Completion percentage and accuracy often go hand-in-hand for a quarterback, but they are different and calculated separately.
Teddy Bridgewater stated at the start of this season that he had a goal of completing 70 percent of his passes. Bridgewater's final tally in his second year was 65.3, which ranked ninth in the NFL and was up from his 64.4 rate as a rookie.
Drew Brees set the all-time completion rate at 71.2 in 2011, two years after he tied former Bengals QB Ken Anderson (70.6 in 1982). Hall of Famers Sammy Baugh (70.3 in 1945), Steve Young (70.3 in 1994) and Joe Montana (70.2 in 1989) are the only other players to hit higher than 70 percent of their passes in an NFL season, although Tony Romo (69.9 in 2014), Kirk Cousins (69.8 in 2015) and Philip Rivers (69.5 in 2013) have toed the line each of the past three seasons.
Matt Vensel of the ***Star Tribune*** noted that when analytics site Pro Football Focus reviewed the film and ruled out drops, purposeful throwaways and passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, Bridgewater's accuracy percentage was 79.3, ahead of Cousins, Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford and Tom Brady.
Vensel added context:
*You probably don't need me to tell you that he often targeted receivers on shorter throws, but here you go anyway: Of his 447 attempts that weren't throwaways or batted passes, 60.2 percent traveled less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, including 16.1 percent thrown behind the line. *
*
Bridgewater threw 16.8 percent of his passes in the 10-to-20-yard range, which surprisingly was his best depth range according to PFF's grading. *
*Bridgewater, meanwhile, attempted just 48 throws that went 20 or more yards downfield. That ranked 23rd among NFL quarterbacks, per PFF. *
Vensel noted that the Vikings asked Bridgewater to protect the football first and foremost.
Bridgewater attempted 45 more passes in 2015 than in his debut season but threw three fewer interceptions. The Vikings ranked fourth in rushing yards and boosted their time of possession from 28:43 in 2014 to 30:23 this past season, helping the defense rank fifth in points allowed.
Popular features
Tim Newcomb recently visited U.S. Bank Stadium for a feature on the venue that was published in ***Popular Mechanics***.
Newcomb honed in on the technology and engineering that will give the state-of-the-art venue one of the most unique qualities of any sporting venue: the outdoor feel for a building that can be completely enclosed.
Newcomb detailed the ETFE panels that cover about 60 percent of the roof and allowed in a significant amount of light during his visit on an overcast January day. The panels and the solid roof covering are designed to shed snow.
"We arrived on the ideal solution for this market, that indoor-outdoor experience," Vikings Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development Lester Bagley told Newcomb. "A stadium for all seasons."
More than just bringing the light in, ETFE also ensures the snow will stay out. The lightweight but strong material allowed designers to run a superspan that includes a single 989-foot-long single ridge truss the entire length of the field. It's set asymmetrically to allow for the sunnier south side of the building to use more ETFE than the north side. The roof that sits over the 1.75 million square foot stadium is one of the lightest stadium roofs in the world, despite its snow load requirements. The roof is so minimal that the Vikings can still do a flyover before the game. In an indoor venue.
Newcomb also noted the engineering behind five of the world's largest pivoting glass doors that can be opened on pleasant fall days. Click* ***here** for his full story.
Quick Hitter
College Football 24/7 writer Chase Goodbread's list of **seven prospects** gaining attention at the East-West Shrine Game includes former Minnesota Gophers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell.
