What does Teddy have to do to win qb job?

[oldskoolvikingfan]

Okay so we have heard a lot from Coach Zimmer and Turner about how great Teddy has been during OTAs and Training Camps, but what does he have to do during the preseason games to win the starting QB job for the opening game against St. Louis? I personally think that as long as he can keep moving the chains and setup some scoring drives without turning the ball over he will get the job. What is your guy's opinion on what Teddy needs to do to win the job and also do you guys think he will be able to win it?

[Mothman]

I think he'll have to outplay Cassel by a somewhat significant margin to end up being the starter on opening day. They open on the road against a team with one of the best (if not the best) defensive lines in football so starting him in St. Louis would really be throwing him to the wolves. I don't think they'll do that unless they believe he is far and away their best option.

My guess is Cassel will open the season as the starter and if he struggles over the first few games, we'll see Bridgewater sooner rather than later. However, it's just a guess...

In terms of what he will specifically have to do to get the starting job: I'd say he needs to get the ball out quickly, show he has a solid handle on the offense, avoid committing many turnovers and, of course, be productive. That first one is big because it's reportedly one of the areas where he's having some issues in camp.

[losperros]

What Jim said. I think Bridgewater will have to show more than just potential or great physical ability to be the starting QB. Given the Vikings schedule, they are going to be facing some tough defenses that can make any QB look bad, especially someone new to the pro game.

From what I've read, it appears as if Cassel's experience is the main reason for him being the starter, at least early in the season. Sounds as if Turner fully believes that Bridgewater is the better athlete and the future starter.

[Cliff]

I think Bridgewater will need to be better ... but how much better is the question. These are going to be the more interesting preseason games I've watched as a Vikings fan in a while.

[losperros]

I think Bridgewater will need to be better ... but how much better is the question. These are going to be the more interesting preseason games I've watched as a Vikings fan in a while.

Absolutely. And not just because of the QB position either. There are several other positions, such as LB, where I want to see if the team is showing improvement.

[DK Sweets]

I think the biggest thing he's going to have to do is show the team he has the confidence to lead them. The only reason Cassel would remain under center is if they are afraid that early struggles will ruin Bridgewater. He hasn't played a minute in the league yet and already looks like he's giving Cassel every bit of competition that the veteran can handle.

[DK Sweets]

I disagree. I don't believe they are looking at this season on a specific-game type basis. They are looking at things for the long-term with Teddy as the man. Based on the feeling I get from their comments up to this point, I don't think Teddy needs to play significantly better than Cassel. I think if he shows he's starting to get the offense and plays close to Cassel's level, they will give him the start to give him experience. I think the Vikings org is smart enough to realize the 90s are over and you don't need to sit your rookie QB for a year anymore. I think they want to develop Teddy as much as possible and therefore giving him as many games as possible. As long as it wouldn't be an embarrassment to start him in Week 1, I think they will.

In other words I think they've determined they would rather go 6-10 with Teddy, than 8-8 with Cassel. that might not make sense to some of you, but this is about long-term development. In both scenarios you're not going to the playoffs, but in 2015, you're either giving Teddy his first year of starts (and likely going 6-10) or year two Teddy goes 10-6 with the sacrifice of 2014.

Another reason is Rick Spielman saw first hand how giving Ponder half a season as a rookie, essentially added one additional year to Christian Ponder's evaluation, and if they learned anything from Ponder its the idea that you need to evaluate your QB as fast as possible or you waste everyone's time.

Agreed. This isn't like when McNabb came to town and the team was just hoping to milk something out of the remaining talent. This team is built for the future, and this season is just the barometer for that.

[Texas Vike]

Based on the feeling I get from their comments up to this point, I don't think Teddy needs to play significantly better than Cassel.

What comments have created this feeling of yours? I have not seen any evidence in the coaches' comments that would substantiate your hypothesis. Furthermore, there's no indication that the Vikings' FO has come to some radical realization that it is no longer the 90s, ergo, QBs are ready to go in season 1.

[Mothman]

I disagree. I don't believe they are looking at this season on a specific-game type basis. They are looking at things for the long-term with Teddy as the man. Based on the feeling I get from their comments up to this point, I don't think Teddy needs to play significantly better than Cassel. I think if he shows he's starting to get the offense and plays close to Cassel's level, they will give him the start to give him experience. I think the Vikings org is smart enough to realize the 90s are over and you don't need to sit your rookie QB for a year anymore.

I know what you're saying but that was hardly an approach unique to the '90s and starting a rookie QB isn't something new. Teams have done that for decades and the results have always been mixed.

Another reason is Rick Spielman saw first hand how giving Ponder half a season as a rookie, essentially added one additional year to Christian Ponder's evaluation, and if they learned anything from Ponder its the idea that you need to evaluate your QB as fast as possible or you waste everyone's time.

... or that thrusting a QB into a starting role he's not yet ready to handle is the fastest way to turn fans against him, undermine his confidence and ruin him. That's another potential lesson learned. If Ponder had been able to wait for an entire season before being asked to start instead of getting pummeled by defenses as a rookie, maybe his development would have taken a different course. Then again, maybe not... we'll never know but it's a questions coaches undoubtedly consider.

There seems to be an underlying assumption out there that getting experience as early as possible will somehow accelerate development but I think that depends on the individual and the circumstances. It could stunt development as well. Actual game experience is ultimately necessary but is it inherently beneficial, regardless of circumstances or results? I believe it can be mentally and physically damaging to the development of a player who isn't ready to handle it. There are potential benefits to starting a rookie from game 1 but there are also potential benefits to allowing a QB to reach to a certain level of development behind the scenes before putting him in the pressure cooker of a starting position.

In the end, I think they will do what they feel is best for Bridgewater's long term development, based on what he shows them in the comings weeks and/or months.

[S197]

I think a lot of it will come down to what Zimmer has emphasized in camp, which is, "if you make a mistake, don't make that same mistake tomorrow." Bridgewater is going to make mistakes, a lot of them. How quickly he gets past them, and learns from them, is probably the biggest deal. Coaches often talk about the game "slowing down" for players as they progress but this really only comes with time. Pre-snap adjustments, going through progressions, pocket presence, it's all important but takes a while to develop and is probably not something you can fully glean from preseason games where teams are throwing watered down versions of their defense at you. I think for Bridgewater to start week 1, he'll need to look significantly better than Cassel. He'll need a Russell Wilson type preseason.

[Eli]

Okay so we have heard a lot from Coach Zimmer and Turner about how great Teddy has been during OTAs and Training Camps

We've heard a lot of very guarded, encouraging news about Bridgewater, but it would be a mistake to read too much into the sound bites. You have two very experienced coaches saying good things, but don't expect them to do anything knee-jerk.

The starting job is Cassel's to lose, not Bridgewater's to win. Cassel would really have to stink it up before they put Bridgewater on the field. Later in the season it may be a different story. If/when the Vikings are out of the playoffs, they could begin starting Bridgewater to get him some game experience.

[PacificNorseWest]

^Agree with all of that.

Cassel will either have to implode or even if he's playing well, Teddy will have to standout more than Cassel to the point where they can't ignore Teddy and insert him as the starter Week 1. It's essentially what happened in Seattle. Matt Flynn played well and didn't really do anything to lose his starting job, it was just that Russell played that much better consistently and gave the coaches no choice but to start him.

[Just Me]

We've heard a lot of very guarded, encouraging news about Bridgewater, but it would be a mistake to read too much into the sound bites. You have two very experienced coaches saying good things, but don't expect them to do anything knee-jerk.

The starting job is Cassel's to lose, not Bridgewater's to win. Cassel would really have to stink it up before they put Bridgewater on the field. Later in the season it may be a different story. If/when the Vikings are out of the playoffs, they could begin starting Bridgewater to get him some game experience.

I think that's basically correct. The other (obvious) scenario would be sometime later (hopefully later, anyway) in the season if Cassel gets "dinged up" and Bridgewater has to relieve him. So, there may be a situation where Cassel really has done nothing to "lose" the job per se, but still gives Bridgewater a chance to start a few games.

[VikingsBoss]

I would say I agree with the last few posts. Cassel has to lose the job for Bridgewater to "win" it. As to the idea that the Vikings would somehow be okay with going 6-10 with Bridgewater than 8-8 with Cassel? Show me an NFL Head Coach who thinks like that, and I'll show you an ex-NFL Head Coach.
Mike Zimmer is certainly not going to base his decision, whatever it may be, on the assumption that his QB is going to lead them to an at best .500 season. I think the Vikings can win 9-10 games this year, regardless of who the QB is, if their defense is significantly better. The offense wasn't the problem in a lot of games last year, it was the defense's inability to close teams out.
If the QBs can limit turnovers and incorporate weapons like Patterson and Rudolph into the game? There's no reason to believe this team, which did go 10-6 just two years ago, can't do the same this year. I personally think Cassel is the better option. I like his experience, I like his poise, I like his leadership.
That said, if the coaches do decide to go with Bridgewater, I won't be crying any tears. I just don't think it's the most likely scenario.

[Mothman]

1st round quarterbacks should be ready to go from Week 1 of their rookie year in this modern era of the NFL. Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Andrew Luck, RG3, etc., etc. the list goes on of 1st round caliber QBs who started out the gate and handled things just fine. Teddy Bridgewater was a projected 1st round pick by most everyone, so he fits in this category. I'm not saying the Vikings should start him there no matter what, but what I'm saying is he is a big boy and there's no reason he can't handle it and starting soon will not stunt his development in any way shape or form. Like the other 1st rounders, he can handle this. While I don't think Ponder waiting a year would've made a lick of a difference in his performance, he was not a projected 1st round pick, so he would not fit into the "big boy" category I referenced.

Actually, depending on whose projections you were looking at, he was a projected first round pick. The "experts" varied quite a bit on where he would be drafted. For that matter, by the time this year's draft rolled around, quite a few were divided on whether Bridgewater should have been a first round pick too.

Anyway, it's not a question of whether Bridgewater is a "big boy" and can handle the job to the degree that some of the QBs you mentioned above did. It's a question of whether the Vikings think starting him immediately is the best, most beneficial approach. It's about the assessment of the coaching staff. If they think it's better for all concerned to start Cassel when the season opens, Cassel will start. If not, Bridgewater might get the nod against St. Louis. Right now, they're giving the impression that they're open to either possibility and that's good because I don't think there's a single "one size fits all" approach that works best with rookie QBs.

What they don't need to do is rush him into the lineup if they don't feel he's ready simply to evaluate him "as fast as possible" so they don't "waste everyone's time."