\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4205213_web1_260506-Bombers-0049.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Quarterback Taylor Elgersma throws on the opening day of Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie camp at Princess Auto Stadium on Wednesday. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, it\u2019s hard not to be impressed just by his size alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a big dude, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d said Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cIt is shocking when you meet him in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a rookie, but it\u2019s nice to have those experiences to lean on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elgersma isn\u2019t your typical rookie. He attended three CFL camps during his university days, one last year with the Packers, and another recently in the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a rookie, but it\u2019s nice to have those experiences to lean on. I know what it\u2019s like to go through training camps and digest installs fast, and I think that\u2019s something that I can do to be a leader in this locker room, too, with some of the young guys that are doing this for the first time,\u201d said Elgersma.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I meet with them after (practice)? Can we find times to meet as a group, and I can show them some tips that I\u2019ve learned on how to digest these playbooks fast?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elgersma, a former Hec Crighton Trophy winner, is a part of an intriguing quarterback room that features third-year Bomber Terry Wilson, last year\u2019s UFL MVP Bryce Perkins, and Payton Thorne, who has pre-season experience with the Cincinnati Bengals.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single time you\u2019re playing football you\u2019re in a battle, whether you think you\u2019re secure or you\u2019re not, we\u2019re playing pro football, so you\u2019re always battling for your spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bombers are crossing their fingers that one of the four can separate from the pack and win the No. 2 job behind Zach Collaros.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single time you\u2019re playing football you\u2019re in a battle, whether you think you\u2019re secure or you\u2019re not, we\u2019re playing pro football, so you\u2019re always battling for your spot. The best thing you can do is focus on what can I do better tomorrow that I didn\u2019t do well today. What coaching points can I take away from today when we watch film and don\u2019t make the same mistake tomorrow,\u201d said Elgersma.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if you do that for your entire career, you\u2019re gonna end up in a good situation. You look at a guy like Zach, I think that\u2019s how he approaches the game, and so I think that\u2019s what I want to do as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Head Coach Mike O’Shea during the first day of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie camp at Princess Auto Stadium on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Collaros on new playoff format<\/p>\n What does Zach Collaros think of the CFL\u2019s new playoff format that will debut in 2027?<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be exciting for the fans. I think you gotta let kind of everything play out. These people who make the decisions make them for reasons. You just gotta trust it and roll with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would be the point of criticizing it \u2014 if that\u2019s the way I felt anyway. Again, I really don\u2019t feel a certain way about it. It\u2019s tough to win the Grey Cup as it is, adding an extra game is going to make it a little bit harder, but it could create some excitement down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Shea wasn\u2019t willing to share his thoughts on the move to eight out of nine teams making the post-season.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s next year. You can ask me next year.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor 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
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n