You are the GM -- what do you do?
There are a lot of opinions out there in the QB situation comparing the relative merits of Bradford, Bridgewater and Keenum. but put yourself in Speilman's shoes -- what do you do? You could stay out of the fray, let Zimmer manage this, and deal with the consequences in the offseason. more likely you would want some say in the matter, given the potential long term effects on the franchise depending on how things play out. If i were Spielman, i'd insist that the team get a look at TB in game action this season. i would not want to be in a position in the offseason having to figure out whether to make a commitment to TB without some serious post-injury data points. You can make a strong case that Bradford now has sealed his iwn fate -- regardless of how brilliant he plays, are you really going to trust a guy going forward who will miss a half a season or more based on non-contact knee soreness in a twice operated knee? i dont think so. You can equally say that you know what you have in Case, and its likely not worthy of a franchise quarterback committment. that leaves the need to play TB in order figure out how to approach the offseason
Of course the complicating factor is that the Vikings appear playoff bound with a real shot at making some noise in the playoffs. the Super Bowl is not out of the question. Case is winning and if TB flops, the stakes are very high.
Even if he comes back, Sam is an immobile pocket QB in an offense that requires the QB to move. But he does one thing extraordinarily well: sling the rock, with power and accuracy.
He's a solid back-up QB on this team, and I hope they don't IR him. Given the importance of the position and the depth we have elsewhere, I'd be okay with carrying four QBs.
Sam's knee will only ever be so good. And the potential to have this same type of non-contact injury again is probably more likely than not. Makes it very difficult to commit to him long-term.
I'm a Teddy supporter but guys. Keenum is 6th in the league in QBR isn't he? Why the F would you mess with whats working? We're 6-2. Some of you are talking 13-3 seasons as your predictions. As Grandpa always said, "if it aint broke ddon't fix it"
@"AGRforever" said: I'm a Teddy supporter but guys. Keenum is 6th in the league in QBR isn't he? Why the F would you mess with whats working? We're 6-2. Some of you are talking 13-3 seasons as your predictions. As Grandpa always said, "if it aint broke ddon't fix it"
Exactly, Keenum might not be wowing everyone with his play, but he IS playing well overall and we are winning. Plus I don't remember Teddy ever completely blowing us away with his play either, and now he has to try to come back after 22 months of not playing in a real game. A bird in the hand...
@"purplefaithful" said: If i'm the GM I want Coach doing whatever he can to win this season. I really think the QB situation will straighten itself out through events that occur on the field.This.
@"SFVikingFan" said:@"AGRforever" said: I'm a Teddy supporter but guys. Keenum is 6th in the league in QBR isn't he? Why the F would you mess with whats working? We're 6-2. Some of you are talking 13-3 seasons as your predictions. As Grandpa always said, "if it aint broke ddon't fix it"
Exactly, Keenum might not be wowing everyone with his play, but he IS playing well overall and we are winning. Plus I don't remember Teddy ever completely blowing us away with his play either, and now he has to try to come back after 22 months of not playing in a real game. A bird in the hand...
Teddy didn't blow anyone away because he was a 2nd year QB in a run offense with no protection and few weapons. But I'm sure everyone, including Mike Zimmer, wants to see what that caliber of QB can do in this kind of offense. You're right: he hasn't played meaningful football in 22 months, and that might become clearly evident, in which case you put Keenum back in. Either way, we have to find that out this season.
6th in QBR with like 5 dropped interceptions the last 3 weeks. And he's starting to stare down Adam too much lately. Can't be sustained...
@"FSUVike" said: 6th in QBR with like 5 dropped interceptions the last 3 weeks. And he's starting to stare down Adam too much lately. Can't be sustained...I wonder if some people stumping for Case and quoting stats are out of market and dont get to watch the games, or if they are just so locked into a position that they cant see the issues that concern the non Case trumpet blowers. I can personally argue either way and am fully accepting whatever Zim and Shurm decide.
I thought that no matter who starts, that you should root for them...But apparently we just say I know this guy is gonna fail so we need to play this guy.
I think when healthy we got 3 good QB's and whatever one is playing I will be rooting for them.
I don't feel like we have enough information on this. Bradford looked great against New Orleans, then gets sidelined with a strange injury and did not look right at all against the Bears. Maybe we see him again later in the season, but it's not clear when or if he'll be back this season. Teddy looked like he was going to make a big jump before he got hurt last year. Mobility in the pocket was a big part of his game, often necessitated due to horrible OL play. Will he be able to move around well enough to protect himself and extend plays?
As for Keenum, he's been playing well enough to win, but I expect him to play around the same level with a potential drop off against better defenses. He has been able to stretch the field, though his accuracy has been erratic. However, as the line got banged up, his mobility has been huge. He's been evading pressure and extending plays with his legs, which has been a big part of why the line has given up so few sacks. I get the argument for continuing to start him or at least not rush Teddy or Bradford back too soon, but I also feel like there is going to come a point this season where we need more out of our QB than what Keenum can provide. Bradford has shown he can do it and Teddy was strongly trending that way before he got hurt. There is a risk with trying to change things up, but there's also a risk with sticking with Keenum and hoping that he can continue doing just enough. One wildcard for Keenum and really any of our QBs is that a healthy Diggs opens up the passing game a ton, so is that enough to push Keenum from acceptable to good enough to beat better teams?
I think the types of mistakes Keenum has are generally good ones. When he misses his target, rarely has the ball ended up somewhere where the defense can make a play on it. He understands coverages and throws the ball with a good grasp of how coverages work.
He can get confused by things. He can miss things. He can also play the pocket pretty good, avoid the rush and buy time to reevaluate and throw. He has extended a few drives with this ability, and he got deep down field PI calls on a couple too.
I think Bridgewater mainly needs play with command. In the Seattle game, there were a lot of plays where Teddy was a little late and couldnt time some throws, or he missed some guys. Teddy was GUMP when it mattered; he hit Rudolph for a huge gainer and got Walsh into position when it mattered...
Right now, we are moving the ball very well offensively. Our running game has sparked with the ball being tossed all over the place. Our protections are holding up. When they dont, Keenum can get out of there and burn them reading easy openings. It just works.
With Bridgewater, it was about finding our identity. A big part of Teddy evolving heading into 2016 was a belief that he could make downfield throws consistantly, that he'd make the easy reads and deliver. He looked great against San Diego at US Bank in the preseason. Teddy was about to unveil a whole new identity for this offense.
With Keenum, at 6-2 with no Dalvin Cook, it's been about these current starters busting their ass, digging deep and creating their own identity on the fly. It's hard for us to digest against prior expectations with Bradford throwing the ball, and the expecation for Keenum to resume backup duties in the near future. But this team with Keenum has carved out its own groove. Shurmur isnt exactly handcuffed as a playcaller; in fact, it seems like the playbook is pretty wide open.
When this was just a Bradford/Bridgewater thing, I always thought Bradford should play until he just isnt winning games anymore. Bradford can be a bit tricky statistically... but games like Vs. DET come to mind; or Vs. INDY. I thought if he dinks and dunks or takes no chances, consistently to a bad record up to the BYE, then you look at Teddy. Well, i kinda think Keenum has assumed that place. 6-2, everyone is playing at a high level. I dont think there is any hurry to make the switch.
6-3? 6-4? Ooooooohhhh noooooo! Were doomed!!
Teddy is getting a lot of valuable experience in practice now. I dont believe playing now makes him a better QB 3 weeks from now. Its hard to imagine him going out there and sustaining this odd momentium we have right now. I think theres going to be a slight curve when Teddy goes in. The oline has to adjust, the playcalling has to adjust. It could be 2 quarters, it could be 2 games.
It was too easy for the Vikes to switch from Bradford mid game BACK to Keenum; Bradford has all but dissapeared since. Once Teddy is activated, he's not going anywhere. If he "cant protect himself," there's no Bradford-esque gray area... it's a "benching." ... I really think its a tough expectation for Bridgewater to step right in and juggle our current success. Too many variables to potentially end up sitting back at the end of year thinking Teddy tanked a 6-2 team... when he's coming in rusty, off the injury, with technically a new offensive coordinator.
What is the identity of this team right now? Can Teddy step right in, or will some minor adaptions happen? With an expectation for Keenum to be awful, what is the rush? When we lose a game, don't adjustment generally need to be made? Couldnt a QB change quickly become a natural thing?
What is ultimately in the back of everyone's minds is that Keenum wasn't supposed to play like this. He isnt even capable of it. Pointing to his good performances isn't going to fly if he plays bad. It'll be, "damn, there it is." ... there is a fear that he will continue to play "well" because it means those expectations can only come to reality when the games matter the most. The more we win, the harder the switch will be to justify even more.
....
If I were the G.M, i'd take my "plan" and throw it in the garbage. Id start Keenum next week, hope Teddy gets some quality reps in and shows enough to justify the discussion, and revaluate after. If Keenum leads us to a win, moves the chains when it matters and takes care of the ball, id probably keep rolling with Keenum. If not, we have some great options. The season certainly wouldnt be over.
^ p.s. sent from mobile. FML who wants to read that wall-o-text?!? Lol, oops!
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