Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater got the opportunity to kickstart their careers as NFL quarterbacks in Week 3, and both showed positive signs and promise as each team's "quarterback of the future."
The question of when the two rookies would play has been answered.
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The question is different now: Are they ready to become the faces of NFL offenses?
Bortles shows off athleticism; still a work in progress
It was all too clear for the Jaguars' coaching staff down 30-0 at halftime — it was Bortles time. Replacing Chad Henne who, despite his very poor pass protection was far too inadequate as a passer through two-and-a-half games, Bortles entered with low expectations and the coaches focused on simply getting his feet wet.
But Bortles immediately gave fans and coaches something to get excited about. Touted as a mobile, physical quarterback who drew comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger, Bortles showcased his mobility on two occasions when his protection failed. The first of two plays below show Bortles stepping up in the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield (though it seemed he was never set to pass) and picking up a nice chunk of yards. In the second, Bortles rolls left on a bootleg, sees the play is broken and reverses to find a receiver on the opposite side of the field.
Later in the game, once he felt more confident in the pocket, he began to get the ball out quicker and use his eyes with more impact on defenders. You can see in the play below, which fellow rookie Allen Hurns broke for a touchdown, that Bortles recognizes man coverage initially, looks left to move the linebacker, and delivers a strike to Hurns on a skinny post.
Two concerns with Bortles coming out of college were his mechanics and timing with receivers. Both still proved to be glaring issues in his first NFL game, with his release still being elongated for quick routes and stiff (and without lower body movement) for sideline throws.
As for timing, it improved as the game went on, but only on pre-determined routes. It will continue to be a concern until he’s confident in his release, his receivers and himself. Both of his interceptions came without pressure, and he garnered a -3.3 rating without pressure from Pro Football Focus.
Bortles performed better than I — and likely most who scouted him closely in college — anticipated. He’s now the starter, and while he hasn’t given the Jaguars a win yet, Bortles has already given them something they lacked since the first half of the Eagles game in Week 1 — hope.
Bridgewater proves NFL readiness
A Matt Cassel injury in the second quarter against the Saints changed the Vikings' quarterback plan ... maybe for a very long time.
Vikings fans got the chance to see their first-round quarterback get his opportunity to shine in Norv Turner's offense, and while he didn’t put a touchdown on the board, he showcased why he was considered NFL-ready out of college.
While he didn’t beat teams as a runner at Louisville, Bridgewater had a knack for taking easy rushing yards that defenses gave up. He capitalized on both in his first start.
What really impressed was Bridgewater’s quickness and football/body positioning on the move as a passer. As he did so well in college, in the play below Bridgewater rolls to his right, utilizes ideal footwork and delivers a strike for a first down.
Bridgewater did rush more than a few in-the-pocket throws early, especially short ones that should have been easy competitions.
But as the game went on he began to slow it down, progress more naturally and finish throws outside of the initial, pre-snap read. In the play below, you see Bridgewater look left initially for his first read, adjust in the pocket, check his running back safety valve, then a fire strike to his third read.
With much doubt surrounding star running back Adrian Peterson's future with the team, it’s only fitting that the Vikings have a chance to see if Bridgewater can emerge as the new face of the franchise.
But for now, they’ll focus on having Teddy ready for his first NFL start in Week 4 against the Falcons.
Eric Galko is the owner and director of scouting at Optimum Scouting and OptimumScouting.com, as well as a Sporting News contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @OptimumScouting