Whether he starts on the bench or under center for Week 1 of the 2014 NFL regular season, Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is going to be content.
Bridgewater, who was tabbed by many to be the most NFL-ready quarterback in last month’s draft, told reporters that he’s a team guy willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the team.
“It’s not tough at all because I have nothing but my best interest for the team,” Bridgewater said, as reported by the Star Tribune. “And I’m very excited about this team that we have here. …If I’m not the guy then I know the coaches have the best interest for the team also. My teammates also have the best interest for the team. So in order for me to be a better player, I have to have the best interest for the team and want nothing but the best interest for the team.”
At the very least, Bridgewater seems to be giving himself a chance to start Week 1.
ESPN reports that Bridgewater showcased his accuracy during the team’s first 11-on-11 drills of Thursday’s organized team activity practice.
The former University of Louisville star took one sack, but was otherwise a perfect 9-for-9 passing, including strikes to former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter and former Minnesotate State University, Mankato wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Bridgewater’s accuracy will be key, and he knows that open windows in the NFL are a lot smaller than they were in college.
“The biggest challenge is just anticipating throws. In college, open was 10 feet. Now in the NFL, open can be just a couple of inches. So just being more decisive, anticipating throws more and I feel like I’m doing a great job learning from Matt (Cassel) and Christian (Ponder). Also, (quarterbacks) coach (Scott) Turner has been teaching me to throw it on time, trust your feet and everything will happen.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio says the Vikings would be wise to take it slow with Bridgewater considering they’ve put former first-round picks Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman into the fire before they were ready. The results were disastrous.
