Slow and steady

“Slow and steady wins the race”

– Aesop

There are dozens of quotes attributed to one of history’s great figures, Aesop, and the litany of fables he bestowed upon the world, including The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Fox and The Crow, The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, and over a hundred more. But perhaps none of them any more famous than The Tortoise and The Hare.

In the tale, the Hare, with his superior talent and speed, accepts a challenge to a race from the ever-slow Tortoise, who is tired of the Hare’s braggadocio. The Hare jumps out to such an enormous lead, but in his cockiness, decides upon a nap before finishing the race. While he sleeps, the slow but steady Tortoise passes him by and beats him to the finish line. While the tale has been expanded, the initial fable is meant to illustrate that stick-tuitive-ness and a constant level of effort can often overcome those with more talent by sheer reliability.

Aesop penned a number of phrases you may not have known were a part of your everyday lexicon, such as:

• No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
• Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
• Appearances are often deceiving.
• Gratitude is the sign of noble souls

…and so many more. Not bad for a guy who quite possibly never even existed, huh?

Theodore Edmond Bridgewater, Jr. – Which not only makes him Teddy, but Ted E. – had to be wondering if, like Aesop, he even existed at times in the quarterback competition this season as the Denver Broncos brought him in to push the talented-but-inconsistent Drew Lock. Bridgewater did indeed push Lock, who showed more maturity and better decision making throughout training camp. With solid outing after solid outing, it became apparent that the Broncos coaching staff had every desire to keep Lock as the proven starter.

Somehow,  Lock’s Hare eventually ended up being no match for “Steady Teddy”‘s Tortoise act. While Bridgewater came into the race decidedly behind in knowledge and connection with his teammates, his ever-steady progression made his narrow win still seem like something of an inevitability. While both quarterbacks had wonderful moments, there were a few stats for Bridgewater that were difficult to ignore for a coaching staff counting on steady production:

In four pre-season possessions, Bridgewater has scored every time, with a total of 24 points on those opportunities. He’s completed nearly 85% of his passes as he’s worked with both the first- and second-team squads, succeeding with both. Teddy has nary a turnover to his name.

Lock has had double the number of possessions, eight, and has also not had a turnover. But with those opportunities, Drew has generated 23 points, with two punts and a turnover on downs in the mix. While his completion percentage is up from last year’s troubling 57.3%, the 66.7% he managed this year is still nearly 20% behind Bridgewater.

While he may have been brought in to press Lock into better service, Teddy the Tortoise has a few tricks of his own up his sleeve as he steers a Denver Broncos offense that is built to compliment his skillset and the torrid defense Denver plans to put on the other side of the ball. The turtle-ish comparison doesn’t stop there, as Teddy has the tough carapace to handle the daily abuses of NFL defenses, fan bases, and media members, but also the soft heart to be beloved at every stop along the way.

Teddy received a standing ovation from a Minnesota Vikings fanbase this preseason that he is now four seasons removed from. The New Orleans Saints faithful laud his stepping in for Drew Brees two years back and winning five of five games for them. While he’s rarely scintillating, he’s so solid as to be a Pro Bowl replacement in 2015, piloting a QB-hungry Vikings squad to an unexpected 11-5 record under his guidance.

He was also a star and steadying force at the University of Louisville, guiding them to an upset victory in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. As two-touchdown underdogs in the game, Teddy steered the Cardinals to a decisive ten-point victory, and was named the game’s MVP. His 2013 game against the University of Cincinnati was a showcase of his skills and escapes, sending the game to overtime with his play before getting his team the win. And as a gamer, he suited up against Rutgers with a bum ankle and a wrap on his wrist so big and tight it looked like a football itself, and still willed his team to a win.

While I may sound like a long-time Bridgewater fan and follower, I am luckier to have the above knowledge firsthand from one of my dearest and oldest friends, Sean Moth, who has long worked closely with all of the Louisville sports squads as the “Voice of the Cardinals” and one of the most integral parts of the machine that is the Louisville Sports Information Department. Moth’s assessment of Bridgewater is that the Broncos have a quarterback that not only won’t play them out of games, but can find solutions in high-pressure moments, and is also one of the classiest, kindest, and most well-liked individuals to ever take the field. Brains, heart, mobility, toughness, drive, consistency, and resilience. Sound like the sort of guy the Broncos could use for the job?

Even Lock, the guy who has every reason to be hostile to the guy who just took his job, genially says he has much to learn from Bridgewater’s approach both on and off the field. If the guy who wants to hate your guts simply cannot because of who you are and how you approach the game, who can?

Steady Teddy has won the race with his slow and steady approach to winning over the Broncos. Will his approach breed success for the Broncos in the race(s) they’re trying to win this season? Let’s hope so, and that they can do so by more than a hare’s breadth.