Teddy Bridgewater reflects on his horrific knee injury with gratitude

[WarPanthers89]

Four years ago today, then-Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a devastating, non-contact knee injury that many thought would derail his career permanently.

Now, he’s got a three-year, $66 million contract with the Panthers, and he’ll enter the season as the unquestioned starter.

Bridgewater has reflected on the events of the past four years in a simple but powerful message on social media.

“August 30, 2016,” Bridgewater tweeted. “While riding in back of that ambulance, I didn’t know what my football future had in store for me. In the midst of so much uncertainty and pain, I found peace and my purpose in life. Dear August 30, 2016. . . . Thank you.”

Still only 27 years old, Bridgewater has plenty of football seasons in front of him. Four years ago, it didn’t look that way. At a time when we’re celebrating the potential return to football of Alex Smith, let’s remember that Bridgewater’s story is every bit as compelling — and that he has plenty of chapters that remain unwritten, with possibilities that are unlimited.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/08/30/teddy-bridgewater-reflects-on-his-horrific-knee-injury-with-gratitude/

[1of10Charnatives]

Thanks for sharing. Great article. Sounds like he has the emotional tools to deal well with adversity. Certainly a trait you'd want in your starting QB, especially in a crazy season like the one we're (hopefully) about to have.  Easy to root for people like this.

[Teddy Time]

It's important for folks to understand the circumstance of this injury.  Teddy often gets framed like he played for 10 years or something.  Teddy was a young QB on the rise (and still is a young QB).  Teddy's injury came just as he was about to begin Year 3.  2016 was to be the season where he vaulted to that next level in his 3rd year.  after leading a high pressure game winning playoff drive against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in sub-zero temps, putting on 15 pounds of muscle, and an incredible preseason, all signs pointed to 2016 BEING that breakout year.  then literally hours before the season was to start, the freak injury happened...

a long and patient 4 years later, hopefully the Panthers will be the beneficiaries of Teddy's picking up where he left off with a proper full-season breakthrough year, now that he finally has a chance to lead a team again.  Go Panthers!

[WarPanthers89]

11 minutes ago, Teddy Time said:

It's important for folks to understand the circumstance of this injury.  Teddy often gets framed like he played for 10 years or something.  Teddy was a young QB on the rise (and still is a young QB).  Teddy's injury came just as he was about to begin Year 3.  2016 was to be the season where he vaulted to that next level in his 3rd year.  after leading a high pressure game winning playoff drive against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in sub-zero temps, putting on 15 pounds of muscle, and an incredible preseason, all signs pointed to 2016 BEING that breakout year.  then literally hours before the season was to start, the freak injury happened...

a long and patient 4 years later, hopefully the Panthers will be the beneficiaries of Teddy's picking up where he left off with a proper full-season breakthrough year, now that he finally has a chance to lead a team again.  Go Panthers!

Bingo. Great post. 

[KSpan]

19 minutes ago, Teddy Time said:

It's important for folks to understand the circumstance of this injury.  Teddy often gets framed like he played for 10 years or something.  Teddy was a young QB on the rise (and still is a young QB).  Teddy's injury came just as he was about to begin Year 3.  2016 was to be the season where he vaulted to that next level in his 3rd year.  after leading a high pressure game winning playoff drive against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in sub-zero temps, putting on 15 pounds of muscle, and an incredible preseason, all signs pointed to 2016 BEING that breakout year.  then literally hours before the season was to start, the freak injury happened...

a long and patient 4 years later, hopefully the Panthers will be the beneficiaries of Teddy's picking up where he left off with a proper full-season breakthrough year, now that he finally has a chance to lead a team again.  Go Panthers!

'On the rise' is perhaps a stretch. That said, he's here now and we're going to get to see what he has. I think (and have said many times before) that he'll be no worse than an average, Tyrod Taylor-type player and that his potential is a similarly-unexciting Alex Smith. Either way he will certainly be a step up from last season and he has certainly earned the chance to be back on the field.

[kungfoodude]

12 minutes ago, KSpan said:

'On the rise' is perhaps a stretch. That said, he's here now and we're going to get to see what he has. I think (and have said many times before) that he'll be no worse than an average, Tyrod Taylor-type player and that his potential is a similarly-unexciting Alex Smith. Either way he will certainly be a step up from last season and he has certainly earned the chance to be back on the field.

I would be pretty pumped about him being Alex Smith good. 

[NAS]

I remember listening to the radio when it happened. The injury was so horrific that grown men, including offensive linemen were in tears and some were vomiting. 

Expectations were high for the Vikings that year and loss of Teddy hurt their chances of winning. 

[kungfoodude]

10 minutes ago, NAS said:

I remember listening to the radio when it happened. The injury was so horrific that grown men, including offensive linemen were in tears and some were vomiting. 

Expectations were high for the Vikings that year and loss of Teddy hurt their chances of winning. 

Yeah, it took them a while to recover. Then they ended up paying an obscene amount of money for one of the biggest chokers in all of professional athletics.

[WarPanthers89]

I was lukewarm on the Teddy signing when it first happened because it signaled the end of the Newton era in Carolina. As time has gone on, with the positive reports of his performance In camp, and his leadership on the field, I have high hopes for what could happen with him as our QB. His knowledge of this offense in an offseason like no other will go a long way with developing our team. With the contract we have with him in place, it truly is a low risk, high reward move, but I hope he kills it this year and becomes a long term starter for us. Some of my favorite memories of the Panthers came during the Jake Delhomme years, and I don’t care if we have a roster full of superstars, I just want to shock the world and compete after this season once we get another year to build our defense. 

[KSpan]

37 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I would be pretty pumped about him being Alex Smith good. 

Short-term, absolutely. Long-term, there's a reason the Chiefs drafted Mahomes.

Not to stray too far off-topic though. Teddy seems to have a great mindset.

[kungfoodude]

6 minutes ago, KSpan said:

Short-term, absolutely. Long-term, there's a reason the Chiefs drafted Mahomes.

Not to stray too far off-topic though. Teddy seems to have a great mindset.

Smith is still a pretty good QB though. He is a guy you can win with. Ultimately that is what we want from Teddy. 

[KSpan]

10 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Smith is still a pretty good QB though. He is a guy you can win with. Ultimately that is what we want from Teddy. 

Eh, I live in KC and saw the Smith/Reid years firsthand. Win some games perhaps but Alex Smith (or that type of QB) isn't getting a team over the hump without an elite defense, as shown in both KC and SF. Maybe that type of defense shows up in Carolina.

[1of10Charnatives]

1 minute ago, KSpan said:

Eh, I live in KC and saw the Smith/Reid years firsthand. Win some games perhaps but Alex Smith (or that type of QB) isn't getting a team over the hump without an elite defense, as shown in both KC and SF. Maybe that type of defense shows up in Carolina.

I just finished teaching a two week training class over zoom that included 10 new hires in our KC branch and one of them showed up day one wearing a Raiders hat. Had to commend the guy for his bravery. I think it's actually easier to get your hands on a dynamic qb than it is to build the type of defense that can win a SB with an average QB. Why? Cause at any given time there are at least half a dozen QB's who fit that description in the league, while the elite defenses come along once every few years or so and are notoriously difficult to keep together.

[kungfoodude]

16 minutes ago, KSpan said:

Eh, I live in KC and saw the Smith/Reid years firsthand. Win some games perhaps but Alex Smith (or that type of QB) isn't getting a team over the hump without an elite defense, as shown in both KC and SF. Maybe that type of defense shows up in Carolina.

Yeah, that is the downside of the game manager types. Still, Alex Smith was a good QB.