Written by Chris Schad
If the Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition were decided by a public referendum, it would be clear that Teddy Bridgewater would win in a landslide. The rookie sensation has already leapt to 13th in jersey sales and was treated with cheers reserved for a rock star every time he took the field this preseason.
While the public pushed and pined for Bridgewater to overtake Matt Cassel, there just one vote that truly mattered in the quarterback competition: head coach Mike Zimmer’s. On Monday FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer revealed that vote had been cast.
https://twitter.com/JayGlazer/status/503899611896221696
This decision may leave a bad taste in the mouth of some Vikings’ fans as they remember the trainwreck that happened at quarterback a season ago. What should be remembered is that Cassel was the quarterback that gave Minnesota the best chance to win.
His numbers (1,807 yards, 11 TD, 9 INT in nine games) didn’t blow anybody away, but Cassel did lead the Vikings to 3-3 record in his six starts and looked like a suitable stop gap in the process. If general manager Rick Spielman thought otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought him back for 2014.
With Cassel looking like the starter for the upcoming season in May, the team still had to find their quarterback of the future in the NFL Draft. That’s where Spielman decided to trade up at the end of the first round and snatch Bridgewater in dramatic fashion. It’s also where the public love affair began.
Bridgewater attended Wild games, looked tremendous in OTAs and kissed random babies along the sidewalk (I made that last part up…but you get the point). When he started getting first-team reps at the beginning of training camp, the Teddy hype machine was out of control to the point where many thought he would be the first rookie quarterback to start Week 1 for the Vikings in franchise history.
But then Zimmer, a defensive-minded coach, decided to turn up the pressure. Bridgewater began throwing interceptions in practice and showed happy feet during preseason games. This happened with Cassel showing excellent command and execution of Norv Turner’s offense both on the practice field and during games.
Glazer saw things the same way.
https://twitter.com/JayGlazer/status/503900874805346305
The truth is that drafting a new “quarterback of the future” is like getting a baseball and a bat for Christmas. You want to use your new toy as soon as possible, but the conditions aren’t right for success and using it too soon could cause tons of damage (Besides, have you ever played baseball inside?)
Bridgewater’s time will come, but Cassel’s time is now. In a best case scenario, Cassel can keep the team afloat and Bridgewater can learn for a full season until taking over in 2015. If the brutal five-stretch to begin the season (With trips to St. Louis, New England and Green Bay and visits from Atlanta and New England mixed in) eats the veteran alive, we could see “Teddy Time” much sooner.
It’s an exercise in patience, but the results could be much greater than throwing the rookie straight into the fire.
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Chris Schad contributes to 105 The Ticket and has had his work featured on the Bleacher Report and Yahoo Contributor Network. He serves as the Vikings Lead Writerfor Pro Football Spot. Find him on Twitter @crishad. |