Former player and scout weighs in on Teddy Bridgewater criticism

Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks weighed in on the recent criticism directed to the Carolina Panthers from their former quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Teddy Bridgewater’s parting shot to the Carolina Panthers regarding their practice methods continues to make waves across the league. Head coach Matt Rhule took the high road after the former first-round pick was highly critical of the team’s alleged lack of preparation in red-zone situations or two-minute drills, which indicates the man in charge just wants to move on from a free-agent signing that turned out to be nothing short than a disaster.

Whether this is Bridgewater trying to save face after he was shipped to the Denver Broncos for nothing more than a sixth-round pick in 2021 is up for debate. The Panthers made absolutely no secret of their desire to move on from the Louisville product this offseason, with failed bids for Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson coming just before they settled on a package to bring Sam Darnold to Carolina from the New York Jets.

This is a gamble whichever way one looks at it. To say Darnold’s three-year stint in New York was a disappointment would be a massive understatement and this will be his last chance to prove he can be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL with more in the way of talent around him.

As for Bridgewater, he received $30 million for his one season with the Panthers when one considers the $7 million Carolina is paying him next season. He’ll fight it out with Drew Lock for the starting job in training camp, although if Aaron Rodgers is made available by the Green Bay Packers it would throw a spanner into the works considering Denver was on his list of preferred destinations.

Carolina Panthers should heed Teddy Bridgewater’s comments.

Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks, who now works as an analyst for the NFL Network, chimed in with his thoughts on the subject and stated that the Panthers should heed some of the advice given to them by Bridgewater, even if it did sound a little like sour grapes.

"“Teddy Bridgewater’s performance certainly played a role in the Panthers ranking 28th in red-zone efficiency and finishing 0-for-8 in late-game situations when they had a chance to take the lead or tie the game. However, the coaching staff should re-examine its methods to ensure his successor, Sam Darnold, has a better chance of success in critical moments. If the coaching staff heeds the advice that seeps through Bridgewater’s sour grapes, the Panthers’ offense could produce fine wine in 2021.”"

It’s easy to forget that Carolina brought in a new coaching staff who had little to no previous experience in an NFL environment, and certainly not in prominent leadership roles. Rhule, Joe Brady, and Phil Snow were all first-year coaches in positions of power at the next level and it was a steep learning curve for them as well as their young and relatively unproven roster.

There are things they will do differently this offseason with a year of previous knowledge under their belts. The COVID-19 health complications made things even more difficult for Rhule and company last season, which cannot be ignored when one examines just where things could improve.

Despite this upheaval, it’s not hard to see why the Panthers moved on from Bridgewater quickly. His inability to get things done with the game on the line was glaring and the player’s clear confidence issues in the final few games left the writing very much on the wall regarding his future.

Bridgewater obviously harbors some bitterness towards the organization. He can blame coaching methods all he likes, but there are so many examples of poor play under center that just comes down to simple decision-making under pressure that simply wasn’t good enough.

This was an opportunity that Bridgewater didn’t make the most out of. The Panthers now head into the 2021 campaign with Darnold leading the charge and if this experiment fails, then some more pressure will be on Rhule, to put it mildly.