Michael Bishop, seen in a 2008 CFL regular-season game with Saskatchewan, will start for the Blue Bombers in Toronto on Saturday.Troy Fleece/The Canadian Press
Toronto Argonauts linebacker Willie Pile will see a familiar face Saturday afternoon when he peers into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers backfield.
Former Argos quarterback Michael Bishop will be under centre for the Bombers when the two teams square off at Rogers Centre (TSN, 1 p.m. ET). Bishop gets the starting nod despite having only four practices under his belt with Winnipeg, something Pile says Toronto's defence must take advantage of.
"It's a short turnaround in terms of him learning the offence and learning the schemes so we're not sure what packages they're going to have for him," Pile said. "I'd hope that would be an advantage for us.
"I mean I'm going out there hoping that we do have that advantage."
Bishop, 33, signed with Winnipeg (1-3) earlier this week after Stefan LeFors, Bryan Randall and Richie Williams combined for just 66 yards passing in the club's 19-5 home loss to Toronto (2-2) on July 24. The former Kansas State star hasn't had much time to prepare but he's been successful before in a similar situation. Last year Bishop guided the Saskatchewan Roughriders to victory only days after being acquired from Toronto.
"I'm ready for it," Bishop said. "It's not something that's new to me, I've had to learn new offences a lot before.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play. I've watched film and seen the mistakes that were made last week and this is a chance for us to bounce back from that."
The six-foot-one, 215-pound Bishop is familiar to Argos fans. He joined the club in 2002 and enjoyed a roller-coaster existence in Toronto before being dealt to Saskatchewan on Aug. 23, 2008. He was immediately named the club's starter and beat Winnipeg in consecutive weeks.
Bishop's season ended miserably when he had three interceptions and fumbled twice in Saskatchewan's 33-12 loss to the B.C. Lions in the West Division semi-final. Shortly afterwards, Bishop was released by the Riders.
Throughout his CFL career, Bishop has dazzled coaches with his immense athletic ability. He has a strong right arm and can throw a football 70 yards downfield with little effort. And despite his size, Bishop has sneaky speed and is a load to bring down once he heads up-field.
But the biggest knock against Bishop is his reliance on his physical gifts. Too often he has tried to force his passes into tight coverage - resulting in costly interceptions - and at times takes off upfield rather than use his mobility to extend passing plays and give his receivers a split second longer to get open.
Last season, Bishop completed 160-of-274 passes (58 per cent completion average) with 10 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Bishop also ran 46 times for 244 yards (5.3-yard average) with four TDs, but also had five fumbles.
And over seven CFL seasons, Bishop has thrown more interceptions (56) than touchdowns (51) but was a member of Toronto's 2004 Grey Cup-championship squad.
However, Bishop's tenure in Toronto ended bitterly. After compiling an 11-1 record as the starter in '07, Bishop became embroiled in a quarterback controversy when the club acquired former CFL MVP Kerry Joseph from Saskatchewan in the off-season. The Argos deemed Bishop expendable, dealing him later in the year to the Riders.
Bishop says he holds no grudge against the Argos, although he'd like the chance to speak with Rich Stubler, who was Toronto's head coach last year and helped create the quarterback controversy by opting for a rotation rather than naming a full-time starter.
"The only thing I'll say about the whole situation is I'd maybe like to see coach Stubler and sit down and have a talk with him," Bishop said. "I'd like the opportunity to sit down, man to man, with him and talk about what happened.
"Other than that, I mean I couldn't care less about what went on. Life is full of changes . . . and it's all about what you make of it."
Toronto head coach Bart Andrus said Bishop will present some challenges for the Argos defence.
"He's a very good player," Andrus said. "He's a mobile guy who can extend the play.
"I think the best thing to do for us was to prepare for their offence, for their scheme and try to project how he fits that scheme and what nuances they will create for him. I'm sure there will be some new things. But time on that is in our favour. You can't obviously re-design the wheel in a week."
Toronto will feature a different offensive lineup. Slotback Arland Bruce III, who was on the active roster but suspended for the game for disciplinary reasons, was dealt to Hamilton this week. He's expected to be replaced by Cory Rodgers, who recorded 35 catches for 462 yards and five TDs in two seasons with the B.C. Lions.
"He's real smooth, he's fluid," Andrus said of Rodgers. "He catches the ball with his hands, he has experience in the league, he understands the high motion and coverages he's seeing.
"It's nice to see him in the way he's attentive in meetings, the questions he asks then takes it to the practice field. I see a lot of upside in him."
Also this week, the Argos signed receiver Chad Lucas, who played for Andrus in NFL Europe. He's expected to start ahead of Reggie McNeal, who had four catches for a team-high 60 yards in last week's game.