All eyes on Zach at Bombers workout

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This article was published 15/08/2023 (812 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Zach Collaros watch continues.

As the Bombers took to IG Field for Day 2 of practice ahead of Friday’s Week 11 matchup in Calgary against the Stampeders, the club’s No. 1 QB was once again a spectator.

As was the case a day earlier, Collaros, who is nursing a minor neck injury that he suffered early into last week’s win over the Edmonton Elks, wasn’t completely absent. Limited to workout clothes, Collaros was passing the ball around with teammates while also mirroring the other quarterbacks as they ran offensive drills.

Whether Collaros will be cleared to play against the Stampeders remains up in the air. The Bombers have one more formal practice on Wednesday, which is a closed workout, and the belief is the Bombers will test out Collaros’ strength and make a decision from there.

If Collaros can’t go, Dru Brown will get his first start of the season. Brown came in to relieve Collaros minutes into the second quarter against the Elks and, down 22-0, helped mount the franchise’s second-biggest comeback, the Bombers leaving Commonwealth Stadium with a 38-29 win.

“Dru has been a part of our QB room ever since I became a co-ordinator,” Bombers OC Buck Pierce said. “We had the COVID year (in 2020), so we got to know each other a lot. Dru’s extremely enthusiastic, passionate and he loves the game of football and wants to know the ins and outs. As a young guy, he’s not afraid to ask the why, which is a big thing.

“His success last week, it really just comes back to that’s what a QB room should be. Your role is always changing. Am I surprised how he played? No. I think everybody’s extremely happy for him, as they should be.”

Brown’s performance, which included going 17-for-24 passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns, certainly helped create a case that if Collaros isn’t in full health, the Bombers are in good hands. Strong performance against the Elks or not, though, and Brown’s teammates insist they’ve always trusted what he can do.

“It’s tough to replace a Zach Collaros…but at the end of the day, when Dru came in the huddle, he commanded it very well,” receiver Nic Demski said. “It was kind of one of those moments where I knew we were going to be OK. I have all the trust in Dru, for sure.”

OLIVEIRA HITTING NEW HEIGHTS

Through nine games, running back Brady Oliveira is making a name for himself as one of the CFL’s top offensive threats.

He’s leading the CFL with 703 rushing yards, along with three touchdowns, and has 19 receptions for 274 yards and one score through the air. It’s been an impressive season so far the sophomore.

“He’s grown into that role a little bit,” said Pierce. “First thing with Brady is he’s athletic, he’s tough, and once you start building that confidence, once he starts getting more comfortable with carries and what he’s seeing out there, the better he’s going to be.”

LAWLER A GAME-CHANGER

Demski doesn’t think there’s any coincidence the return of receiver Kenny Lawler has coincided with an offensive outburst the last three games.

Averaging just fewer than 19 points in the four games prior to Lawler’s return, the Bombers have pushed that number to nearly 40 points with their all-star back in the lineup the last three. Since returning, Lawler has reeled in 16 catches for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s huge. Kenny is a special type of player,” Demski said. “I know as soon as I saw Kenny (in 2018) that he was a different player. He’s definitely a game-changer out here in this league and I’m just happy he’s on our team.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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