many expect a breakout year from Bridgewater as a result, though some NFL Insiders believe he's just a good QB but not a great one.
To prove the doubters wrong, Bridgewater will have to continue to develop. As of now, it sounds as if he's doing just that. Vikings safety Harrison Smith is impressed with the veteran-like ways Bridgewater uses his eyes to look off defensive backs.
"He's taken it a step further this year with his eyes," Smith said via CBS Sports. "He looks guys off in the secondary. If there's one of us in the middle, he will move him out and open up the spot. You don't see many guys his age doing that. He's already thinking, looking and finding out where we are and then using his eyes. When he came in last year as a rookie, he was so far along. But this is really taking the next step."
In 14 games last year, Bridgewater threw for almost 3,000 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Eleven of those scores came in the final seven games and he had two 300-plus yard passing games over the final four weeks.
"He didn't act like a rookie," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "And he's a guy who wants to get better. You tell him he did something wrong, and he just says OK and does what he has to do to get better."
Draft experts had concerns about Bridgewater's slight frame coming out of college as he weighed just 205 pounds at Louisville. That's not conducive to surviving the daily grind that NFL life demands, especially with NFC North defenders trying to take your head off every week. But coming into this season, Bridgewater has bulked up to 215 pounds and is stronger than ever.
"You always try to find ways to get better," Bridgewater said. "Get rid of those tendencies. Guys on defense have one job, and that's to find tendencies. I play a position where there are a ton of tendencies you show. I have been working on my eyes and everything."
The Vikings are optimistic that all of this improvement will help Bridgewater take the next step in his development this season.
