CHARLOTTE
Jeremy Bridges was back with the Carolina Panthers yesterday, and the broad smile said it all.
He is fine.
He should be ready to go when the Panthers play at Atlanta on Sunday.
And all he has to do is stop chewing tobacco.
"I'm blessed to be where I'm at right now," he said.
Bridges, the Panthers' versatile backup offensive lineman, was held out of last Sunday's 31-22 win over Detroit after experiencing chest pains that morning. He had an irregular heartbeat diagnosed and underwent a procedure on Monday to get the heartbeat shocked back into sync.
Bridges didn't go through full practice yesterday, as trainers continued to monitor him, but all indications were that he would be back to full-go today.
"We'll evaluate him, but there's a strong likelihood he'll practice (today)," Coach John Fox said. "Everything is back to normal."
Bridges has played a key role as both a backup and a starter as the Panthers have been forced to shuffle their offensive line throughout the season. He started four games at right tackle while Jeff Otah was out with an ankle injury, and the Panthers won three of the four. He has also played on special teams.
Bridges said that he tried to disregard some of the early warning signs after he woke up last Sunday, but by the time he got to Bank of America Stadium he knew he needed to get checked out. At one point, he said, he could see his heart beating in his chest.
"It would be beating super fast at one point and then slow down," he said. "It would still be out of rhythm but it would be a slower beat. I couldn't walk to the bathroom without my heart fluttering and jumping out of my chest. It was scary. My wife was frantic."
Bridges has since been told by team doctors that the problem may have been caused by the effects of chewing tobacco. He said he has chewed tobacco occasionally in the past, usually at the stadium while watching film.
"(The doctor) really believed that my tobacco use is what triggered it," Bridges said. "It's a scientific fact that it can and it will trigger it. So I have put it out of my life. No more tobacco chewing for me.... So all of you kids out there in TV land, stop chewing tobacco. It will kill you, literally."
Bridges, a father of four, said the experience gave him a greater appreciation for his health.
He had no previous heart-related problems, and the most serious injury of his six-year NFL career was an ankle injury that forced him to miss three games in 2005 while with Arizona.
"You definitely have to look at yourself in the mirror," he said. "You kind of take things for granted about being here on earth. When something external happens, you kind of blow it off, like, ‘I sprained my ankle, oh, I can get it taken care of.' But when they start talking about your heart and your kidneys and your lungs and blood clots and your brain, it will wake you up. It makes you realize that at any moment, you can be taken away from this earth.
"A lot of people I know call me Superman, but I'm far from it. Very far from it."
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com
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