Teddy Bridgewater deserves a shot at redemption
Nov 16, 2021, 6:36 AM
To call Teddy Bridgewater’s effort “poor” on the game-flipping fumble return for a touchdown by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay on Sunday would be charitable.
A bad look, for certain.
But the Denver Broncos quarterback’s lackluster effort on the game-changing play shouldn’t necessarily be an indictment on Bridgewater’s tenure in orange and blue.
On Monday, Bridgewater confronted the issue head on, meeting with the media ahead of Denver’s bye week.
“We watched it today as a team. (Head coach Vic Fangio) pointed out that my effort had to be better there. I totally agree,” Bridgewater said. “That’s not the type of tape that I want to put out there. It’s one of those situations where you get pissed after you watch it because you know how much this game means to you.”
Bridgewater did not shy away from the play, instead owning up to his failure. But the veteran insists that one moment doesn’t define him or his team.
“I’m a professional athlete. I understand that’s what comes with it — the backlash and things like that,” Bridgewater said. “But it doesn’t define who we are as a football team. It doesn’t define me as a man and as a football player.
“We get this bye week to get some time and just reflect and embrace the good, accept the bad, embrace the bad, and just move forward. We can’t let Sunday’s performance linger. We can’t let that determine the outcome of the rest of the season.”
And perhaps Bridgewater has earned some benefit of the doubt, if not because he’s been by most accounts a model teammate, then because Tom Brady did nearly the same thing on Sunday.
On the second of Brady’s two interceptions in a loss to Washington, the future Hall of Fame quarterback can be seen giving exactly zero effort in chasing Bobby McCain.
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Now, there are some differences between Brady’s pick and Bridgewater’s whiff. For one, the Buccaneers were able to quickly stop the defender before he came close to Tampa’s end zone.
Also, the 29-year-old Bridgewater might be more suited for making a tackle than that of 44-year-old Brady.
But if the greatest quarterback to walk the earth can get caught giving up on a play, is it so unthinkable that Bridgewater deserves a chance at redemption?
Certainly, there’s a lot of making up for Bridgewater to do. But should Broncos Country write him off all together? No.
