“As a tight end, we hear a basketball player, you think about a guy who will go up and rebound for you,” Bridgewater said. “So I just told Chris, man, I just want to continue to just try to add a little more to his game. 

“Get them out of that mindset of just thinking that, ‘I’m just coming in the game to block.’ No, you’re going to be catching passes, and this offense is going to rely on you in the red zone, on third downs, and things like that.

“I just told him, pretend you’re on the basketball court.”

And Manhertz certainly has appreciated Bridgewater’s encouragement.

“I think it’s a testament to not only how good of a leader Teddy is, but his attention to detail with his tight ends and wide receivers is really admirable,” Manhertz said.