In the words of Ron Burgundy, “well, that escalated quickly.”
Before the end of the Montreal Alouettes opening game of the 2015 CFL season at home against the Ottawa Redblacks, both their first and second-string quarterbacks were both gone and out of the game with injuries.
Starter Jon Crompton started the game but left at halftime after being hit multiple times and bruising up his shoulder. Backup Dan LeFevour took the ball for one passing play and had his shoulder dislocated after he was pressured and knocked to the ground. Crompton’s injury is less severe, and he is listed day-to-day, but he will likely be out for week two. It was the back-up LeFevour who took the worst fall and will miss the rest of the season.
The rookie Canadian pivot Brandon Bridge came into the game late but failed to deliver the goods, and the Alouettes ultimately fell to the second-year Redblacks.
Bridge looked confident in the pocket, stringing together five passes on two separate drives before being intercepted. On his first successful drive, he put rookie kicker Boris Bede in a position to nail three points through the uprights. Unfortunately, those five passes were the only ones he completed, and he finished with a 50% completion and led the team 62 yards down the field. He still played better than the starter Crompton, who finished on 5 for 17 passing, 51 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Bridge is full of swagger and exudes confidence. The 6’4,” 230-pound 23-year-old came marching onto the field with his left helmet strap undone, looking like former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in 2004. Bridge had some veteran wide receivers and slotbacks in the league playing alongside him, and he didn’t show an ounce of fear. Can the Alouettes trust this rookie with their offense for at least one more week while Crompton recovers?
The team hosts the defending Grey Cup champs, the Calgary Stampeders, in week two. Calgary’s solid defence in week one against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats included an interception from defensive back Keon Raymond and three sacks from linebacker Charleston Hughes and defensive lineman Freddie Bishop III, but they still allowed 23 points at home. After matching up against Henry Burris last week, who is nearly double his age, Bridge will likely not be cowed by Grey Cup MVP Bo-Levi Mitchell on Friday.
Can Bridge maintain a veteran-filled offense for at least a week, or should the Alouettes sign a veteran quarterback who knows the offense well to fill out the roster at the position? John Skelton didn’t practice at all in training camp with the club, but he must at least know some of the offense. Rakeem Cato, who participated in the preseason games and was placed on the one-game injured reserve, will be available to be Bridge’s backup this week. Alex Brink, who played in Montreal last season but was cut during the offseason, can also be signed to play. He has worked with head coach Tom Higgins and offensive coordinator Kurt Schoernert, but had a different OC and playbook last season.
Then there’s the distant possibility that Anthony Calvillo would come out of retirement to just serve as a backup while Crompton recovers. He is currently the receivers coach and knows the offense well, but hasn’t played under Higgins or Schoenert’s offence. The likelihood of that happening is close to zero, so don’t get too excited, Alouettes fans.
For now, the team will have to trust Bridge with the offence; there are just no other options. Crompton should come back soon, but anything is possible when a player is recovering from injury. Because Crompton has had a terrible start, Bridge can show that he might become a starter even when Crompton returns from injury.
If his receivers communicate well with him, the Alouettes can be explosive, as we saw for short periods on Thursday. Nik Lewis and S.J. Green were the best receivers on the field, and if Bridge throws a pass too high or too low, those two will still be able to make the grab.
The Alouettes have been in awkward situation with quarterbacks dating back to 2013, so this Crompton injury is nothing new. Bridge will be the sixth starting quarterback since Calvillo last played a down, and the fourth since Higgins started as head coach. The team just needs to trust this young gun and let him control the game. If Bridge can remain confident with the ball as he did on Thursday, the Alouettes can be reassured until the Crompton injury saga is over. Who knows, if Bridge plays well enough, there might even be a quarterback controversy in Montreal.
