One game does not a season make, nor does it make for a career.

For Michael Bishop, the future is as uncertain as ever, but his effort in Tuesday's 14-6 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers allowed the Argos organization to exhale with confidence, if only for a little while.

There had been so much anticipation, so much angst, going into the game at SkyDome, not knowing whether Bishop could handle the opportunity -- both physically and mentally.

This was the situation, in a nutshell, collectively manifested following the fractured tibia suffered by starting quarterback Damon Allen last Thursday against Montreal and the pre-season trade of Marcus Brady to Hamilton.

BISHOP'S TIME

This was Bishop's time, both for one game and, perhaps, for his career. At age 28, he had shown flashes of brilliance, but too often had failed, sometimes because he had been pushed into situations too quickly as a rookie two years ago or because he simply couldn't make the adjustment to life as a professional.

Upon replacing Gary Etcheverry as head coach after 12 games in the 2002 season, Pinball Clemons demoted Bishop to third-string status, deciding the young quarterback hadn't put in the preparation to be the backup, let alone a starter.

And when the Argos traded for Allen during the pre-season last year, it was Brady, not Bishop, who was purposely anointed as the quarterback of the future because of his results on the field and preparation leading up to games.

But Bishop has raw, physical skills, both as a passer and runner, that there is a belief he can be a special player if he pyscholigically and emotionally grasps the situation.

Notwithstanding his production against Winnipeg -- 300 yards passing, 96 yards rushing -- Bishop is only a caretaker while Allen convalesces, but this is a time for him to prove his value as a long-term proposition to the Argos.

"We've decided to try to invest in Michael Bishop," Clemons said after the Argos improved to 6-3 when asked if the quarterback's future would have been predicated on his performance against Winnipeg.

"While we are investing into him and want him to be the guy, if he puts us in a situation, or we felt we were in a situation, where we felt we couldn't win with Michael Bishop, then it's incumbent upon us to make that change.

We're not going to develop him at the risk of the rest of the season. That's not what is called for. We've got confidence in him. We believe he can get the job done.

"He's going to have to be significantly better next time out than he was (against Winnipeg). You ask, how can he be better than close to 100 yards rushing and 300 yards passing? The dynamics will be different, so he may have only 40 yards rushing but he may play a better game in terms of the execution of things and what we have to have happen to be successful.

"He has been growing and it's been hard to see. He played pretty good in the pre-season and had 10 plays before last Thursday (when he entered the game in the third quarter to replace Allen). And half of those plays were against Montreal, which does things differently than most everybody in the league."

TAKE ADVANTAGE

What Bishop needs to do now is take advantage of the resources around him, utilizing the experience of offensive co-ordinator Kent Austin, who took a professional approach in his days as a quarterback and is a tireless teacher in his current occupation, and Allen, who is in his 20th season in the CFL and who long ago realized the value of professionalism.

The time is now for Bishop.