How far could Teddy Bridgewater slip?

There is not any context in which we'd be better off with Geno rather than Teddy. Regardless of what other "elite" player is available at 18.

It's not about winning the SB next year-the Jets are not one year away and neither guy is going to change that-nor is whomever the "elite" player otherwise available at the 18. (Btw, because something has never happened before does not mean that it never will. No freshman had ever won the Heisman before until one did. And did again.)

It's about getting an ELITE QB finally to make us a consistent winner and contender every year for the succeeding 10-12 years. Geno has some talent but he doesn't have a high football IQ which will ultimately be the reason he doesn't become an elite guy. Teddy is a superior talent in every physical respect but most importantly has that football IQ to get him to that elite level.

All opinion of course and who knows how good he'll be, but Teddy and 11 draft picks is geometrically better than Geno with 12 including that "elite " player at the 18.

Oh, who might also be a bust.

_

 

But Teddy, at the position which is most susceptible to busting, is immune from bust potential?

 

Absolutely he has bust potential. I think almost everyone ever drafted had that possibility.

I don't care about the downside-not with the rookie salary cap- I'm more interested in the upside-the ceiling-the chance at finally getting an elite QB. I finally want an Aaron Rogers or the like. Not saying that Teddy is, but I don't think Geno will ever be that.

So that leaves you with a choice, do you build around a limited player in the hopes that your defense becomes dominant over a 10 year period and you hide your QBs deficiencies or do you get a guy who could be elite and HE'S the reason you become dominant for 10 years.

Look, we're not getting Teddy because he's not falling to 18, it's just fun to listen to all the crap thrown out there by posters who have never seen him play in full games and look for talking head articles pointing out a blemish here or there (which every QB has) because they don't want to draft a QB any QB this year. Because they are enamored of Geno. Seriously, guys here are comparing him to Brady Quinn. It's comical.

_

 

Btw, this is all just opinion but it's opinion based upon watching about 2 dozen of Teddy's full games and probably that many of Geno's- and a few of them live.

Don't read the articles or listens to the talking heads or the Internet fake scouts- watch him play real games, full games. Not just one or two or a bowl game here or there. Watch them all.

_

 

Don't insult me and try to cast doubt on my reasoning because you have nothing. Don't say that I didn't take the overall context into account or that my opinion is simplistic just because you don't agree with it. Just because you can't see how it would work, doesn't mean it wouldn't.

The bolded part is strictly your opinion. If Geno turn out not to be the answer at QB and Teddy falls to the Jets, and they take him, it would be a great thing regardless of how great Evans and Lee turn out to be in the NFL. The QB is the most important player on any team, period. The most successful teams long term, and who are real contenders for the Lombardi Trophy (not faux contenders like the Jets have been), have elite, franchise level QBs. It's not often that a team has an opportunity to take a potential franchise QB without having to trade up and give up a king's ransom to draft him.

If Bridgewater falls into their laps, they have to take him, it's that simple. You just don't pass up on prime QB talent. Stop and think for minute. For argument's sake, let's say the Jets passed up on Teddy for Evans, then it became glaringly apparent that Geno isn't the answer at QB. It won't matter how good Evans is then if the Jets don't have an elite QB throwing the ball to him, and chances are that Evan's contributions won't be that special, and he might not even fully develop. That's considering the fact that Evans will turn out to be a topflight NFL WR. What if he busts or turns out to be just meh, and the Jets passed up on Teddy for Evans? Compound that by what if Teddy goes on to have a HOF career and wins a couple of SBs in the process? How stupid would Idzik and the Jets look?

Yes, it would be tough to lose out on Evans or Lee, but if the Jets have signed Maclin or Decker and still get Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry or Davante Adams in the 2nd and Fiedorowicz in the 3rd that will be plenty good and they won't miss Evans that much, and they can always take another WR or two in the draft next year. The same thing can't be said for being able to draft a potential franchise QB. A great QB can make even average WRs look very good if not great, but great WRs cannot make average QBs look great.

Even if Geno develops into a very good QB, it would still be a great thing to have Teddy. They have some insurance for a few years in case one of them gets hurt, they have a quality player to come in, and the season isn't screwed because the Jets lost their starting QB. Eventually a QB controversy would probably arise, but Montana and Young co-existed on the Niners for several years. Then the Jets could trade the lesser of the two and probably get a couple of high draft picks, plus maybe some more to boot, and maybe even a #1 and #2 or two #1s if the player they trade has proven to be that good.

There are a lot fewer great QBs in the NFL than there are great WRs. A LOT of teams are looking for QBs, not that many are looking for WRs. It's a lot easier to find quality WRs than it is a quality QB.

You act like if the Jets don't get a WR in the first round this year the world will come to an end or life as we know it will cease to exist. Come in off the ledge. The Jets probably aren't going to be able to address all their needs this year any way, even with 12 draft picks and a lot of cap space. Getting their QB is THE most important thing, bar none. Every single GM, HC and NFL employee would tell you that. Just because they don't get a "stud" WR in the first round doesn't mean their playmakers will suck. That's just a wild, irrational stretch. There are some WRs in FA that could help this team, and there are a TON of excellent WR prospects in this draft. Beckham, Jarvis, Robinson, Adams, Matthews, Cooks or even some of the lower round WRs (Parker, Huff, Herron, and others) could wind up being better receivers in the NFL than Evans or Lee. The Jets could get Teddy at #18, then get your choice of the WRs above in the 2nd round, and then get another excellent WR prospect in the 3rd or 4th round, plus get a TE who while maybe not as good as Ebron or Amaro, could be a big surprise and be plenty good enough. There are some pretty good TEs in this draft who are flying under the radar. They aren't great athletic specimens who will create instant mismatches, but they don't have to be. They're good 2-way TEs who can both catch and block and would serve the purpose of being a safety valve, picking up key first downs and keeping the chains moving. Guys like Fiedorowicz, Jensen, Pedersen and Crockett could have very good and productive NFL careers.

I'm calling BS on the second part of your response that I've bolded. Don't throw out generalities. Name those specific contexts and give your rationale as for how and why they will be so bad. You're better than this, guy. I don't think you can, because I think you're flat out wrong, but prove me wrong...show us all those contexts and scenarios that would be so awful and disastrous if the Jets took Teddy at #18 instead of Ebron, Evans or Lee. I'm sorry, but I think that your thinking on this issue is waaaaaaaaay off base. The only way it would hurt the team is if Teddy turns out to be a bust or no better than Geno, and that's VERY unlikely. Any other scenario, with two excellent QBs or one excellent QB (Teddy) and another pretty good QB (Geno) is good, if not great, for the Jets.

Securing a quality QB is THE most important thing for a team. While I'm still high on Geno's potential, it is still far from a certain thing that he will develop. Until they are certain they have the right guy, they have to keep looking. Teddy is the only QB I'd take in the first round, and perhaps Carr is the only other QB I'd take before the mid-3rd round or 4th round. Garoppolo is probably the only other QB I'd take at that point. So I'm not saying they should trade up for Teddy, I'm not saying they should reach for a QB in the 1st or 2nd round, I'm not even saying that they should definitely grab a QB high. It all depends on how confident they are in Geno, and/or how great their doubts are about him, and how much they like the QBs in this draft.

Finally, the Packers took Rodgers when they had Favre. How did that work out?

It's all a moot point, because Teddy isn't gonna fall to the Jets.

 

Stop with your lies that we haven't seen Teddy play! Obviously, we just see him differently. We can agree to disagree. Leave it at that. I haven't impugned your dignity or insulted you or said that you haven't seen him play or said that you don't know what you're talking about, but you've thrown several of those types of comments around. Enough.

Yes, he has things to work on, but nothing as major as Geno did, and he has fewer things that he has to work on than Geno did. I see nothing that is unfixable, or that is so bad that if not fixed, he's likely to bust. Nothing. Could he still bust? Yes, but imo it's not very bloody likely. So could Evans or Lee or whomever else you might want the Jets to take instead of Teddy at #18. I'd rather miss on a potential franchise QB than miss on a WR or TE.

 

Great post but you are wasting your breath on someone who (i) does not want to draft a QB under any circumstance this year-even Johhny Unitas would be crapped on by this poster, (ii) hasn't watched more than a few of Teddy's games and has focused on the very few plays that might be not up to snuff, (iii) is a veiled Geno apologist and wants no competition facing him next year, (iv) reads or hears unflattering sound bites about him and embellishes them here to augment the criticisms, (v) has crapped on literally every QB coming out this year and even QBs that decided to stay in school, (vi) has concocted every implausible scenario as to why all of theses guys will fail and why any GM taking them will be fired within the next two years and (vii) even hinting that somehow someone is employing obfuscation to pump up these unworthy dregs to first round status for reasons unexplained. Better to take an "elite" WR at the 18 because that will set up this franchise for a decade.

I get it. You can dislike this QB or that QB, Johhny is too small or too hyped, Fales has a weak arm, McCarron is a game manager, Carr folds under pressure, Boyd is inaccurate, Mettnberger was only good for one year, Bortles is an unknown, Logan Thomas is an oaf, Murray is hurt and not that good, Teddy Bridgewater is a-LOL- a Brady Quinn clone.

But to hate ALL of them?

It's disingenuous, it's unintelligent and it's embarrassing. Don't waste the effort with such a well thought out, reasoned response to such an unwarranted attack.

It is, quite frankly, beneath you. And all of us.

_

 

All of you who don't think Teddy is a great QB prospect, check out this site:

http://rotobahn.com/scouting-report-teddy-bridgewater-qb-louisville/

Scouting Report: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

Welcome to Rotobahn 2014!
By: Pete Davidson : January 30, 2014 2:00pm

There were two players that I had in mind for this year’s first scouting report, and, in the end, I flipped a coin to decide. That’s how much we like the top two quarterbacks on our board. It’s a far cry from last year’s mediocre class. We’ll be back in a few days with another scouting report that will be very positive and you’ll find out who lost the flip. If you know Rotobahn and the way we think, you can probably guess.

Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater is one of the most exciting players we have ever scouted since we decided to start Rotobahn back in 2010. He is very close to the total package as far as quarterbacks go. I’m sure we’ll hear some things from critics over the next few months, because, let’s face it, criticism will get far more attention than praise this time of year, especially when it comes to players with Bridgewater’s high profile.

In fact, there was an article just a few days back that claimed several teams have less than a first round grade on him. We disagree in a big way.

Here are a few of the other, more specific criticisms we’ve heard so far.

Size - He’s not as big as some of the classic quarterbacks like Roethlisberger, Newton, Luck and Peyton Manning. Manning, for example, is 6’5” and weighs 230 pounds. There are now rumors that Teddy may be as small as 6’1”. My eyes say that he’s at least an inch taller than that if not more, but we’ll see how big he is for sure in a few weeks at the Combine. And, even if he ends up in the small end of the speculated range, we’re still high on him.

Running ability - I’d say this is a bogus claim, but I’ve already heard a few people say that he can’t run like (insert name of one of the so-called read-option quarterbacks.) In truth, Bridgewater has plus mobility for sure and it’s crazy to think that he’s in any way deficient in this area.

He holds the ball too long - My first instinct on this one was to just say, in the words of Sherman Potter, mule fritters. What we see on film, indeed, is a player that will hold the ball some, but in the appropriate way. When he doesn’t feel pressure, he exhibits proper patience, keeps his eyes downfield and makes a whole lot of good throws.

When it comes to Teddy Bridgewater, we have few concerns outside of durability and we’d say that with almost any rookie passer. Durability is a trait that has to be proven for all quarterbacks at the next level, because the pocket in the NFL is a war zone.

Bridgewater does it all. He’s a plus prospect in every single on-field category, and, by most accounts, he’s a good kid off the field too. Here’s a breakdown of some of his key positive traits as we see them.

Arm - He has more than enough arm. That much is clear, but there are more positives than mere arm strength. He exhibits great touch in the short and intermediate passing game and combines that touch with good feel and accuracy. The only exception would be on the deep ball, where he can still get better, and we suspect that he will. We really love the way this kid throws the ball. His release is outstanding and he’ll vary it based on the situation. When he needs to, he can do a lot with just a quick flick of the wrist.

Eyes - For those who’ve been reading Rotobahn throughout the years, you know how big we are on vision. Bridgewater sees the field well and he reacts to pressure very well, so he’s got the peripheral vision you look for too. This kid has some Tom Brady in him in this regard and he’ll only be 21 when his rookie season begins.

Focus and discipline - Bridgewater has been well coached, because his on-field instincts are far better than we are used to seeing from college juniors. Teddy always keeps his head in the play and if he ever panics, we haven’t seen it. He trusts the play and keeps his eyes downfield as well as any college quarterback we’ve scouted since Andrew Luck. His throwing mechanics are consistent, which is impressive for a kid with a long arm. His commitment to correct arm position is reminiscent of both Dan Marino and Peyton Manning. Bridgewater is a classic quarterback and a coach’s dream based on what we’ve seen.

Movement - We’ll put Bridgewater’s agility up against most any quarterback out there with caveats for RGIII, Cam Newton and Michael Vick. The thing about Teddy is that he uses his athleticism in a very efficient manner. He uses his strength and quickness to buy time for his receivers and for himself--keeping his focus downfield. He shakes off contact in the pocket very well and holds his base better than most quarterbacks we’ve seen. He’s selective about running, but he’s plenty effective once he pulls the ball down. It’s also worth noting that his footwork in the ground game is very good, especially for such a young player.

Ball skills - You want play-action and the run to have identical looks. Teddy does this very well for a young quarterback and that indicates he could have a lot of success with a run-based offense. This is a quarterback that will make a lot of big plays no matter what style of offense he ends up being drafted into.

Competitiveness - We haven’t seen any negatives here. He remains fundamentally sound even when his team can’t overpower their opponent, which should help him at the next level and as a rookie. He’s a tough kid and he puts in the work, which leads to confidence on game day and in the huddle. We see the signs of leadership that you look for in a quarterback.

Before I leave you with some footage, I’ll touch on a few key points for fantasy and for playing at the next level. For Bridgewater, this is key, because he projects as primarily a pocket passer albeit an very athletic and diverse one. It’s important that he is able to make the stick throws at the next level and process the game at NFL speed. While there are never any guarantees when it comes to making the jump, we see no red flags and a whole lot of positives. This kid has already shown, over and over, that he can and will put the ball into small windows, and he’ll do it on time without hesitation. He trusts what he sees and he trusts his arm.

In our view, Bridgewater is less of a projection than most. He makes “NFL plays” on film ... lots of them. Check some of them out right here....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z3XRVqI92xc#t=0


It’s all there, even for a marginally trained pair of eyes. Now for the one big qualification ... location. While we have few doubts that this player will succeed, his fantasy success, especially in the near term, will have plenty to do with where he lands.

Obviously, if he ends up in either Houston or Cleveland, he could be a QB1 right out of the box, because of Josh Gordon in Cleveland and because of Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins in Houston.

Once he has a home, we’ll assess Teddy’s good fortune or lack thereof in our post-draft Dynasty Rankings and in our pre-season Rookie Reports. Get ready to draft this kid in all long term formats and in most redraft leagues as well.

This scouting report will be updated after the Combine.

 

Rule number 1. Draft a QB in a solid QB class.

Rule number 2. Don't draft a QB in a mediocre class.

_

 

This is all moot because Bridgewater isn't going to fall to 18, I'd bet my house on it. Second of all he's the only QB that in our situation would be worth taking at 18, especially in a deep QB class where solid possible franchise players are going to be available in later rounds. I think the F.O is crazy if they don't take a shot at one of the QBs after the 1st (and after the 2nd IMO) because we can't say we have the answer right now.

 

I don't get the Bortles thing. I mean, maybe he's REALLY REALLY talented but to come from literally out of nowhere to looking like a number 1 pick is insane. This guy must have the most potential EVER to have gone from off the radar UCF to the first pick in the freaking NFL draft. Are GMs or FOs really looking at this guy and thinking he has all the tools to eventually be a star?

I like this class, but this one is weird. Don't get it.

_

 

Why would it be a mistake for a team that needs a WR to take Watkins?

 

I agree wholeheartedly. I can somewhat understand Manziel because of his Texas roots, the fact that he probably would be a popular pick with the fans, and his playmaking ability and potential, but Bortles is just plain nuts imo.

If Houston were to take Manziel, they'd better spend their next 4-5 picks upgrading their OL; otherwise Manziel will never live to reach his potential.

 

But more than that, you can point to anyone of these guys and say with a straight face they're a top pick or a legit pick or worthy of a certain draft status, be it 1st or 4th.

Some people hate each one of these guys for one reason or another which is totally fine--none of us are real experts-- but: Manziel is a dynamic Heisman winner with incredible playmaking skills that has been in the national eye for a couple of years; Teddy has been a top top top prospect in the national eye for a couple of years; Carr has the NFL bloodlines and has been a top passer in the national eye for a couple of years; Mettenberger burst onto the scene this year and before getting hurt was becoming talked about nationally all year; Boyd came into the year highly regarded and had a very productive final year and was in the national eye for a couple of years; AJ McCarron has been a top player on a national title winning team for 2 years running and just missed the chance at another by one incredible play. Say what you want about any of thoses guys good or bad--they've been out in front of our eyes for a while.

Who exactly is Blake Bortles? How did he vault from obscurity to potentially being the number 1 pick? How did he get there? What GM or GMs got together and started talking about him and decided he's got the tools to go number 1. Or top 5?

It's weird.

_

 

I have to think the Bortles thing is a smokescreen. I know NFL GMs are somewhat known for making really dumb decisions, but I can't imagine any of them being so stupid as to take Bortles #1 in the entire draft. I have a hard enough time seeing him as a 1st round pick.