Former Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said Monday that his comments about the Panthers on a podcast earlier this month were made without ill intention and then reported on out of context.
Earlier this month, Bridgewater, who is now with the Denver Broncos, said on the All Things Covered podcast that, “for Joe Brady’s growth, I think that organization will have to practice different things in different ways. … Like one of the things we didn’t do much of when I was there, we didn’t practice two-minute, really. We didn’t practice red zone.”
On Monday in a Zoom video call with reporters, Bridgewater said he wasn’t talking about poorly about Brady. He said he texted Brady not long after to clarify things.
“Joe is my guy,” Bridgewater said. “He’s a South Florida guy. I’m rooting for him.”
The Panthers traded Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos last month in exchange for a sixth-round pick after spending one year in Charlotte. The trade came just three weeks after the Panthers traded for former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
Bridgewater on Monday was asked twice about his time in Carolina and whether he felt he was a scapegoat for any of the team’s shortcomings and if he thought he was given a fair shot.
“It is what it is,” Bridgewater said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for those guys in that locker room — Joe Brady and those guys.”
Panthers coach Matt Rhule, when asked about Bridgewater’s podcast comments earlier this month, said “I like what we do.”
“We try to address a lot of different situations,” Rhule said about his practices. “But I feel good about our preparation and the amount of work our coaches put in.
“You can’t ask everyone to agree with everything. But again, I feel really good about what we do. I’m disappointed to hear he didn’t feel the same way.”
The Panthers, and Bridgewater in particular, struggled in red-zone efficiency and late-game situations in 2020.
Bridgewater was 0 for 8 in game-winning or game-tying drives. And the Panthers scored a touchdown on only 50.9% of their red-zone trips, which was 28th out of 32 teams in the NFL.
Bridgewater said he was in Denver to help his teammates become better players and “help men become better men.”
“I’m excited to be in Denver and what’s in store for me in Denver,” he said.