Sean Payton: Teddy Bridgewater played sick, should've exited sooner

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had a rough outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, completing just 5 of his 12 passing attempts. He was off-target on many of his throws and often held onto the ball longer than he should have; at other times, Bridgewater put too much heat into it, leading to dropped or deflected passes. By all accounts, it was a day to forget.

But Saints head coach Sean Payton chalked up the poor performance to an undisclosed illness, which should have made Bridgewater’s exit come sooner — if not held him out altogether.

If the Saints weren’t shorthanded and hadn’t already ruled out playing the starter, Drew Brees, Bridgewater may have not suited up to begin with. However, Bridgewater isn’t letting himself off of the hook so easily. Even if he wasn’t feeling his best, he doesn’t see that as any excuse to underperform.

“I owe it to those guys to be out there,” Bridgewater said after the preseason game. “I think I just have to do a better job just fighting through situations and things like that.”

“I missed a couple throws, the energy wasn’t there,” he continued, disappointed in how he’d played while surrounded by the first-team offense. But it’s clear that Bridgewater wants to show this isn’t who he is, and that he’s certainly a better passer. Brees should return to the lineup, even if only briefly, next week against the New York Jets — but Bridgewater’s time isn’t yet up. He’ll have another chance to impress before the regular season starts.

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