Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's recent play - heady, tough, athletic - could draw any number of current and former player comparisons - Russell Wilson, Donovan McNabb, and Steve Young to name a few. But, there is another, less reputable name to which Bridgewater has recently drawn comparisons and one that, should it prove accurate, could portend a dark future for the youngster out of Louisville. According to an article from Ben Goessling of ESPN, some have drawn parallels between Bridgewater and former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr.
Carr, the one-time number one overall pick of the then first-year expansion team, was a highly touted and sought-after NFL prospect out of Fresno State University in 2002.
Carr though, will forever be remembered as a bust in the league, thanks in large part to the immense amounts of pressure he faced from day one behind a terrible Texans offensive line. Carr took 76 sacks his first season and never seemed to recover from it, looking skittish in the pocket and anticipating pressure where there was none. He absorbed 173 more sacks over the next four seasons before Houston finally cut him loose.
This is where the comparison to Bridgewater emerges - so far this season, Bridgewater has been sacked 15 times in only four games of action, which works out to 11 percent of his drop backs.
Goessling though, does his best to dispel any fears that Carr's may be the road down which Bridgewater's career travels.
It'd be one thing to worry if Bridgewater was showing signs of letting the rush affect him, either by taking off early or hurrying throws to avoid sacks. We've seen him rush throws on a couple occasions, but not to the point where I'd attribute it to something more deep-seeded than a rookie still figuring out his timing in the NFL.
Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner sounded a positive note when discussing Bridgewater's nerve in the face of consistent pressure.
"He's got good sense in the pocket. He's getting better at getting the ball out," Turner said, per Goessling. "He threw the ball away a couple times Sunday when there was nowhere to throw it, where against Detroit [on] those plays he took sacks. We're working on getting him a lot quicker, we're working on design to help get the ball out quick, we're working on protection so we don't have to have the conversation about how he handles it."
Turner - and Goessling - sees no reason to panic about pressure stunting Bridgewater's growth to this point. Unless and until the sacks mount and he begins to elicit signs of a Carr-like regression, Bridgewater has every chance of developing into a capable NFL starter.
