Teddy Bridgewater, feeling sick, makes no excuses for poor play vs. Chargers
Teddy Bridgewater made no excuses about his play Sunday -- even after coach Sean Payton said the backup quarterback wasn't feeling his best.
Bridgewater struggled in his second preseason start with the New Orleans Saints, completing five of 12 passes for 40 yards with an interception of a tipped pass near the goal line.
Payton said Bridgewater played the game while sick and probably should have been removed from the game sooner. Bridgewater played through five offensive series.
"I think I had to do a better job of fighting through a difficult situation and things like that," Bridgewater said in a live video feed streamed on the team website. "Our guys are still out there competing at a high level."
Bridgewater said he "came down with something" about two days before the preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. By halftime, the Saints trailed 17-3 before a Taysom Hill-led comeback to win 19-17.
"The energy wasn't there on my behalf," Bridgewater said. "I have to do a better job when I’m dealing with things. Those guys feed off my energy. When I walk into that huddle they have to see a guy that's confident and they believe in. Today, I didn't give the guys the energy that they deserve."
Payton said the Saints were "awful" on offense in the first half but he didn't put all the blame on Bridgewater. "There were a lot of dirty hands on those drives early on," he said. "That's why I felt like it was really two different halves."
Bridgewater said a fumbled shotgun snap on the opening possession was the result of miscommunication with rookie center Erik McCoy. The quarterback took blame for the interception on the goal line by saying he rushed his inaccurate throw to running back Dwayne Washington.
"I have to throw a better ball, a catch-able ball," Bridgewater said. "Those guys, they're not wide receivers. I had to throw him a better pass and avoid turning the ball over on that situation."
Teammates said they knew Bridgewater wasn't feeling his best. Had Bridgewater not played, then Hill likely would have needed to play the entire game.
"I think Teddy was a little down energy-wise today," Hill said. "And I think he was feeling crummy throughout the week. We were aware of that. We tried to help him out when we could and allow him to get some rest."
Payton said the team did not want to play Drew Brees against the Chargers. The Saints and Chargers held a pair of joint practices Thursday and Friday, so Brees got plenty of work against the Chargers' first-team defenders.
There's high interest in how Bridgewater performs for the Saints as a second-year backup to Drew Brees. The Saints are well positioned for another postseason run, and having a former first-round drafted quarterback behind Brees provides some security for if the 40-year-old should sustain an injury that causes him to miss any games.
Bridgewater came to the Saints in a late-August trade last season. His preseason debut came last week against the Minnesota Vikings, when he completed 14 of 19 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
His next chance to prove himself will come next week against the other of his former teams, the New York Jets. The Saints visit the Jets for a preseason game Saturday.