Teddy Bridgewater & Panthers' OC Joe Brady Have A Past
We have seen a familiar trend this offseason with Panthers head coach, Matt Rhule, recruiting former Temple Owl’s to Carolina. Robby Anderson, P.J. Walker, and Tahir Whitehead all played for Rhule at Temple but the Panthers new starting quarterback has a past with another one of the Panthers new coaches, not a Rhule-Temple connection, rather one few have heard of.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Teddy Bridgewater were both together in New Orleans during the 2018 NFL season in Bridgewater’s first year with the Saints. Brady was an offensive assistant for the team, who happened to work directly with Bridgewater quite regularly and the two formed an immediate connection.
“We clicked right away,” Bridgewater said regarding Joe Brady. “He was a South Florida guy… He spent a lot of one-on-one time with me after practice and throwing routes to the young receivers.”
Brady left the Saints to be the passing game coordinator at LSU in 2019 where he helped guide the Tigers to a National Championship, helping quarterback Joe Burrow on his path to the Heisman trophy and likely the first pick in April’s NFL Draft. Despite the year apart for the Bridgewater and Brady, the two still kept in contact, preserving their relationship.
“We had that relationship intact,” Bridgewater said. “When he went to LSU, I was shooting him text messages and watched some of LSU’s games and realized he was using some of the same concepts we were running. So that relationship never ended, and I’m glad that we get to reunite in Carolina.”
Quarterback’s often struggled to adjust to new team’s system team in an orderly fashion. It takes time to learn the terms, schemes, and verbiage under a new coach’s system, especially in the NFL. Lucky for Teddy Bridgewater, he already has a past with Brady and is familiar with his new OC’s coaching style and the system he will likely implement in Carolina.
The 2020 NFL season is sub-optimal for offensive coordinator’s first season with a team, let alone any new coach. Brady, 30, is the youngest OC in the NFL has never been a play-caller at any level. The adjustment will be rather difficult however having some continuity with your quarterback - from their time in New Orleans - will help both parties in their transition to the Carolina Panthers in 2020.
Brady’s history with Teddy probably was unlikely the leading factor in signing Bridgewater yet, having that immediate chemistry definitely contributed and will be beneficial both in the short-term and as they continue to strengthen their chemistry with one another.
Do you think Teddy Bridgewater is a long-term option at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers? How do you feel about all of the Temple connections and Brady and Bridgewater’s past? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!
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