Sam Bradford vs. Teddy Bridgewater Pretty Cut and Dry?
By Erik Lambert
One of the more interesting quarterback battles on the horizon has to be Sam Bradford vs. Teddy Bridgewater with the Minnesota Vikings.
Everybody knows the situation by this point. Bridgewater was the unquestioned starter going into 2016 then suffered a horrific knee injury. One that could’ve resulted in amputation had the doctors not reacted swiftly enough. Nonetheless it led many to wonder if his NFL career would ever be the same. In the meantime GM Rick Spielman was forced into a difficult situaton. He had a team with a strong enough roster to compete for a Super Bowl but no quarterback.
So he did what he had to, trading a 1st round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for veteran Sam Bradford. In the end it wasn’t quite enough as the team finished 8-8. However, Bradford played well under difficult conditions. In 15 games he threw for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions while completing 71.6% of his passes.
This has led many to believe the starting job should belong to him now. Andy Benoit of the MMQB stands among them. He believes Bradford proved he’s superior to Bridgewater even before the knee injury.
No surprise at all that Bridgewater’s future with #Vikings so doubtful. Apparent almost immediately last yr that Bradford better.
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) June 8, 2017
#Vikings will have to get Bradford situated long-term. Easy call, Bradford over Bridgewater.
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) June 8, 2017
It’s a fair assessment. Bradford surpassed every notable category last season in terms of yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and fewer interceptions than Bridgewater did during his Pro Bowl run in 2015. Not being able to run the football at all was a big reason why the team wasn’t able to win more games. A luxury Bridgewater enjoyed during that year.
For the first time in years Bradford has a chance to actually settle into an offensive system. One that seems to fit what he likes to do. The Vikings have added more pieces around him. Sure Bridgewater is progressing in his rehab but enough to compete for the job in training camp and preseason? That seems unlikely. So at this point the only way he can get it back is if Bradford coughs it up.
Not an impossibility given his track record but at this stage there is no getting around it. This Vikings starting job is Bradford’s to lose.