Written by Tom Schreier
It’s not going to be the popular choice, but it’s the right choice for the Minnesota Vikings: Matt Cassel should be the opening day starter. The people have voiced their opinion, of course, in audible and inaudible ways. During the team’s first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, Teddy Bridgewater’s name was chanted loud and clear before he even took his first snap. Meanwhile, nobody seems to be wearing Cassel’s jersey and nobody is selling his No. 16 in their pro shops.
It makes sense. Cassel is a stopgap; Bridgewater is the future. Cassel spent his entire career as a backup behind Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC; Teddy Bridgewater threw for nearly 10,000 yards as a three-year starter at Louisville. Cassel was drafted in the 7th round; Bridgewater was drafted in the 1st. Cassel is 32 years old; Bridgewater is 21.
Still, the Vikings have to be patient here, and so do the fans. A quick glimpse at both players in the opening preseason game against an Oakland team that is more likely to get the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 than make the playoffs this year will tell you all you need to know. Cassel was efficient, using all of his weapons and carving up the Raiders’ defense with ease. Bridgewater was the better athlete, scrambling away from trouble and tossing a nice bootleg pass on his first snap, but he also looked lost at times and did not make decisions as quickly and smoothly as his veteran counterpart.
Really, all you need to know is what head coach Mike Zimmer briefly said about each player in his press conference following the game.
“I thought he did a great job,” he said in reference to Cassel. “He played like a veteran. He had control of the huddle. The communication between [offensive coordinator] Norv [Turner] and [quarterbacks coach] Scott [Turner] and him was very good.”
With Bridgewater he offered praise on his bootleg pass, which eventually was brought back due to a line of scrimmage infraction, but added his young quarterback needs some seasoning. “There were a couple times in the game when he just didn’t act like a veteran,” said Zimmer. “Things happened that he hadn’t seen before and so those are all great experience for him. He made some throws, there were a couple mishaps he had, but I think Teddy’s going to be a great player.”
It’s hard to disagree with Zimmer: Cassel has more experience and looked more prepared out there. Bridgewater looked raw but has more upside.
Turner, who is in his first season with Minnesota after leading Cleveland’s offense last year, is implementing a more complex offense than Bill Musgrave and it is going to take a while for all players to learn it – especially the rookies. The Vikings aren’t projected to be a contending team by any measure, but they also aren’t expected to be cellar dwellers either. This is a team that’s slowly building to become a playoff contender by the time it opens its new $975 million stadium in 2016, much like the Minnesota Twins were the year Target Field opened. In the meantime, there’s no sense in rushing Bridgewater into the crucible just to appeal to the masses and possibly curtailing his potential as a quarterback.
Remember, there were people chanting for Tarvaris Jackson and Christian Ponder at one time too. “Usually the backup quarterback is the favorite guy, right?” joked Zimmer. “They should be cheering for [Bridgewater] for a long, long time.”
And, again, Zimmer is right on both counts: It’s easy to root for the backup when he’s a high pick, and if the Vikings play their cards right, Bridgewater should become a franchise quarterback.
At the same time, it’s going to be hard for the Vikings to avoid the temptation of starting Bridgewater too soon. Minnesota easily could lose four of their first five games: at St. Louis, vs. New England, at New Orleans, vs. Atlanta and at Green Bay. The game against the Rams is a toss up and it will surely be difficult to beat three of the league’s best franchises in the last decade.
Therefore, the team’s first win could come in Week 4 against the Falcons. By then the demand for Bridgewater will be at an all-time high. At 2-3 or 1-4 after five weeks of play, nobody is going to be happy with the status quo. But if the Vikings stick with Cassel and ignore the demands of impatient fans, things should get better from there. They get Detroit at home, two easier road games at Buffalo and Tampa Bay, and then Washington at home before the bye week. If they can beat St. Louis and Atlanta and split the last four games before their off-week, a record of 4-5 should quiet the fans a bit.
The smart move is sticking with Cassel; the sexy move is going with Bridgewater. But if Minnesota wants Bridgewater to become the quarterback of the future, he, like the fans, is just going to have to wait.
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Tom Schreier can be heard on The Michael Knight Show from 2-3:00 on weekdays. He has written for Bleacher Report and the Yahoo Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @tschreier3. |