The man nicknamed “Air Canada” is looking to make a safe landing with a National Football League team.
Brandon Bridge, a Mississauga, Ont., native and St. Marcellinus Secondary School grad, earned that nickname while at Alcorn State for wowing team supporters with his rocket arm. It stuck with him even after he transferred to South Alabama, and it’s become the main part of his Twitter handle: @Air_Canada_7.
Bridge believes his eye-popping arm strength was developed thanks in part to playing on the larger Canadian field growing up, and it’s that attribute that got him noticed by NFL talent evaluators. He’s the first Canadian quarterback since Jesse Palmer back in 2001 to get invited to the NFL Combine.
Throughout his NCAA career, Bridge flashed pro potential. Now he’s going to continue honing his accuracy—he completed 52 percent of his attempts in his final year—to become more of a deadly sniper.
Upon graduation, Bridge signed with NFL agent David Mulugheta from Athletes First. He then flew out to Orange County, Calif., in January to work with Steve Calhoun, a respected QB guru who has tutored Nick Foles, Mike Glennon and Jake Locker in the past. The goal: Refine his mechanics for a month preparing for the Combine and draft process.
“Throughout the season I was falling back, throwing off my back foot and relying on my arm,” Bridge says.
“He has a really strong arm,” Calhoun says, “but there are some throws he’s missed. If he was able to be balanced and have his feet underneath him he could really be good. I wanted to make sure his footwork was really clean and [have him] understand that his balance leads to his accuracy.”
During workouts, Bridge has been focused on strengthening and improving his ankle stability to help make his footwork even more precise when throwing the football.
“It’s about repetition of drops and understanding where foot placement needs to be to make certain throws,” Calhoun explains. “I have a theory that if you start with great balance, you can finish with good balance, and balance leads to accuracy.”
And the hard-working, open-minded Bridge has been soaking up the lessons.
“Hopefully I can show I’ve been working on my footwork and it’s been polished up,” he says.
Calhoun also tried to teach Bridge how to be comfortable being uncomfortable—to be ready for anything out of the ordinary, on the field with his movement or throughout the draft process.
As for the Combine itself, Calhoun told Bridge to simply enjoy it.
“It’s just for him to get a number on that scale of one to 10. It’s not going to make you or break you,” Calhoun says. “If you come out as a six or a seven on that scale then you understand what you need to work on because you have all the feedback from the teams. Then you can get back in the lab to work.”
NFL prospects are often compared to current pros and some have referred to Bridge as ‘Baby Kaep’ after 49ers pivot Colin Kaepernick. He actually idolized Michael Vick growing up, and that’s why he’s worn No. 7 for much of his football career. But Calhoun feels he’s more similar to another mobile, strong-armed quarterback.
“I would say Cam Newton because of the size,” Calhoun says. “He’s able to extend plays with his athletic ability and his legs. So I would have to say Cam would be his high-end potential that he could reach.”
If Bridge could ever come close to reaching that level, he would be the best quarterback Canada has ever produced. And whether or not he does certainly won’t be from a lack of effort.