: Teddy Bridgewater
If the Vikings have a genuine competition at quarterbac...
If the Vikings have a genuine competition at quarterback, and not simply a rigged, confidence-building exercise for the preordained rookie, veteran Matt Cassel has claimed victory in the first live action against a defense that was allowed to actually touch the signal-caller.
The consensus is that Cassel outplayed Teddy Bridgewater, who was shaky and uneven in his first NFL game.
“I thought he did a great job,” coach Mike Zimmer told reporters after the game regarding Cassel. “He made a couple big throws I believe on third down. He played like a veteran, he had control in the huddle, the communication between Norv [Turner] and Scott [Turner] and him was very, very good. We will get Adrian back in there and I think that’ll help some.”
Cassel simply played like a veteran and probably gives the Vikings their best chance to win now. Bridgewater is the future, but it looks like he lost round 1 of the competition.
You can hear it in the way Greg Jennings talks about th...
You can hear it in the way Greg Jennings talks about the Minnesota Vikings offense under new coordinator Norv Turner. Jennings just seems a lot more comfortable in his second season in Minnesota than he did in his first.
"When you've gone through something and have experience at it, you gain more knowledge and have more understanding and you develop a comfort level," Jennings said. "That's what's taken place."
Jennings had to endure a revolving door of quarterbacks and a run-heavy system from Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave that contributed to his relative lack of production. Jennings had 68 catches and four touchdowns in 2013, but his 11.8 yards per catch was the lowest full-season average of his career and his 804 yards receiving were his lowest output in a full season since his rookie year. He may have another new QB in Teddy Bridgewater throwing him the ball this year, too. Jennings is ranked in the 40s on our WR list but he has a chance to bounce back a little this season. Cordarrelle Patterson could also draw a lot of attention away from Jennings. But he's still more of a late-round depth player for your fantasy team.
The Vikings have two interception-prone quarterbacks wi...
The Vikings have two interception-prone quarterbacks with two different viewpoints.
Matt Cassel, in line to be the starter, is following the lead of Alfred E. Neuman, the Mad magazine cover boy known for saying, "What, me worry?'' Cassel shrugged after throwing two interceptions Saturday night, giving him three in the past two days of practice.
"Not at all,'' Cassel said about whether he's concerned.
As for the other guy who has been throwing balls to guys wearing different-colored jerseys, he feels the opposite. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater has been picked off four times in the past three days of practice, the one he had Saturday being an ugly misfire to linebacker Chad Greenway in a goal-line drill.
"It's a huge concern,'' Bridgewater said. "Playing quarterback, you always want to take care of the football, and that's the way that you have success playing quarterback, and the guys believe in you when you're taking care of the football.''
Obviously Cassel is a veteran while Bridgewater is in his first NFL camp. Signs point to Cassel coming away with the job, but the Vikings indicated they really wanted Bridgewater to win the battle. If the Vikes struggle to put up victories at any point this season, we wouldn't be shocked to see Bridgewater. We think Bridgewater can put up low-end QB2 numbers this year, but his struggles early on could indicate he has a way to go...
After nearly one week of training camp, Greg Jennings' head is spinning a little less as he addressed the predictability factor that running back Adrian Peterson said hindered the Minnesota Vikings offense in the past.
"We were heavy, heavy, heavy run game," Jennings said. "Now we're going to take a lot more stress off Adrian. He's still going to get a heavy dosage of runs, but I think what Norv brings to the table is a more balanced offense."
When Jennings signed with the Vikings, the initial intention by the previous coaching staff was to use him as a flanker. However, he lined up in the slot 65 percent of the snaps last season, per PFF, and Turner wants to use Jennings in a similar fashion - but in a vastly different scheme.
During training camp practices, the Vikings appear to be using two split ends on the field more so than in previous schemes as Jerome Simpson and Cordarrelle Patterson line up on the outside, with Jennings and/or Jarius Wright on the inside.
Jennings dealt with some injuries in 2013 but he showed a nice rapport with Matt Cassel, averaging 5.9 catches for 70 yards and 0.57 TD with Cassel under center. Unfortunately Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman dragged the Vikings FP/Att into the bottom seven in the league. Assuming Cassel or promising rookie Teddy Bridgewater can offer better efficiency, Jennings should bounce back as most fantasy eyes are set squarely on Cordarrelle Patterson. For what it’s worth, Cassel’s FP/Att was 0.971, which was very close to the league average. Jennings is going in the 13th round even though he finished as the #39 WR in 2013.
Per Jay Glazer, Vikings QBs Teddy Bridgewater and veteran Matt Cassel are “pretty much splitting reps” at practice.
It doesn’t mean that Bridgewater will be the Week 1 starter. It does mean that, the longer the rep-spitting lasts, the less prepared the Week 1 starter will be, the story points out. But it certainly seems more encouraging for Bridgewater than Cassel at this point.
Nine-year veteran Greg Jennings is the leader of the Vikings WR corps, and had as good an offseason program as anyone. He catches every pass that comes close to him and is a bona fide, been there-done that leader in the meeting room.
Jennings dealt with some injuries in 2013 but he showed a nice rapport with Matt Cassel, averaging 5.9 catches for 70 yards and 0.57 TD with Cassel under center. Unfortunately Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman dragged the Vikings FP/Att into the bottom seven in the league. Assuming Cassel or promising rookie Teddy Bridgewater can offer better efficiency, Jennings should bounce back as most fantasy eyes are set squarely on Cordarrelle Patterson. For what it’s worth, Cassel’s FP/Att was 0.971, which was very close to the league average. Jennings is going in the 13th round even though he finished as the #39 WR in 2013.
Offensive coordinator Norv Turner believes the organization got a steal when QB Teddy Bridgewater slipped to the last pick in the first round.
"I think he probably should've gone in the first 10 picks," Turner said recently, via the team's official website. "He probably should've gone at least in the first half of the first round, and then we're sitting there with an opportunity to get him when we did, it was a bonus to me."
Teddy Bridgewater was impressive in his first work with the Vikings this spring, but unless he's clearly the best of the Vikings' quarterbacks in training camp, Matt Cassel figures to start the season as the quarterback. The Vikings re-signed Cassel so they wouldn't have to rush a young quarterback, and in the process, they created a situation in which they can afford to be patient with Bridgewater. If he's the best man for the job, it doesn't seem likely HC Mike Zimmer will wait to play him. But if he's not fully ready by the end of camp, there's nothing forcing the Vikings to play the rookie.
The Vikings have three candidates, in theory, for the quarterback job. New offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes his various options.
Some think veteran Matt Cassel, who signed a two-year, $10 million contract after voiding the final year of his prior contract, will be the Week One starter, especially since Turner wanted Cassel last year in Cleveland. Others think rookie Teddy Bridgewater is being groomed to take over sooner than later.
“I think that Matt Cassel has had an outstanding spring and is getting himself ready to really have a good year,” Turner said. “And we know Teddy’s been really, really impressive and a lot further along than I expected him to be.”
Turner thinks all three should get plenty of time in camp to show their stuff. Cassel may be the choice, but we like the fantasy potential of Bridgewater and think he has a chance to post decent numbers if given the opportunity. Low-to-mid QB2 is where we see him falling.
A year after the two signed with the Vikings, Matt Cassel and Greg Jennings have clicked. The two married fathers, on one of the league's youngest teams, have bonded off the field over shared experiences, and they've developed a trust on it that was born out of a mutual respect for the other's work habits. Jennings tallied 489 receiving yards and caught all four of his touchdown passes from Cassel, who started six games; had Cassel been starting the entire season, Jennings might have had a Pro Bowl year instead of an underwhelming start to his time in Minnesota.
It's possible Jennings will be working with Teddy Bridgewater instead of Cassel in the not-too-distant future; the receiver has spoken highly of Bridgewater's work so far, and Bridgewater will get a chance to win a competition for the starting job in training camp. But Cassel took many of the first-team snaps during the Vikings' mandatory minicamp, and once again, he and Jennings looked to be in sync.
"I told Matt today, 'Hey, look, (in) no-huddle, when in doubt, I got you,'" Jennings said. "He knew what he was thinking was very similar and in tune with what I was thinking."
Jennings dealt with some injuries in 2013 but he showed a nice rapport with Cassel, averaging 5.9 catches for 70 yards and 0.57 TD with Cassel under center. Unfortunately Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman dragged the Vikings FP/Att into the bottom seven in the league. Assuming Cassel or promising rookie Teddy Bridgewater can offer better efficiency, Jennings should bounce back as most fantasy eyes are set squarely on Cordarrelle Patterson. For what it’s worth, Cassel’s FP/Att was 0.971, which was very close to the league average. Jennings is going in the 13th round even though he finished as the #39 WR in 2013.
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