QB Teddy Bridgewater Explains How Working With Saints' HC Sean Payton Could Help him in Denver
The Denver Broncos upped the ante in the quarterback room by acquiring veteran Teddy Bridgewater via trade from Carolina. The ex-Minnesota Vikings' first-rounder was dealt to Denver the day before the NFL draft.
During his Vikings tenure, Bridgewater crossed paths with current Broncos' offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, though the QB never started a game in his system. Bridgewater's coordinator was Norv Turner before he suffered that calamitous knee injury that nearly ended his playing career prematurely.
By the time Bridgewater returned to playing form (after many arduous months of intense rehab and recovery), Turner was gone and Shurmur had been promoted from tight ends coach to coordinator. Most Broncos fans know what happened next as Shurmur orchestrated one of the most impressive feats for a coaching assistant in recent NFL history, leading Case Keenum to playing the best ball of his career.
The Vikings were rolling and would win 11 games with Keenum, which didn't allow an opening for Bridgewater to get his foot back in the starter's door. The Vikings pushed all the way to the NFC title game that year only to fall to the eventual World-Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Shurmur was crowned the A.P.'s Assistant Coach of the Year, which he used to springboard into his second head-coaching gig, this time with the New York Giants. Meanwhile, Bridgewater followed Keenum out of Minnesota, one striking east and the other west.
Keenum landed in Denver and we know how that unfolded, while Bridgewater took up the Green and White of the New York Jets. After spending a couple of years with Sean Payton in New Orleans, Bridgewater ascended to that three-year, $63 million deal from the Panthers, only to lead that team to a 5-11 finish.
Carolina opted to reset the QB position by acquiring Sam Darnold from the Jets and Broncos' new GM George Paton, who was there in Minnesota with Teddy, saw an opportunity to bring him to Denver to compete with Drew Lock.
Last Monday, Bridgewater hit the Broncos' locker room for the first time for voluntary OTAs. After Day 1's practice, he took to the virtual podium and talked about how reuniting with Shurmur might be a helpful tool toward hitting the ground running.
“It’s helped a lot. There is some carryover from my days in Minnesota, but at the same time, a lot has changed," Bridgewater said. "I’ve been in a couple of different systems. I see players that I’m familiar with and it’s been a smooth transition with the install."
Denver's offensive coaching staff is formidable, even though that acumen didn't necessarily come out in the wash last year. Bridgewater has appreciated how the coaches have worked to make assimilating all the easier.
The nomenclature has likely evolved since Bridgewater last played under Shurmur. But the base scheme is probably pretty close to its 2017 version.
"We have great teachers in the room with [Quarterbacks] Coach [Mike] Shula, Coach Shurmur and [Offensive Quality Control Coach] Justin [Rascati]. Those guys do a great job of simplifying everything and allowing us to comprehend and apply it on the field without even thinking," Bridgewater said.
One of the reasons the Panthers paid Bridgewater was the belief that working under Payton in New Orleans unlocked something in the QB's development. He went 6-1 as a starter when the Saints called upon him.
Getting to work with Joe Brady last year in Carolina, the brainchild behind Joe Burrow's Heisman Trophy ascent in 2019, also provided Bridgewater another view of a system highly coveted in the NFL right now.
“Playing in that system with Sean Payton and Joe Brady, you’re asked to do a lot at the line of scrimmage, in the run game, getting guys lined up, IDing the Mike in the run and pass game," Bridgewater explained. "A lot was on my plate, so it’s prepared me for this next chapter. I’m looking forward to growing in this offense and continuing to help guys elevate their game.”
Lock had best beware because 'Teddy Two-Gloves' is no joke. He was a first-round pick out of Louisville for a reason and he quickly rose to the Pro Bowl before that knee injury curtailed his momentum.
Although things haven't worked out swimmingly for Bridgewater, his experience working with Payton and Brady, plus his history with Shurmur, makes him a bonafide threat to win the starting job in Denver. Lock will have to fight fire with fire if he's going to maintain his spot atop the Broncos' QB depth chart.
“Drew is a great guy, man," Bridgewater said. "He walks into the room and he’s experienced. That’s the type of guy you want to be around. Our personalities will mesh well... We’re going to continue to motivate each other, uplift each other and encourage each other in every way that we can.”
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