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<\/p>\nSay this about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers through their first seven games: they are a respectable 4-3 \u2014 although given the recent run that feels a bit like treading water \u2014 despite a swack of injuries, a pile of new faces and a starting quarterback who has missed two games and absent for good chunks of others.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also this: they are 4-3 despite owning the ugliest statistic in the Canadian Football League \u2014 25 turnovers made and a grotesque turnover differential of -10.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with me as the quarterback and making sure that I\u2019m putting the ball in the right location, that my decision-making is good enough so I\u2019m not putting the ball in harm\u2019s way and we lock into the details so we can be on the same page and be on time,\u201d said quarterback Zach Collaros after practice on Tuesday. \u201cThose are the things that matter in the pass game with regards to interceptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that, for sure, as a locker room we understand we need to get better at.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a secret and it\u2019s something we think is part of our DNA here, so we need to live up to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
True enough.<\/p>\n
The gory details: Collaros and Chris Streveler have combined to throw a league-high 14 interceptions \u2014 four of which have been returned for touchdowns \u2014 lost three fumbles while turning the ball over eight times on downs.<\/p>\n
Collaros, meanwhile, missed last week\u2019s game with a neck injury and didn\u2019t finish the previous two games due to the same ailment. Couple that with changes to the receiving corps and the offensive line and finding any kind of continuity or rhythm has been difficult.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Asked about his gunslinging ways and how that works while trying to protect the football \u2014 walking the fine line of being careful while not sacrificing the aggressiveness \u2014 he offered this:<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting the ball is one of the most-important things in football. At the same time, you never want to go into a football game or go into a situation and say, \u2018I\u2019m afraid to make the throw\u2019 or \u2018I don\u2019t to be aggressive here.\u2019 There is a dance you need to have.\u201d<\/p>\n
And when it was put to head coach Mike O\u2019Shea if \u2018you live with the risky throws\u2019 because of Collaros\u2019 gunslinging ways, he cut off the question before it was even finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019re not just living, we\u2019ve been thriving with Zach Collaros for a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cYou make it sound like we\u2019re putting up with something here. We\u2019re putting up with greatness, if that\u2019s what you want to talk about.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 He\u2019s as smart as they come. As a lot of these guys are when they get to this level, they\u2019re their own worst critic.\u201d<\/p>\n
HEALTH UPDATE: Collaros also spoke on Tuesday about missing last week\u2019s win over Toronto after the neck injury he suffered against Calgary a few weeks ago caused him to them come out of the game in Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to monitor it for an extra couple days,\u201d said Collaros. \u201cIt was my decision to play in that Toronto game and I probably rushed it back there. It was a joint thing\u2026 Al (Couture, head athletic therapist) and everybody here is very good, and we were on the same page and I felt I could go. They trust me. Hindsight is 20-20.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 It\u2019s been tough \u2014 you never want to miss games; there\u2019s not enough games in a football season. It\u2019s tough going through practice and going through training camp and not being out there with the guys. At the same time, we have a great staff here so we\u2019ve been able to navigate the ups and downs of the situation. I feel good now, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
Injury Report: August 5, 2025#ForTheW<\/a> | @DoctorsManitoba<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ljeZcKhcP9<\/a><\/p>\n