BRADENTON, Fla. — Winning the No. 1 job is Job 1 for Brandon Bridge.
As he prepares for his fourth CFL season, Bridge is looking to become the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He restarted his quest during the team’s mini-camp, which concluded Wednesday at IMG Academy.
“I’ve got to have the mindset that I’m the best guy and I definitely want to give the coaches the same kind of thought process that, ‘Having 16 behind centre gives us the best chance to win,’ ” Bridge said, referring to his jersey number.
“But at the end of the day, I want to be a great teammate. I’m going to definitely support whoever’s in and I would expect the same type of support.”
Bridge, a 26-year-old product of Toronto, shared repetitions with Zach Collaros, Marquise Williams and David Watford during the two-day mini-camp.
Bridge is the only one of those four who threw passes for Saskatchewan during the 2017 season, completing 92 of 138 attempts for 1,236 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 regular-season games. He also came off the bench in the East Division final, going 11-for-21 passing for 141 yards with a touchdown in the Roughriders’ 25-21 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
Collaros was acquired from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the off-season. Williams was Saskatchewan’s third-string quarterback for part of the 2017 season, while Watford was a late-season addition to the Roughriders’ practice roster.
Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones has stressed that the starting job remains open despite speculation that Collaros will be the guy. Just having a shot is all that Bridge can hope for as he enters his third season with the Roughriders.
“I’ve got to show that I give us the best chance,” said the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Bridge, who rushed 20 times for 127 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and twice for 43 yards and a TD in the East final. “(Doing so means) going through the system, understanding it and doing what the coaches are asking of me.
“The extra flavour that I bring (with his running), I have to do it at the right time. Last year, some of the flash that I showed got us in trouble but it also got us in great situations when we were in bad situations. I’ve got to know when to be Superman and I’ve got to know when to be Lois Lane and take the sack.”
Bridge started one game for the Roughriders in 2017, helping them post a 27-19 victory over the host Tiger-Cats on Sept. 15. He came off the bench in relief of starter Kevin Glenn in 11 other contests — the most action Bridge has seen in a season in his CFL career.
He had appeared in only five games through his first two seasons in the league (two games with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015 and three with the Roughriders in 2016), primarily in mop-up duty.
Last season, he played in blowouts but he also replaced Glenn in tight games, duelling with the likes of Bo Levi Mitchell and Ricky Ray. According to Bridge, the playing time he received in 2017 helped him realize that “no stage is too big for me.”
“The best thing (about the season) was getting in and actually playing quality minutes, not just garbage time where you go in with five or 10 minutes left,” Bridge said. “I started a game. I went in 13 minutes into the first quarter. I went in when we were losing. I was put in a lot of situations during the year.
“When I went in in Toronto (on Oct. 7), I think that’s when everyone realized who I was and started being on the Brandon Bridge bandwagon. We were down 16-3 when I went in and we came back and ended up winning that game (27-24). That’s when I started getting praise.
“Last year was definitely a great opportunity and a great experience. I’ve just got to keep on keeping on.”
He faces a stiff battle for the No. 1 job from Collaros, who firmly believes he’s going to be the Roughriders’ starter. Asked Tuesday if he feels like he’s QB1, Collaros replied: “Of course.”
Bridge maintains he was fine with Saskatchewan’s decision to deal for Collaros, who was acquired for a second-round pick in the upcoming CFL draft — a trade that was made after Bridge signed a contract extension.
Bridge tweeted following the trade that he “learned a lot about free agency,” but he notes now that he talked to Jones before the deal with Hamilton was made. Bridge said that Jones told the Canadian QB that he wanted competition at the position, so that’s what Bridge wants to provide.
“I’m not scared of any competition whatsoever,” he said. “I’m happy that Zach is here. He’s a great guy off the field and on the field he’s definitely good. He’s a ball player who can definitely help our football team.”
The quarterbacking competition began Tuesday with the four quarterbacks throwing to receivers who, for the most part, didn’t have any CFL experience. That wasn’t a concern for Bridge, who said quarterbacks regularly have to get used to throwing to newcomers who have replaced injured or departed regulars.
The situation also represents a positive for the QBs in their own development.
“It’s good for us to go through (each play), talk about it, repeat it and see it,” said Bridge, who had a solid mini-camp. “It’s more of a mental thing as opposed to a physical thing.
“These are the same throws that we work on at home, but it’s important for us to have the ball on the hash (mark) and get the guys to line up correctly. It’s good for you to expand your own knowledge of the playbook.”
