Should Bridgewater wind up elsewhere…

Northwestern wideout Eli Rogers ‘decomitted’ from the University of Miami days back, sparking rumors that his quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could be next. (Rogers has oft stated that he looked forward to catching passing from Bridgewater the next four years.)

Discussing the flip-flopping nature of recruiting over three months from Signing Day seems pointless (especially with North Carolina on deck this weekend), but the Herald’s Manny Navarro had a solid interview with Bridgewater that deserves some discussion.

>>> As of now, Bridgewater still plans on being a Hurricane, but the Florida State loss – coupled with Miami’s offense this season – have both been a disappointment.

>>> Regarding the offensive game plan against the Noles, “More can be done in the offense. I paid attention to the Florida State game. Third and 10, Third and 8, they came out unbalanced. I’m just asking myself ‘What’s going on? Why aren’t they opening the offense at this point of the game?'” (Sounds like more than just the fans critical of those third and long draws, Coach Whipple.)

>>> Regarding the criticism of Jacory Harris, “I’ve been paying close attention to that,” Bridgewater said. “That’s the one thing that stands out. It’s something to think about. The way he’s playing, the way he’s been treated, everything. He’s playing good. The wide outs have to help him also. I talked to coach. He said the past five games the wide receivers have dropped 30 passes. That will bring a quarterback’s confidence down.

“Everywhere I look, everyone on TV, the Internet, everybody is dogging Jacory. That’s something I really don’t like because he comes from the same school I play at. He’s my role model. Seeing that, seeing him go through that it makes me wonder do I want to go through the same thing. It upsets me a lot. It upsets the coaching staff, the alumni, everybody at Miami Northwestern.

“People need to keep the faith, don’t give up, don’t give up on Jacory or the team.”

>>> Bridgewater also stated that a lack of competition is hurting Harris. “From what I’ve seen, I would like to come in and play – or push Jacory at least,” Bridgewater said. “I think that’s the one thing he’s missing. I think he feels like he has no one there to push him. He might be a little relaxed or something. That’s one role I’d like to play.”

>>> Bridgewater continues being recruited as a quarterback by Florida, South Florida, Louisville, LSU and Michigan, though some project him as a wideout at the next level.

You can take a lot or a little from the comments of a high school senior, but there are some pearls of wisdom to take from Teddy B – most notably how the commentary, insults and trashing of Harris has impacted him. For every fan ready to blame Randy Shannon should Bridgewater go elsewhere, ask yourself if you’ve been a part of the problem or the solution.

Fans ripping the starting quarterback has Bridgewater questioning if he wants to go through the same thing, dealing with this same level of criticism – some warranted, but much unwarranted. (Honestly, you rarely hear about the thirty dropped passes or lack of receiver help / tight end depth when fans are ripping Harris’ production.)

I know some of you are already formulating your little argument, getting ready to type something to the effect of, “Well if that’s the way Teddy feels, then he can go elsewhere! This is Quarterback U and if he can’t handle the heat from the fans, how’s he gonna handle road crowds, the media and everything else that comes along with playing the position!!!”

Yes, it takes ice water running through ones veins to play quarterback at the highest level … but idiotic commentary from the fan base, blatant racism (as witnessed earlier this year) and the way Miami fans have treated past quarterback (and their families – just ask the Wrights) – something has to give.

Is it really worth potentially running of Bridgewater (or other recruits) with moronic comments on message boards, social networking pages and newspaper sites, simply in an effort to vent your frustrations? Why not save the banter for the drive home from the game or your nearest watering hole with your amigos?

You know, somewhere that isn’t public domain where everyone’s voice is heard and potential recruits are taken to addressing it via the local media.

Hang in there Teddy and Eli.

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