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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
All signs point to Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (left) starting for the club on the road Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders.<\/p>\n
Against his better judgment, Collaros admitted Tuesday, he put himself at risk of further damaging the neck injury that knocked him out of the Bombers\u2019 Week 7 home contest against the Calgary Stampeders by playing in the club\u2019s Week 8 road game against the Toronto Argonauts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my decision to play in that Toronto game (on July 26), and probably rushed it back there,\u201d said Collaros, who missed last week\u2019s rematch with the Argos.<\/p>\n
The initial ailment, which plagued him with whiplash-like symptoms, did not keep him from practising the following week, but it prohibited him from finishing the game in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Collaros, who mysteriously emerged from the locker room after halftime without pads on, confirmed it was after being hit that he felt the lingering effects of his injury. He knew it wouldn\u2019t be wise to continue playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHindsight is probably perfect,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cYou\u2019re always relying on the players to really verbalize how they\u2019re doing and how they\u2019re feeling. We have a lot of trust and faith in Zach and, obviously\u2026 Al Couture (head athletic therapist) and our medical staff are second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n
All signs point to Collaros returning to his post under centre when the Bombers (4-3) face the Stampeders (5-3) at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Saturday (6 p.m.).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt the two-time Most Outstanding Player is Winnipeg\u2019s best quarterback option to defeat one of the top teams in the CFL, but he\u2019s also offered plenty of reason to question whether that is still the case.<\/p>\n
In Collaros\u2019s five starts this season, he\u2019s thrown two interceptions in four of them. His eight interceptions are the second-most among all quarterbacks, which is a troubling stat, considering he matched a career-high 15 interceptions (second most in the CFL) last season.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Bombers\u2019 offence has collectively recorded 20 giveaways in the last four contests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that, for sure, as a locker room, we understand that we need to get better at,\u201d said Collaros. \u201cIt\u2019s not a secret, and it\u2019s something that we think is a part of our DNA here, so we need to start living up to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collaros\u2019s old-school gunslinger play style has delivered more good moments than bad since arriving in the Manitoba capital.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s someone who believes he can make any throw on a field \u2014 and has proven that on many occasions \u2014 but lately, that has gotten him into trouble, as he\u2019s bitten off more than he can chew on some attempts. Fitting the ball into tight windows has been a trademark of his game, but that high-risk play style can be equally frustrating for fans when the giveaways equate to losses.<\/p>\n
Collaros agreed that it\u2019s a balancing act that he must perform, playing the style he\u2019s built a Hall of Fame career on without sinking his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think protecting the ball is one of the most important things in football, right? 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 want to be aggressive here.\u2019 There is a dance that you need to kind of have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just about making sure that the plays that we\u2019re running are clear and concise, and I have a great understanding of them and making sure that I\u2019m getting through my reads in a timely fashion. Accuracy, those things matter, of course, as well. It\u2019s a 12-man thing, but ultimately, it starts with me and making sure that I don\u2019t put the ball in harm\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, it\u2019s imperative to any team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea said the club has been thriving in recent years with quarterback Zach Collaros.<\/p>\n And unlike 2023 when he tossed 15 interceptions but made up for it with 33 touchdown passes, Collaros has just seven this year. Simply, the good just hasn\u2019t caught up to the bad this year.<\/p>\n Even then, O\u2019Shea said the Bombers are comfortable with Collaros\u2019s aggressive nature.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just living, we\u2019ve been thriving with Zach Collaros for a long time. We\u2019re putting up with greatness, if that\u2019s what you want to talk about,\u201d said O\u2019Shea, adding he does not talk to Collaros about reining in his throws.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s as smart as they come,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of conversation like that. As a lot of these guys are, they get to this level and they\u2019re their own worst critic.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps an argument can be made for the Bombers\u2019 offensive struggles, and Collaros, in particular.<\/p>\n Consider this: the CFL will effectively reach the halfway point of the season this week, and the Bombers\u2019 starting pivot has been on the field for a little more than 15 quarters of it.<\/p>\n An opening-week bye, followed by a suspension in Week 2, another bye in Week 6, consecutive early exits and missing the entirety of the most recent game to injury is a tough deal for anyone to handle.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to get in a rhythm. We all need to get in a rhythm. I think the more reps, the better,\u201d said Collaros.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t \u201cWe\u2019ve obviously had two bye weeks during that time, which, not to make excuses, makes things a little more difficult. At the same time, this is our job. We need to play at a high level, and we hold ourselves to high standards, but I do think more practices, more games, will help level that all out. That\u2019s the hope at least.\u201d<\/p>\n As far as the notion that Father Time could be catching up to the 36-year-old, Collaros offered up a brief thought.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel young still. I don\u2019t know. I feel alright.\u201d<\/p>\n joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X: @jfreysam<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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