New Orleans Saints: Why Teddy Bridgewater can be successful

Former Pro Bowl quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is taking over for Drew Brees for at least six weeks and is good enough to lead the New Orleans Saints to some wins.

The worst thing that could possibly happen to the New Orleans Saints happened in Week 2 to the Los Angeles Rams. Drew Brees was injured and now the Saints are without their Hall of Fame quarterback for at least six weeks.

Brees tore a ligament in his throwing thumb, which required surgery. The initial timetable to return is six weeks, although it could definitely be longer as thumb injuries are very tricky, especially when you need to grip the football.

Some people have written the New Orleans Saints off completely, some have written them off at least until Brees returns. Teddy Bridgewater is taking over for Brees and was not that inspiring in Week 2 as the Saints were thoroughly beaten by the Rams.

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While that initial showing may not have been that impressive, Saint fans should not be losing sleep about their interim starting quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater can absolutely succeed in this offense, and everyone should know that by watching the team.

First and foremost, Bridgewater has the luxury of having one of the most dynamic running backs in the league alongside him. Having Alvin Kamara is going to force defenses to respect the run, which gives Bridgewater more wiggle room to make big plays.

Not only is Kamara an asset in that regard but he is also a massive threat in the passing game. A three-yard check down that any quarterback can make to Kamara can turn into a 50-yard touchdown.

Admittedly, the Saints do not have the best weapons in the receiving corps, but they do have weapons. Michael Thomas is one of the five best receivers in the league and is a vacuum for anything that comes his way. The throws do not have to be perfect for Thomas.

The Saints also have a speedy over-the-top guy in Tedd Ginn, who Bridgewater can look for down the field. Tight end Jared Cook has not done much thus far but was one of the best receiving tight ends in the league a year ago.

And not to take anything from Brees, but the Saints’ offensive game planning is genius. That game planning is still going to be there and there will be a lot of easy throws for Bridgewater. How many times do we see Brees hit wide open guys in these games?

Bridgewater is a former Pro Bowler. He might not even be close to Brees’ caliber but he can definitely make most of the throws that Brees makes. Brees does make some very difficult throws, but more times than not, the offensive schemes lead to a lot of separation.

The offensive line is one of the best in the league, despite how they played last week, and Bridgewater has a scrambling dynamic that even Brees does not have to extend plays.

As long as Bridgewater stays within himself and does not try to do too much then he should be an above-average quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

There is a reason why the Saints made Bridgewater the highest-paid backup in the league: they have faith in him. That faith will be showcased in Week 3 and onwards.