Actually I think it was perfect. Maybe would have loved to see him get a few more reps, but an INT and a drop meant we didn't sustain the drive.
The INT was partially on Teddy. You could tell he was amped up and when he had to come to the check down, he threw high and too hard. The second was just a drop by a backup WR.
But still, I say perfect for a couple of reasons. One, Teddy got in the game we were winning. For all the right reasons, we got to see him. The crowd gave him the ovation and Case was leading it. Can't get any better than that.
Second, and a big second, he got some playing time but in the minds of the casual fan (or those with an agenda) he sucked, so there won't be any Teddy chants if Case struggles. I still think TB is our future, but this should quiet the uniformed and it is now "Case's team" for this year.
I say that as a big Teddy supporter, but this team has something going and we don't need the stupid constant questions from the press, or Teddy chants, or any lingering doubts on offense.
No one has mentioned the fact that- when Teddy got in- most of the players around him were backups (including some on the OL). And yet, someone wants to use that kind of an appearance to make a judgment about him. Unbelievable.
Quote: @CFIAvike said:
All I know is when Teddy entered the game, my 11 year old was in LITERAL tears as his favorite player made his way back to the field after not knowing if he'd ever even walk correctly again. Say what you will about Teddy, but taking the field had a real impact with the team and fan base. Case is unquestionably the starter, but make no mistake...Teddy is LOVED by the fans.
Only thing that rivaled that was taking him to his first NFL game.
This right here shows how much love fans have for Teddy. Thank you for sharing that. And it shows the impact a football player can have beyond football. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to burst out of my chest when he came onto the field. And the Teddy chants were so loud, I swear I could feel them. I think it was an important moment for the fan base as well.
And that bullshit about not having the "IT" factor is exactly that, straight up bs. He worked his ass off for yesterday. He has the "IT" factor. And yeah I am emotional when it comes to Teddy and I don't fucking care. He is a good guy and I wish him all the best wherever that may be. Coach Zimmer gets choked up about Teddy for a reason. He loves him too. But I love Case as well. That was complete and utter class for him to lead the Teddy chants and clap for him. This moment was emotional for the team. After the game, Teddy was clearly moved by the support when he talked about Case. They are united as a team. It's a pretty special time for them and the fans.
Ive watched a lot of football over the years and you come to realize a few things.
Every QB is a product of his surroundings. The coaches, the scheme, the playcalling, the adjustments, the O line, and of course the recievers. A talented guy may overcome a few of these and still play well. Guys like Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Marino and Favre would probably do well no matter where they played. They would influence enough change to fit their game, which combined with their extreme talents they would be probably be HoF guys no matter what.
I think Case, and perhaps guys like Tarkenton and Montana benefit from landing in the right place at the right time where most of these factors fit their abilities and they excel. Losing Shumer would hurt Case as much as Tarkenton losing Burnsie or if Montana had lost Seifert. Losing Diggs and Thielen would hurt Case’s performance as much as Montana losing Rice.
I am not sure how the current surroundings would fit Teddy but right now it surely fits Case. Im happy to roll with it.
Added: I suppose some might think this is saying something negative about Teddy. It isnt meant to be. I am a big Teddy fan. I was moved to see him take the field. I shouldnt have been surprised at how his style of play, his stronger arm and flatter throws and lack of touch seemed out of place. Im sure given a few more drives he would start fitting in.
Right now we know things fit Case well and we shouldnt worry about changing them up.
Also, having things changed to fit QB isnt a negative thing. Its what successful teams do. Now and then they make the right changed and it clicks. The Vikes are lucky all the pieces seem to be clicking together.
I would not have said this before Thanksgiving, but I think it's a distinct possibility that Case Keenum can be a long-term starter in the right system. But I also think that in 2 or 3 years, the most likely outcome is Teddy becoming a top-level starter in the league and all of us fondly remembering Keenum's cinderella season and then wondering what happened to him.
I don't think most people were looking at Teddy's performance yesterday. It was more about getting closure with his injury. 20 months of hard work and he finally got back in the game.
Fans and players were a class act cheering him when he stepped out on the field. And Teddy deserved it!!
Hope he has a long career.
I really don't know what the future holds obviously and I don't think anything can be determined by what Teddy did yesterday. One thing I feel strongly about though is the fact that Case statistically has had a better season than Teddy ever had as QB.
Not saying Teddy couldn't do as good with this surrounding cast, just saying I've haven't seen it. I don't think Teddy's nearly as elusive and also don't think he's as accurate throwing downfield.
Be interesting to see what the Vikes do this off-season.
Quote: @FSUVike said:
And yet a very detailed article was posted on here a week or two ago that showed specific plays where he locked on to WRs as soon as the ball was snapped, didn't go through progressions, missed wide open guys, and can't make all the throws.
And yesterday he clearly threw about the tenth pass of the season that hit a defender and wasn't intercepted. The horseshoe is still alive and kicking, but he can't make that throw in the playoffs.
On the flip side, he's made improvement on going through his reads. That look off on the Safety before he hit Diggs with a rope for a TD was next level stuff.
But again he passed on multiple chances to take what the Defense was giving him via checkdowns in favor of holding the ball forever to make the Hero Play, which you don't want from a guy without a canon for an arm. And those plays are starting to turn into more sacks as the Line gets more and more dinged up.
It's an incredibly tricky situation. Case has some limitations that can't be fixed, but also some that can. And he's clearly shown improvement in those areas, just not consistently.
Then you have Teddy, who is more of a progresion-reading, take what the Defense gives me type of guy that may never play at a high level again but we won't know as you can't possibly sit Case for a game to find out and risk him losing his momentum.
Finally you have the Shurmer situation. In my mind the best question should be "which QB has the best chance to succeed with a new OC next year". Cuz Pat's as good as gone. And that's a question I don't have an answer to.
"He passed on multiple chances to take what the defense was giving him in favor of making the hero play." Dude, he completed 20 out of 23 passes (87%) and at least one of those was dropped (Thielen behind the line of scrimmage). He just set the mark for best completion percentage in an NFL game this season and is sitting at 68% for the season.
You know what I got really sick of seeing these past 7 or so years? Checkdowns, constantly throwing short of the first down marker, and being afraid to take any chances throwing the ball down the field. Case has been a breath of fresh air IMO.
The thing that always gets to me in these debates is the use of perception as fact. I like Keenum and am glad he's on the team, but there are those few that perceive whatever they want just to knock another player also on the team.
Such as Bridgewater was actually more accurate on throws of 21+ yards (11/42) than Keenum (11/43) in roughly the same amount of attempts. Yet Keenum's deep throws are pointed out as better.
I am all for a good respectable debate especially with opposing view points, but what will any debate accomplish if using perception that goes against fact?
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
I would not have said this before Thanksgiving, but I think it's a distinct possibility that Case Keenum can be a long-term starter in the right system. But I also think that in 2 or 3 years, the most likely outcome is Teddy becoming a top-level starter in the league and all of us fondly remembering Keenum's cinderella season and then wondering what happened to him.
This is where I'm at too. I think Bridgewater could be a top QB for many teams and many situations. He just has too much drive and hustle to not be successful. I like Keenum as a starter, but I think he'll need more support around him. He's a much better player now than he was the first half of the year and that's great, but this team is stacked and has been relatively injury-free (knock on wood). Can he duplicate the effort if Thielen or Reiff goes down for an extended time? I just hope that we can retain as much of this offense as possible for the next couple years, rather than this being the year we caught lightning in a bottle on offense.
|
