Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
REGINA — While the waiting game continues for Canadian quarterbacks Brandon Bridge and Andrew Buckley, last week provided a little bit of a teaser.
Bridge made his second career start in the absence of Kevin Glenn, leading the Riders to a 27-19 win over the Ticats at Tim Hortons Field. This week, the Mississauga, Ont. native returns to the backup role as the veteran Glenn reclaims the reins — but not before making CFL history.
With three touchdown passes vs. the Tabbies, Bridge became the first Canadian quarterback since Greg Vavra in 1984 to accomplish that feat. Meanwhile, he was the first to record a win since Vavra in 1985.
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It’s fair to say that the Riders’ quarterback has helped ‘Bridge’ the gap for Canadian pivots. After all, it’s been 30 years since a Canadian quarterback has enjoyed relevance as a potential legitimate starter, with most of the top prospects since then either failing to rise on the depth chart or having to change positions.
The best chance may have been Brad Sinopoli, who converted to receiver and has now become of the league’s top pass-catchers following a celebrated career as a quarterback at the University of Ottawa.
For Bridge and Buckley, however, there was no position change. While both are athletic, they were also both aggressive in their hopes of playing quarterback at the professional level. And so far, they’ve been successful.
This season, Bridge outdueled all comers for the second-string quarterback job in Saskatchewan. Buckley, meanwhile, won the No. 2 job in Calgary fair and square, parlaying that on top of a successful 2016 season as a short-yardage quarterback.
Since Russ Jackson retired after winning the Grey Cup in 1969, only seven Canadian quarterbacks have started at least one game. Of those, five have led their club to at least a win.
Bridge’s two starts on Nov. 8, 2015 and Sept. 15, 2017 were the most recent since Guilio Caravatta (BC) and Larru Jusdanis (HAM) in 1996.
Can Bridge and Buckley change the course of history for Canadian quarterbacks? Stay tuned.
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