Marquise Bridges knew the questions were coming. And he knew he wouldn’t be alone in being put under the microscope to have his game magnified 1000x.

There are plenty of Winnipeg Blue Bombers answering those hard questions this week after back-to-back three touchdown losses to the Calgary Stampeders that exposed some problems in all three phases.

Yet there was Bridges — the second-year member/first-time starting corner in the Blue Bombers secondary — eloquently answering the queries and not shying away from any of his share of the responsibility. And if all Blue Bombers take the same approach — and so far, they all have — then they’ll be better positioned to try and get their game right again this Saturday in Toronto against the Argonauts.

First, Bridges addressed the defensive performance over the two losses to the Stamps and, in particular, the dreaded big plays — ‘explosion plays’ — against:

“We just weren’t as sharp as what we needed to be and what we’re capable of at the end of the day,” he began after practice Wednesday. “It’s plays we’ve made a thousand times in practices and with a lot of these guys a thousand times in a game. Those mental lapses they happen every once in a while, and we just know we have to pick it back up because we know what we’re capable of.

“It’s a long season and we get to learn about ourselves throughout the season. The same thing they’re watching on film we get to watch, and we get to grow, too. That’s how we clean it up — we get those lessons; we bump our head a few times and at the end of the day we’ve got to grow and keep levelling up from where we were.

“That’s for everybody — everybody that’s been here for years and everybody that’s new — to continue to elevate our game.”

Winnipeg’s defence is surrendering an average of 271 yards passing per game, which is middle of the pack in the Canadian Football League. Yet, it’s been the uncustomary busts that have left opponents occasionally wide open which have been concerning.

Asked about being alone out there on the corner — Bridges Island, so to speak — and how those busts can be very visible, Bridges gave an answer that would be echoed by everyone in the Blue Bombers clubhouse.

“It’s not about the visibility, it’s about letting my teammates down in that instant and just knowing that I want to win and I want to help the team win and if I do something that is the direct opposite of that, that’s disappointing in my eyes,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily for everybody’s opinion or whatever people might say, it’s for my teammates and I want to make sure go out the right way every time we step on that field so it’s my job to make sure I do my job correctly so we can all get the affect we want from the game.

“That’s the nature of the job. We’re going to have a lot of those tough times, a lot of those things you don’t want to have to learn and that uncomfortable feeling you don’t want to feel, but that’s when you grow the most.”

The nature of the job also calls for a short memory. The Argos will have studied the film just like everyone else. And Bridges knows that means his name could be circled on the depth chart as someone to attack on Saturday.

“I know how it is,” he said. “I know what I’ve put on film so far, so I know where they’re going to attack me and that goes for everybody, whether you’ve been here for six years or not, we all know where they’re going to try and attack us. We all have quote-unquote, weaknesses in our game and we have to make sure our weaknesses aren’t weak. Make sure we can look at those things and make them our strength and play to what they would think is a weakness.

“If you lose confidence, you lose the job, you lose the fun of the game. For me, it’s easier because my teammates pick me up. I’m not perfect in that instance at all. I put my head down at times and I’m my biggest critic, but I always have these guys around me to pick my head up whenever it’s down.”

OUCH REPORT: No real changes to the Blue Bombers injury report today, with future hall of fame left tackle still out but more mobile. Asked about his level of confidence he could play this week, head coach Mike O’Shea offered this after practice: “I saw him moving around today. Pretty damn good. We’ll see, though. You know Stan doesn’t need to practice, right? A lot of the vets do not need any practice to play.

“I mean, he’s played very well for a very long time. I don’t think he needs any tune up in terms of scheme or anything like that. Unless he’s cleared to play, he wouldn’t be playing and when Al (Couture, head athletic therapist) clears somebody to play it means they’re ready to actually play, not, ‘We’re ready to use them in certain situations.’ They’re ready to play.”

Micah Vanterpool started the last game in Bryant’s place after previously lining up at left guard. O’Shea’s assessment of his play:

“Like every other player when we lose there’s going to be plays they’d like to have back. It takes some time to get the footwork all down and have the game slow down enough for you and vision, but he’s a big strong athlete that can play the game. I’m sure he’s going to keep on improving.”

Injury Report: July 23, 2025#ForTheW | @DoctorsManitoba pic.twitter.com/YbFxc10z7X

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 23, 2025

NEWS FROM THE THE 6IX: TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported today that the Argos will start Nick Arbuckle on Saturday as starter Chad Kelly continues his recovery from a broken leg last November.

Can confirm that Nick Arbuckle will start again this week for #Argos. Chad Kelly likely won’t dress until next week. His complete recovery has obviously taken longer than the club initially expected (3-4 weeks). @CFLonTSN @TSN_Sports https://t.co/bNC03mIKkj

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) July 23, 2025