Brandon Bridge went off script.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterback — who has said he tries to prepare the same for every game he plays whether he’s starting or backing up — admitted that he changed things up in the days prior to Saturday’s CFL contest against the visiting Montreal Alouettes (7 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
While getting ready for his second career start with the Roughriders, Bridge called his mentor, current Edmonton Eskimos backup Kevin Glenn, to ask for advice on how to face Montreal defensive co-ordinator Rich Stubler.
“I was trying to picture a lot of the things that Kevin was telling me,” Bridge said Friday. “It felt like Angels in the Outfield; he was right there with me. He was telling me what he thinks is going to happen and to make the best of this opportunity.”
Bridge played with Glenn with the Als in 2015 and ’16 and with the Roughriders last season. 
Bridge relieved Glenn in 11 regular-season games and one playoff contest in 2017, and also started a regular-season game when Glenn was sidelined with an injury to his throwing hand.
Bridge helped the Roughriders defeat the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats 27-19 on Sept. 15, completing 21 of 31 pass attempts for 231 yards with three touchdowns.
Glenn was released this off-season, shortly after the Roughriders acquired Zach Collaros from the Tiger-Cats. Bridge and Collaros competed for the starting job in training camp, with Collaros earning the No. 1 job.
Collaros started both of Saskatchewan’s first two regular-season games, but he didn’t make it out of a 40-17 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks on June 21. A concussion ended his night in the second quarter and, subsequently, sent him to the Roughriders’ six-game injured list.
That opened the door for Bridge, who on Saturday will make the third start of his four-year CFL career. He also started for the Als on Nov. 8, 2015, and took the loss in a 30-24 overtime defeat at the hands of the Roughriders.
Aside from his call this week to Glenn, Bridge tried to keep his preparations the same. As a result, he doesn’t expect to battle any nerves that may go along with being the starter.
“At least I know I’m going to be out there taking that first snap,” he said. “It’s going to be like the same type of thing when it happened in Hamilton and when it happened in my rookie year when I started, evidently, against Saskatchewan. I don’t think anything’s going to be different.
“If something bad happens, just kind of forget about it. That’s what I’ve started to become better at, forgetting about a bad play and even forgetting about a good play and just getting on to the next play. After that play, you can’t take it back so you’ve just got to move forward and make the next play your better play.”
Many of the Roughriders’ offensive players were on the roster when Bridge started against the Tiger-Cats last season — and they’ve also seen him come in as a reliever.
In their minds, Bridge doesn’t change in different situations.
“He’s all business,” guard Dariusz Bladek said. “I haven’t seen a difference in how he has prepared or how he has taken (being named the starter). He’s taking it full on.
“Since he found out that he was going to be the starter, he has been a complete professional about it. He has attacked the days the same, he has been very confident in the way he talks and he’s making sure we know that he’s ready and good to go.”
“He’s the same guy, but he has focused more on being a leader and the captain of the offence,” added receiver Caleb Holley. “We’ll just ride behind him.”
Bridge’s teammates have had to make some adjustments to his play over the past two seasons.
He’s more mobile than Glenn and Collaros and therefore is more willing to take off with the ball if the protection breaks down. That could affect the way the linemen block for their quarterback.
Bridge also has a stronger arm than Glenn and Collaros, so the receivers have to adjust to a ball coming at them with greater velocity. He’s also willing to take shots downfield even when he’s on the move, so the receivers can’t give up on their routes.
“The style of play that he shows on the field speaks to the type of person he is in the huddle and around the offence,” Bladek said. “He’s going to take his chances.
“He’s going to get out of (the pocket), he has a lot of energy and he’s not going to back down from any challenge. He shows that on the field all the time, whether he’s trying to hurdle a guy, run over a guy and/or throw a touchdown. All of them are OK with me as long as he gets up.”
With Collaros out, Bridge got an opportunity to practise with the Roughriders’ starters this week. That allowed the offensive players to get their timing down and get comfortable with each other again in preparation for Saturday’s game.
That contest could be the first of at least six straight starts for Bridge if Collaros needs that much time to recover from his latest concussion. For Bridge, that could represent a chance to lay claim to the starting job for the rest of the season.
“It’s like you’re an actor,” he said. “When you go out there and audition, if you don’t succeed, they’re going to find someone else to do it. You want to put your best foot forward, prepare and execute everything that they call and do all the right things.
“The game is not going to be perfect. I know I’m going to have some mistakes tomorrow and I’m sure I’m going to have some positive things tomorrow as well. At the end of the day, it’s just you making the best of your opportunity.”
