Bridgewater Talks Panthers' Offense, Replacing Cam Newton
If you took a quick glance at each roster in the NFL, you'll quickly notice one thing - the NFC South is loaded with offensive firepower. Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Matt Ryan, Todd Gurley, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley - the list just goes on and on and on.
Both Atlanta and New Orleans were already going to pose a big challenge for the Panthers' defense, but now you have the Bucs in the mix as well. All of the attention is going to those three teams and rightfully so, but the Panthers have formed a pretty prolific attack as well by adding Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and Robby Anderson to a receiving corps that already consists of DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel.
Earlier this week, Bridgewater provided some input on how he feels the Panthers offense stacked up against the others in the division.
“I mean, on pen and paper it’s easy to say hey, we have that guy and that guy and Atlanta has their weapons, New Orleans had their weapons, and Tampa has what they have. But at the end of the day, you have to prove it on the field, so on pen and paper everyone’s crowning themselves as some of the most talented teams in the league and future playoff teams," Bridgewater said. “But it starts with the work we put in right now and we can’t look too far ahead. We’ll just have to approach it one day at a time, and you know, of course we have guys on this roster who have done some great things and I’m excited to be on the same field as those guys. But at the end of the day, we have to execute what we plan on doing here in Carolina, which is running Joe Brady’s offense and doing it at a high level.”
I must admit, I like Bridgewater's approach. He is more concerned about developing a rapport with his receivers and learning the offense more than anything else. He understands that to win games in 2020 and beyond in this division that Carolina will have to be efficient offensively and put points on the board. The Saints, Falcons, and Bucs all have an explosive attack. Although the Panthers have the pieces to go blow for blow with their divisional foes, Bridgewater realizes the work that needs to be done.
“I approach it the same way I approached my situation last year. One of the biggest problems I had in my first year in New Orleans was I wanted to be like Drew [Brees]. I had to do everything Drew did in order to have success like Drew. But eventually I learned that Drew Brees was Drew Brees and I’m Teddy Bridgewater. I’m coming into the situation - Cam Newton was Cam Newton, I’m still Teddy Bridgewater. So I can’t go out there and pretend to be something that I’m not. You know, I play the game the way I play it. I carry myself the way I carry myself and I’m going to live and die by that.”
For the Panthers offense to be respected amongst the others, Bridgewater must feel confident within himself, the system, and the players that surround him. Right now, it's all about learning and forming chemistry. Until significant progress has been made in both areas, don't expect the Panthers offense to be mentioned in the same breath as Tampa's, New Orleans', and so on. In due time.
Do you think the Panthers can matchup with the other offenses in the NFC South division? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss!
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