“He is going to have to get the ball out a little bit quicker.”
That’s a quote from Minnesota Vikings head coach about rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who despite filing a fairly impressive debut training camp, still has a long way to go.
According to the Pioneer Press, Zimmer says offensive coordinator Norv Turner demands that his quarterbacks can find an open receiver in quick fashion.
“Some of the periods, he is going to have to get the ball out a little bit quicker,” Zimmer said. “That has kind of been, with all of the quarterbacks, right from the get-go, that is one of the big things that Norv does. We have got to get the ball out, you have got to get back quicker, you have to get set up, you have to get the ball out.”
Bridgewater knows he needs to improve that part of his game. He said he’s making it a point to get rid of the ball faster and read his progressions faster.
During Saturday night’s scrimmage at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato, Bridgewater threw an interception in the red zone. Bridgewater noted that Chad Greenway, who made the interception, made a great play, but he wouldn’t have had to force the throw if he read his progression faster.
“Chad made a great play,” Bridgewater said, according to the Star Tribune. “Still, my primary progression wasn’t there. I should have gotten off of it. I saw Greg (Jennings) pop wide open and I thought I could squeeze it in there. But down in the red zone, if you have points, there’s no need to force throws.”
Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune put together a prediction of what the Vikings’ two-deep depth chart will look like when the season begins, and Bridgewater is the No. 2 quarterback behind Matt Cassel.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, however, told Vikings.com that Bridgewater “it’s just a matter of time” before Bridgewater is the starter.
Bridgewater will likely be the backup quarterback when the Vikings open the preseason schedule on Friday against the Oakland Raiders.
