A day after going gloveless in a pro day workout that was "average at best," quarterback Teddy Bridgewater says he will sport the gloves he wore throughout his stellar junior season at Louisville for the remainder of his workouts for NFL teams.
Bridgewater was roundly criticized for his accuracy in Monday's workout, where he threw bare-handed and struggled at times with dozens of NFL coaches and scouts looking on. Bridgewater told NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt that he thought the absence of his gloves was a factor.
The quarterback told Brandt that the reason he chose not to wear the gloves was because he had been training for more than three weeks in the Florida heat without them prior to his workout, and thus chose not to wear them for his pro-day performance.
Bridgewater also told Brandt he won't throw bare-handed again when he performs private workouts for NFL teams.
"He's going to do a number of workouts. He'll probably have 10-12 workouts for clubs," Brandt said. "I don't believe the decision-makers at the club level thought his workout was as bad as some of the media people did. He was in great spirits. He didn't feel like it was a disaster or anything, and I think he'll come back and do well."
Draft analyst Mike Mayock said on NFL Network Wednesday that he had spoken to several of the coaches on hand for Bridgewater's workout and they all came away "disappointed." Mayock added that he thought the issues were correctable.
Bridgewater is considered as a possibility for the No. 1 overall pick of the Houston Texans. And as Brandt suggested, it appears the Texans aren't jumping to any rash conclusions about Bridgewater's pro-day struggles.
Of course, two QB-needy NFL teams reside in Florida, where Bridgewater said he was comfortable throwing gloveless during his training for pro day. You can bet, however, that if the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring him in for a workout, the gloves will be the first thing he packs for the trip.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
