Teddy will need big brain to be above-average

Teddy Bridgewater measured at 6-feet, 2 ¼ inches at the NFL combine. He doesn't seem to be that tall when you watch him standing in an NFL pocket.

I kept thinking about this after a Sunday when the Vikings defense presented its offense with four turnovers, and yet the Purple managed only 16 points in a loss to Buffalo:

What does Bridgewater offer that will make him better than an average NFL starting quarterback?

He's not physically imposing. He isn't fast. He has a mediocre "fastball'' when it comes to arm strength.

My view is these are things that experience isn't going to change. So, I asked a football friend for enlightenment:

What am I missing? What can Bridgewater bring that is going to make him above-average among NFL starters?

This was the answer:

"The deep-out interception (vs. Buffalo) was hideous, but on the next drive, he threw a very well-placed seam route.

"His game is how calm he is, and how he can make a bad throw, and come back and make a good one. Some guys don't have that quick memory erase (Christian Ponder, obviously) and that's good for Bridgewater.

"The best part of his game is cerebral. The physical part of the NFL game is overwhelming that aspect for him right now.''

Summation: If Bridgewater is going to be an above-average starting quarterback a couple of years from now, he will have to get there with his head, not with a Carson Palmer frame or arm, or with Ryan Tannehill's athletic ability.

I mention those two guys because those are quarterbacks who fit in lower portion of the "average'' category. Entering this season, the infamous quarterback ratings of ESPN's Ron Jaworski had Arizona's Palmer at No. 20 and Miami's Ryan Tannehill at No. 23.

Tannehill was a receiver for more than half of his career at Texas A&M and had only 20 college starts. Amazingly, the Dolphins took him No. 8 overall in the 2012 draft, and then upped the amazement by starting him from the get-go as a rookie.

Tannehill has made 38 starts so far, and Sunday's victory over the Bears in Soldier Field was one of his best. This was a review from the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale:

"Ryan Tannehill was flawless early. The quarterback diced up Chicago's defense with an on-point quick passing scheme. Tannehill completed his first 14 passes and finished 25-of-32 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns (123.6 rating).

"The signal-caller also did it with his feet. The former college receiver ran for 48 yards on six carries -- including a big 30-yard keeper on a fourth-and-1 play. The biggest negative was Tannehill's tendency to take sacks when in field-goal range; he cost Miami points on a couple occasions.''

Miami coach Joe Philbin was threatening to bench Tannehill after the first three games of this season. Instead, the Dolphins went to a lower-risk, short-passing approach, and he's been good for 10 of the past 12 quarters.

Will Bridgewater be a better quarterback than the swift, 6-foot-4, 220-pound Tannehill by his third season, and thus be an above-average starting quarterback in the NFL?