Pivotal moves have Riders on the verge of a Grey Cup
Glenn, Bridge don’t have the Titanic hype of Young, but there’s no denying the success
Vince Young proved to be the antithesis of his surname — and the Saskatchewan Roughriders handed the starting quarterback’s reins to someone four years older.
This did not seem to be a formula for success, but concerns about how the Riders would fare at football’s most crucial position were eventually allayed.
Kevin Glenn, a spry 38, is set to start behind centre in Sunday’s CFL East Division final against the host Toronto Argonauts.
Should Glenn falter, or be hung out to dry by matador pass protection, head coach Chris Jones will almost certainly turn to Brandon Bridge, who has been effective in relief.
Glenn and Bridge combined for 35 regular-season touchdown passes, giving Saskatchewan the highest total in the quarterback-rich CFL.
Meanwhile, the highest-profile signing in franchise history — the aforementioned Young — has long departed from the Great White North, a torn hamstring having ended the former Tennessee Titan’s comeback bid before the Riders played a pre-season game.
It seems like only yesterday when Young was introduced at Mosaic Stadium, where he displayed a No. 8 jersey. Agent Leigh Steinberg, upon whom the movie Jerry Maguire was based, was also on hand for the news conference.
The Riders had a glaring void at quarterback from the moment it became apparent that Darian Durant would not return. When contract talks reached an impasse, Durant was traded to the Montreal Alouettes. He soon signed a new deal with Montreal, a three-year pact calling for a reported $400,000 per annum.
For considerably less cash, Jones signed Glenn, who had just been released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A seen-it-all, done-it-all veteran such as Glenn was thought to offer a semblance of insurance, but could he replace Durant?
Well, yeah. Glenn threw 25 TD passes before piloting Saskatchewan to Sunday’s 31-20 playoff victory over the host Ottawa Redblacks, against whom Marcus Thigpen rushed for 169 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.
Although Glenn was widely thought to be a stop-gap measure or a safety net, he has been a key leader for a revitalized Roughriders team.
Bridge, meanwhile, has thrown 10 TD passes in a relief role, demonstrating a rocket-powered throwing arm and impressive mobility.
Bridge, like Glenn, was an inexpensive acquisition. Montreal placed him on waivers in 2016 and Saskatchewan put in a claim. Nobody set off any fireworks when Bridge became a Roughrider.
Glenn was not flown to Regina for a lavish announcement. He isn’t even the best quarterback to wear No. 5 for Saskatchewan, that distinction being held by Kent Austin.
But now, Glenn is only one victory away from joining Austin, Durant, Glenn Dobbs, Ron Lancaster and Kerry Joseph on a list of quarterbacks who have started for Saskatchewan in a Grey Cup game.
A comparison could also be made to Reggie Slack, who surprisingly led the Roughriders to a 1997 Grey Cup berth.
As was the case 20 years ago, the Riders were not paying top dollar — or anything close — for a quarterback. Nonetheless, Slack caught fire and carried his team to the big game, won 47-23 by Doug Flutie and the Argonauts.
With an enforceable salary cap now in place, Jones opted to spend conservatively on quarterbacks with the intent of fortifying the team in other areas.
“Certainly, you’re able to spread the money around and spread the wealth around and create a team,” Jones said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things that we’ve done.”
It all started by adding the current starter, a CFL nomad who is excelling despite being the league’s oldest player.
“I knew Kevin Glenn from coaching against him, but I had never been on a staff with Kevin Glenn, and I had only been on a team with Brandon Bridge for a short period of time,” Jones said. “There were a lot of unknowns.
“When we talked to Vince, Vince was a very good player once upon a time and wanted to try to give it a restart. Unfortunately for him, he got injured and our guys stepped up and have played some very good football, but I think more so than that, they’ve developed as a team.”