During Sunday’s win over the Giants, Broncos linebacker Von Miller made a very strong comment regarding the impact of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on the team. Recently, Miller expressed regret that the comment came to light.
“I ain’t felt that in a while,” Miller told Bridgewater on the sideline during the Week One victory, “since 18 was here, man.”
18 is Peyton Manning. The Broncos have had plenty of other quarterbacks since then. For Miller, it’s now clear that none have measured up.
“I kind of forgot that I was mic’d up,” Miller told reporters when asked about the comment. “I don’t like putting stuff out there. That was a moment for me and Teddy, but it’s out there. I don’t want anybody to feel a certain way because I told Teddy that. I told Teddy the truth. He definitely has this this vibe about him that guys want to play for. Guys believe in Teddy. He’s a veteran in this league. He’s sat behind Drew Brees. He was on track to win MVP with the Minnesota Vikings, so he knows how to do it. He carries himself in a way that people want to play for him, and people believe in him.”
Miller obviously is sensitive to the fact that: (1) Drew Lock is one of the quarterbacks the team has had since Manning; (2) Lock is still on the team; and (3) Lock is an injury away from playing again.
Miler raved not just about Bridgewater’s leadership but his performance.
“It was a fourth down in the game where he kind of like stuttered and stiffed armed a guy and threw it to [tight end Albert Okwuegbunam],” Miller said. “That’s just heart. Nobody can draw it up. No coach on our coaching staff or in the NFL can teach you how to do that. Teddy had to fight to go out there and win for the football team. Some of the things that he says and some of the things he tells everybody before games -- me personally, I just believe that and I’m a hard guy to just believe everything that everybody says. You can definitely feel it with Teddy. I told Teddy -- I think that was towards the end of the game. I saw him, and I just told him I’m a firm believer in giving people their flowers while they are still here. Teddy, he definitely deserves the love, for sure.”
Here’s what this proves: if the Broncos try to bench Teddy for Lock, the Broncos will have a problem in the locker room. Thus, look for Teddy to keep the job for as long as he’s healthy. And look for other teams that had or could have had Bridgewater begin to regret that they didn’t keep him.