3 reasons Teddy Bridgewater’s sour grapes tour needs to end

Teddy Bridgewater didn’t play well. Period.

Teddy Bridgewater can moan about lack of red zone or two-minute practices all he likes. But the simple fact of the matter is the quarterback didn’t play well enough to warrant a longer-term stay as the undisputed starter for the Carolina Panthers.

Few would deny Bridgewater deserved another crack at being a No. 1. His ability to come back from a training camp injury with the Minnesota Vikings that almost cost him his leg was remarkable and his 5-0 record under center for the New Orleans Saints left plenty of reasons to be encouraged.

One could argue that of all the places Bridgewater could have ended up, Carolina was among the worst despite his familiarity with Joe Brady’s system. Filling the enormous void left by Cam Newton was something the former Louisville star struggled to conquer and aside from a mini three-game stretch early in the season, things didn’t go according to plan whatsoever.

His clear lack of conviction to get it done with the game on the line was glaring. This was matched by a concerning regression down the stretch that eventually saw the Panthers put Bridgewater out of his misery by benching him in Week 17 against the Saints.

Could the coaching staff have done more? Probably. And they no doubt will with a little more experience under their belts.

They are one year into coaching in the NFL and mistakes were undoubtedly made. But this is the latest case of Bridgewater blaming others for his own failings.