It’s hard to tell. So far he proven he can be Sam Bradford and throw four yard passes. Have we seen him make big time season saving throw on 3rd and 10? Nope. Can he? Maybe. Based on his entire career, my educated guess is no, he is not that guy, but I’ll acknowledge if I’m mistaken.
He reminds me a bit of Kyle Orton. Lots of safe passes - many thought that was just smart and by design until he needed to do more and it blew up.
I expected the Panthers to keep Cam and was very surprised when they didn't. I still wonder why...
That said, I'm very constructive on Teddy and expect him to excel. He's only 27 and there probably isn't another NFL player who has experienced as much by the same age.
- 1st Round pick (Bortles & Manziel the QB's taken ahead of him).
- PFWA All-Rookie Team, Pepsi NFL Rookie-of-Year
- As a starter w/ was 17-11 with Vikings team that was 6-13 prior to TB5 taking over.
- Made playoffs in 2nd year and selected to Pro Bowl.
- Suffered catastrophic injury prior to 3rd season, many thought he'd never play again.
- Effectively missed all of 2016 & 2017 (played a few plays in week 15) & Vike's declined their option.
- Clearly seen as damaged goods at this point and backup roles are considered the only option.
- Sticks w/ Saints keeps head down & keeps working & when the opportunity comes kills it.
- Is offered the starting job for Panthers by Tepper & Rhule and signs contract that is fair to both.
So by age 27 Teddy has experienced the highs of being a star NFL QB, and the lowest of lows with an injury so grave the amputation of his leg was in the equation. He's proven he can overcome adversity and loves the idea of a lot of hard work. He's also had the benefit of studying under a coach who is arguably one of the great offensive masterminds in the history of the NFL, and ditto the tutelage of a QB who appears to be a lock for the Hall of Fame. I believe all this combined results in Teddy having a level of maturity that is incredibly rare at such a young age.
David Tepper is a shrewd investor whose core competency is identifying value where others can't see it -- that's why he's worth $12 billion. Sure, he's invested in some duds, but his track record speaks for itself. There's a lot of rhetoric suggesting Teddy is just a "bridge quarterback" but I believe Tepper sees the investment in Teddy as one that's going to pay off big for the long-run.
We shall see!