Zach is back

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2023 (755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Zach Collaros is back.

The reigning, two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player award winner was a full participant at Monday’s practice at IG Field for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Collaros suffered a neck injury two weeks ago in Edmonton that led to him missing the second half of that game, and all of Friday’s 19-18 win in Calgary over the Stampeders.

Barring any setbacks, Collaros will get the start this Thursday at home when the Bombers (8-2) host the Montreal Alouettes (6-3).

The injury wasn’t overly serious, but the team wanted to proceed with caution.

“You never want to miss (time), right? You don’t get a lot of opportunities in this game so you cherish every one,” Collaros said after practice.

“Obviously when you’re not able to go it’s tough.”

Collaros got nicked up when Elks defensive lineman Kony Ealy landed on the back of the quarterback’s neck. Ealy was not flagged for roughing the passer.

“I doubt it was something intentional,” said Collaros. “At the same time, protecting the quarterback has never been a priority in this league.”

With Collaros back in the fold, that bumps Dru Brown back to the No. 2 spot. After a heroic performance off the bench against the Elks, Brown fell back to earth in Calgary by completing 17 of his 27 passes for 171 yards and zero touchdowns.

“Getting a week to prepare is a different animal than just being thrown in there, and Calgary does a really good job at game planning,” said Collaros. “It’s definitely valuable for (Brown) to go into a full week knowing he’s going to be the person to play and I thought he did a really good job.”

Brown was lucky to leave the contest without any turnovers as he had several throws that easily could’ve been picked off.

“I think there were some things I could’ve done better. But as far as the type of game that it was, I think that we all kind of took away that there weren’t a ton of plays made on either side but we were able to make a few more than them,” said Brown.

“Calgary is a really well coached team. That’s kind of what’s always been said. When people talk about Calgary, they talk about how well coached they are and how good of an organization it is. I thought they had a good plan and they made some adjustments. They didn’t make the same mistakes Edmonton did as far as matching up with our guys.”

Brown, a third-year pro, stressed how much fun he had during his six quarters of action. He doesn’t see returning to his old gig as a negative, though.

“The cool thing about being here is yeah, do I want to be a starter? Absolutely. But being a backup here, being in that room, you still find a lot of purpose,” said Brown.

“You still have a huge role. And even though the people that are sitting (in the stands) or you guys won’t necessarily see it, it still brings a lot of fulfillment to me. So, whatever the team needs, it’s kind of cliché, but I’m here for it.”

It was an eventful trip to McMahon Stadium for short-yardage quarterback Dakota Prukop. Offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce called his number twice on first-and-10s for read-option plays and Prukop fumbled on both. Prukop managed to recover them — the first was on an exchange with Greg McCrae, while the second happened with Brady Oliveira — but neither drive was sustained.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“It was a challenge, it was tough, and it was a great learning experience because I just had two bad plays in a row. I’ve been in zone read systems my whole life, since middle school, really, and I’ve never dealt with a situation where I had two fumbles,” said Prukop.

He did, however, dust himself off and make a huge play at the end of the game by plunging forward on a third-and-two from Winnipeg’s 17 that ultimately sealed the victory. A mistake there would’ve cost the Bombers the game.

“I’m just extremely grateful to be part of a team where guys continue to trust you, coaches continue to trust you, because there’s a lot of other situations across the league where I’m sure they wouldn’t have continued to trust,” said Prukop.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

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.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.