Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer: Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t have full grasp on offensive system

Teddy Bridgewater didn’t exactly have a great preseason debut with the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for 49 yards on 6-13 passing and finishing the August 8 contest vs. the Oakland Raiders with a 56.2 passer rating.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has attributed Bridgewater’s struggles against the Raiders and in practice to the rookie not having a complete understanding of Minnesota’s offensive system.

From Mark Craig of the Star Tribune:

"“He’s got so much going on in his mind right now that I just want him to play,” Zimmer said. “That’s what I told him [Wednesday], and that’s what I’m going to tell him before the ballgame. Just go play. You’ve been doing this since you were 5 years old. Go play and have some fun. Throw the ball in there. If you make a mistake, we’ll fix it and go on.”"

Bridgewater seems to agree with his coach, as the 21-year-old said he’s over-thinking things right now.

"“Basically, I have to stop overthinking,” he said. “I haven’t been pressing, but I have been overthinking.”"

It’s certainly understandable for there to be a learning curve for a rookie quarterback and there’s no reason that there should be any real concern about Bridgewater going forward.

With Matt Cassell the favorite to win the starting quarterback job, Bridgewater should have plenty of time to get comfortable with the Vikings system and eventually become a solid NFL player.

Bridgewater threw for 3,970 yards, 31 touchdowns and four interceptions in his final season at Louisville.

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