Minnesota Vikings: Can Teddy Bridgewater Be Great?

Teddy Bridgewater is an improving quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, but does he have what it takes to be great?

2015 was a very good season for the Minnesota Vikings, as the return of Adrian Peterson with a very good defense helped them secure the NFC North. In 2015, the Vikings also saw the development of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who the franchise hopes will be their starting quarterback for years to come.

Bridgewater got a taste of being the starting quarterback in 2014, as he made 12 starts in his rookie season. Like many rookies, Bridgewater struggled at times, as he totaled a 6-6 record, 2,919 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. One of the real bright spots about Bridgewater’s rookie season was that he did complete 64.4 percent of his passes, which was a very encouraging sign.

Last season, Bridgewater improved in his second campaign. He increased his yards through the air, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage and most importantly decreased his interception total. The strong second season from Bridgewater has led to a lot of confidence in him from his running back.

“When I look in his eyes, I see greatness,” Peterson said to Ben Gossling of ESPN.com. “I see a young man who’s — even now, he’s matured more, and he wants to be great. He has that leadership, he has that leader inside him and it’s coming out even more. He just has a good spirit. He has a good soul, a good spirit. And when you combine that with talent, and the mindset that he has, greatness will come out.”

Jan 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Peterson praises Bridgewater on nearly ever aspect imaginable but putting the label of ‘great’ on Bridgewater might be a bit too soon. In his first two seasons, Bridgewater hasn’t been asked to throw for 5,000 yards, as the Vikings just need him to not make mistakes right now. While Bridgewater has done that job fine, being somewhat of a game-manager, that will make it hard to consider him a great quarterback. With Peterson getting older, the Vikings might ask more of Bridgewater entering his third season to try and avoid any sort of decline because of a heavy workload for Peterson.

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“Offensively, we have a lot of things we’ve got going on, a lot of weapons we brought in, a lot of new pieces we’ve added during the offseason,” Peterson said to Gossling. “It’s got to be more than just guys staying healthy; continuing to put in a lot of the work that I’ve seen those guys put in, and finally just getting it done.”

The Vikings are doing a nice job of surrounding Bridgewater with some talented weapons at both wide receiver and tight end to help him achieve greatness. Kyle Rudolph is another talented young player on offense for the Vikings that has already built a nice chemistry with Bridgewater since he became the starter.

In addition to Rudolph, the Vikings also drafted wide receiver Laquon Treadwell in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Treadwell has been impressive early on for the Vikings, and he might be a possible No.1 wide receiver for Bridgewater for years to come.

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With expectations of making some noise in the playoffs this season, Bridgewater will be attempting to make a big step forward in his third season. He has the confidence of Peterson to be a great quarterback, now let’s see if he can do it.

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