Teddy Bridgewater is out for the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the wheels will fall off Minnesota’s offense. No doubt it hurts; Bridgewater in the preseason look like a quarterback ready to take the next step up in the quarterbacking hierarchy. But purely for stats, there might not be much of a dropoff down to Shaun Hill.
Adrian Peterson, for starters, should be just fine. His stats actually probably will be better. The team probably will try to lean on him more. And Hill isn’t nearly as mobile as Bridgewater, so you’re less likely to see bootlegs at the goal line. I was expecting Bridgewater to probably run for a couple of a touchdowns; with Hill under center, he’s a pocket passer who prefers to stay away from the fray.
For the pass catchers (most notably Stephon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph) they were drop a few spots when the revised rankings come out tomorrow. But just a few spots. Diggs is definitely the No. 1 pass catcher in this offense, and he looks more knowledgeable and confident. As a rookie, he was just fighting for playing time, not even becoming a starter until a month into the season. Now he’s their primary options, and they’re drawing up plays to get him open. Rudolph doesn’t catch a ton of balls but is a featured part of their red zone offense. He makes more sense in a TD-only format (which is why the Lewiston Cattle Prods signed him to a $4 contract are our Player Selection Meeting on Monday night).
I have no interest in the other receivers. Laquon Treadwell doesn’t look like he’ll get on the field much as a rookie. Charles Johnson has nailed down that other starting spot, and I think he’ll be utilized primarily as a deep threat. He’s not going to catch nearly as many passes as Diggs, but they’ll try to use him as a knockout punch on vertical routes. As Treadwell gets more comfortable, he’ll probably spell Johnson for a few series per game, but he doesn’t have the jets to run those deep routes. He’s more of a Hakeem Nicks or Michael Irvin who wants to work the middle of the field with his big body.
Minnesota will use either Jarius Wright or Adam Thielen as its slot receiver. Wright has held this role in recent years, averaging about 500 yards per season. He missed half of August with a calf injury, and when he was down Thielen looked awfully comfortable in that spot. I’m wonder whether its time to make a switch at that spot. But definitely Wright or Thielen in the slot – they’re not using Treadwell there.
As for Shaun Hill, he’s a 36-year-old with physical limitations. No getting around that. But he’s been around the block and knows the game. He’s good at getting the ball out of his hands, so he won’t take a ton of sacks. He’s been steady enough in the preseason the last two years, completing 71 percent of his passes.
When Hill replaced Matthew Stafford for most of the 2010 season, the wheels didn’t fall off Detroit’s offense. Hill averaged 260 passing yards in the 10 games he started, with 16 TDs and 12 interceptions. Makes sense after 25 quarterbacks have been chosen. I would select him before Sam Bradford, Jay Cutler and Blaine Gabbert.
—Ian Allan