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It was a brief and unsuccessful appearance. Some observers, such as TSN broadcaster and former Canadian Football League safety Glen Suitor, said it was too brief.

“Because it’s a Canadian quarterback, there is less patience,” Suitor said as Bridge’s replacement David Watford struggled through the second half and the Riders lost to the Alouettes.

Photo by Jeff McIntosh / CP

Because Bridge is a Canadian quarterback, there is certainly more attention from fans, pundits and the league itself. And something might just come from it.

“One of the things we have not done a lot of as a league is we have not had a comprehensive football development strategy for the nation,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie told Postmedia during a pre-season interview.

“I think we’ve got to sit down with all of our partners. We just sit down with Football Canada and have a conversation. How do we grow the game? How do we get more kids playing? You’ve got to get massive participation in the game because that’s going to get your best athlete.

“Your best athletes are going to choose to play this sport and what will emerge out of that is going to be a slew of people who might be that next superstar quarterback.”

History shows that athlete is more likely to be an offensive lineman.

“We’ve got to find a way to get more athletes to choose football who are good athletes with a different profile,” Ambrosie said. “We’ve got to work hard with junior. I think we are under appreciating how powerful junior can be. We’ve got to work at the university system more than we have.”