David Tepper signals beginning of the end for Teddy Bridgewater
By Dean Jones
Did David Tepper pile more pressure on Teddy Bridgewater?
The pressure is obviously building on Teddy Bridgewater. The Carolina Panthers quarterback has steadily declined in production as the season’s gone on and it is going to be extremely interesting to see how the signal-caller responds over the last two games of the season.
What comes after that is up for debate.
And if David Tepper has his say, the Panthers will explore every possible avenue.
Carolina’s owner didn’t do anything to stop the speculation surrounding Bridgewater on a conference call with media after he took the decision to relieve general manager Marty Hurney of his duties.
This was another bold move from a man who’s wasted no time in making his presence felt since buying the team from Jerry Richardson and Tepper no doubt wants a competitive team by the time his ambitious plans away from the field come to fruition.
However, Tepper isn’t exactly confident in Bridgewater becoming a “Super Bowl” quarterback if his recent comments are any indication.
"“Unless you have that guy, for sure, that gets you to playoffs and Super Bowls, you have to keep reevaluating that. Because that’s the only thing that matters is Super Bowls.”"
Is this the beginning of the end for Teddy Bridgewater?
If Bridgewater needed any further motivation to prove himself over the next couple of games before competitive action concludes, then he certainly has it.
That being said, it was unlikely he was brought to Carolina with a Vince Lombardi Trophy in mind given his obvious limitations. So whether the decision-makers use their high-end 2021 NFL Draft selection on a college prospect who comes with this sort of upside is an option worth considering.
The pressure on Bridgewater was immense coming in.
Even if he is a hard man to root against.
How the Panthers and Hurney in particular handled the departure of Cam Newton ensured Bridgewater was on a hiding to nothing from the start. Even during their three-game winning run earlier this season – which now seems like a lifetime ago – those staunch loyalists of the 2015 NFL MVP were steadfast in their refusal to get on board with his replacement under center.
Judging by recent displays, they were right.
Bridgewater isn’t giving the Panthers any surprises in terms of his production. He is accurate with the football and doesn’t take much in the way of risks on the field. But the Panthers need a little bit more to fully utilize the outstanding weapons on offense at their disposal.
Cutting Bridgewater completely doesn’t make any financial sense next spring. So having the former Louisville standout on the roster seems guaranteed and will especially be the case if Joe Brady is unable to secure a head coaching job.
Tepper has laid down the gauntlet.
Now it is firmly up to Bridgewater to prove he is the man for the job.
This situation is close to being past the point of no return. Bridgewater will know more than anyone what’s at stake and Tepper didn’t accumulate his wealth by failing to act when things aren’t quite going his way.