O’Shea won’t tip hand on starter

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This article was published 06/11/2019 (2131 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to IG Field on Wednesday for their first formal practice in nearly two weeks, all signs pointed to Zach Collaros getting the start in Sunday’s CFL West Division semifinal playoff game against the host Calgary Stampeders.

Collaros was under centre against the Stampeders on Oct. 25, with the Bombers recently acquired quarterback helping lead his new team to a 29-28 victory in Winnipeg’s final game of the regular season. Collaros, who was picked up in a trade with the Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 9, was there again Wednesday taking a majority of reps with the first-team offence.

Predictably, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea apparently saw something everyone else didn’t.

“It’s an assumption to say (Collaros) took all the first-team reps. I guess you know what our lineup is,” O’Shea quipped to one reporter.

“They all took meaningful reps, so we’ll figure it out as we go on.”

The Bombers’ other option as starting quarterback, Chris Streveler, returned to practice after missing the last game with an ankle injury he suffered against the Stampeders the previous week (for those counting, yes, the Bombers will play Calgary in three straight games). He worked mostly with the second-team offence and scout team, though he looked limited in his mobility. While he was able to deliver passes with relative ease, there were none of his usual designed running plays.

It’s apparent that Streveler, 24, is not at 100 per cent.

“It’s getting better every day and we’ll see how it feels (Thursday),” said Streveler. “Today has been the most I’ve done in a while. It’s been a process getting back and I’m not really sure how it’s going to play out.”

It’s hard to imagine O’Shea will look to Streveler to start given his health and workload at practice. The Bombers have two more workouts before they head to Calgary, so it’s possible things could change by then.

“I’m going to prepare like I’m the starter and we’ll see how the week progresses,” Collaros said.

What’s most likely to happen — or at least what the Bombers are likely hoping for — is to have Streveler healthy enough to handle short-yardage duties and be a reliable backup behind Collaros.

Winnipeg’s best shot of snapping a 28-year Grey Cup drought is to maximize the strengths of both players — Collaros for his arm and Streveler for his legs.

“It certainly brings a different feel to the offence when you have different things available,” said O’Shea when asked about the potential of having a two-quarterback system. “Streveler did a fair bit to put us in position to win games.”

The Bombers saw a lot of success running a similar system to start the season, with Streveler complementing starter Matt Nichols. When Nichols suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in Week 10 — he was later ruled out for the year and has undergone surgery — general manager Kyle Walters picked up the phone to find a veteran pivot. It wasn’t until several weeks later that Collaros became available and the Bombers sent a third-round draft pick to secure his services (Winnipeg also received Toronto’s fifth-round selection next year and, if Collaros signs an extension with the Bombers they would have to give the Argonauts an additional first-round pick for 2020).

Given what the Bombers gave up to get Collaros, it would seem foolish not to run a two-headed attack, assuming Streveler can play. Just the idea has some players on the offence excited about the possibilities.

“We’re at our best when we’re dynamic, it just benefits the whole team,” said Bombers right guard Patrick Neufeld. “Offensively, it gives us motivation up front, whether we’re passing or running the ball, and it gives us multiple looks. It’s just fun for us to go out there and keep defences honest and on their toes.”

Neufeld said it wouldn’t take much adjusting between quarterbacks. The bigger challenge, he said, is gettind a read on what Calgary’s defence is doing and working around that.

“I’ve been in the league long enough to see defences completely change in the first playoff game,” said Neufeld, who joined the CFL in 2011.

Collaros seems like the obvious choice to start the playoff game in Calgary because he led the Bombers to their last win against the Stampeders with fewer than two weeks of preparation time to learn a new system.

The 31-year-old said he believes he did a good job of executing, throwing for 221 passing yards and two touchdowns, and added he did a decent job of seeing what Calgary’s defence was doing.

“They do a really good job of mixing things up, giving you different zone (coverage) looks, while sneaking in man (coverage) looks here and there,” Collaros said.

“You really have to be on your game to see what they’re doing to know where you go with the football. That’s our job as a unit and we’re going to try our best to execute.”

The recent bye week has only helped Collaros get more comfortable.

“Just being able to keep combing through the playbook and being able to ask the coaches questions… all those things, all that stuff is invaluable for me right now. I mean it always is, but when you’re playing catch-up it definitely is.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton