In his third season, Teddy Bridgewater needs to be more daring

If Norv Turner had a sense of humor, his first play call Friday night would've been a bomb. Four wide receivers, all running go routes, see how far Teddy Bridgewater can fling the football.

You want deep ball? Here's your stinkin' deep ball.

Alas, we had to wait until the second series of the Vikings preseason opener to witness Bridgewater launch a pass that traveled 52 yards in the air for a 49-yard touchdown to Charles Johnson.

See, that wasn't so hard.

The evolution of Bridgewater's mind-set has become a sweeping narrative in a season earmarked by heightened expectations.

The Vikings say they're encouraging Bridgewater to be more aggressive as a passer. Take more chances. Cut it loose.

Bridgewater shares that opinion. His quest to improve on deep passes has been a nonstop talking point.

Reviews from training camp indicate a willingness by Bridgewater to back up talk with action. He's more decisive on throws. He's attempting — and completing — more deep balls. He's throwing passes into tighter coverages than previously witnessed, sometimes with mixed results.

The real test comes once the season starts and mistakes happen. How will everyone react then?

In a perfect world, Bridgewater's strengths — decisionmaking, minimizing mistakes, accuracy — would be unaffected by an increase in more difficult throws. That might not be realistic, though.

Once training wheels come off, wrecks are bound to happen.

I'm curious to see the level of patience exhibited if, say, Bridgewater's interceptions tick upward or his completion percentage drops as a result of him becoming more aggressive as a passer.

Will he continue to cut it loose, or become more tentative and play it safe? Where is that line? It's a balancing act, for sure.

"Teddy's biggest strength is that he's a really good decisionmaker," quarterbacks coach Scott Turner said. "I still want him to make good decisions. … [But] there are more plays to be made down the field, and that's the next step."

Bridgewater won't ever win a strongest-arm competition, but the Vikings aren't asking him to be something he's not. Bridgewater has enough zip to accomplish what the Vikings want to see from him — more confidence throwing intermediate routes into tight windows with an occasional deep pass sprinkled in.

Teddy 2.0 comes down to trust. Trust in Bridgewater to expand his game, make the passing game more robust and make the offense not so dependent on Adrian Peterson.

Bridgewater attempted only 447 passes last season, among the fewest for starting quarterbacks. The pendulum likely won't swing too far as long as Peterson is in the backfield and effective. Mike Zimmer has made it clear he's not deviating from his blueprint.

The small-ball passing approach, though, puts too much stress on the offense to be precise. Bridgewater attempted only 48 throws that traveled 20-plus yards downfield, which ranked 23rd in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. That's three per game. Not exactly Air Coryell.

The reasons have been discussed ad nauseam: abysmal line play; questionable arm strength; receivers didn't get separation; his sidearm mechanics affected throws.

That makes this season, his third as a starter, pivotal for Bridgewater in terms of his development. It's time to show growth.

The Vikings sound serious about their intent to incorporate more deep passes into the offense, but Bridgewater's bread-and-butter will always be short to intermediate throws.

He's had his most success on quick-hitting passes that are high percentage and allow him to find a rhythm. Rather than become fixated on deep throws, the goal should be for him to become more assertive in that intermediate range, 10 to 20 yards beyond the line, and more decisive in the pocket.

Bridgewater's average time before releasing the ball ranked among the slowest in the NFL last season. That can be a product of him either going through his progressions, or being tentative and unwilling to take a chance.

Too often Bridgewater settles for checkdowns, presumably hoping to avoid mistakes. Sixty percent of his passes last season traveled less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, according to PFF; 16.1 percent were thrown behind the line.

That's playing it way too safe.

Teddy 2.0 promises to be more aggressive in throwing the ball downfield. This is a necessary step in his evolution, one that should provide clarity for his true ceiling as a franchise quarterback.

Chip Scoggins chip.scoggins@startribune.com