Collaros staying the course

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This article was published 23/07/2024 (467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you were expecting Zach Collaros to be showing signs of panic or visible frustration, you haven’t been paying attention to how the Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB1 conducts his business.

As the Blue Bombers returned to the field for the first time after Friday’s 19-9 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders that dropped the team to 2-5 this season, Collaros continued to sound like he always has since taking control of the offence in the fall of 2019.

His calm and steady demeanor was exactly the same as it was a week earlier when Collaros was coming off his most productive start — which included his first two passing touchdowns and first victory as the starter — of the campaign.

The results in Regina on Friday were not nearly as encouraging for either Collaros (who was held without a passing touchdown for the fifth time in six starts) or the Blue Bombers offence, which was kept out of the end zone completely by a stifling Roughriders defence that won the turnover battle 3-0 and moved into top spot in the West Division with a 5-1 record.

While it’s true numbers don’t often tell the entire story, it’s impossible to not raise your eyebrows when looking at Collaros’ statline so far.

Collaros is seventh in the CFL in passing yards (1,406) and 10th in touchdown passes (two), while tossing seven interceptions.

As a point of reference, during the previous two seasons Collaros recorded 70 passing touchdowns for 8,435 yards through the air to go against 28 interceptions — video game stuff that simply became the norm.

“Again, just not doing enough to win football games, not doing enough to score points,” said Collaros, who won consecutive CFL Most Outstanding Player awards in 2021 and 2022. “Whatever numbers individually (that) you usually garner during the season, it’s usually because as a collective unit, you’re doing really well.

“Whatever awards somebody might get, it’s because the unit is playing well together. Again, as the quarterback, I’ve got to play better and we all have to do it as a unit.”

Collectively, the Blue Bombers offence hasn’t been operating anywhere near peak efficiency and Collaros isn’t shying away from that.

He’s not about to abandon his process or start second-guessing himself either, though he also recognizes he can’t simply lean on the fact he’s got a long track record of high-end performances.

“It’s a results-oriented business and a what’s-now business. I’m not happy with myself, with how I’ve been playing. But you never truly are, no matter how well you’re doing.”– Zach Collaros

“It’s a results-oriented business and a what’s-now business,” said Collaros. “I’m not happy with myself, with how I’ve been playing. But you never truly are, no matter how well you’re doing. It’s just something that we’ve got to keep working at. This is a position, this is a game that you can continue to evolve and get better at.

“I’m never going to change that mindset.”

What Collaros and the Blue Bombers want to do is change the results and it starts with Saturday’s matchup at BMO Field against the Toronto Argonauts.

“Too many mistakes,” said Collaros, noting one of those mistakes was the interception that was thrown into double coverage. “The flat was there early, but we read (from) the top down. After that, you’ve just got to throw the ball away or try to scramble for a few yards.”

Given the offensive struggles, Collaros was asked if the tendency to try and do a little bit too much when things aren’t going well has crept into his psyche.

“That’s something for me that I’ve always tried to work on not doing,” said Collaros. “You never want to give up on a play. You can make the excuse that you’re very competitive and you want to win the rep every single time but you’ve got to know when to burn the ball and those kinds of things.”

What are some of the things the Blue Bombers offence can do to make life easier for Collaros?

Head coach Mike O’Shea wasn’t about to divulge any of the important aspects of the game plan, but made it clear improvements could only come collectively.

“In terms of how clean you are, in terms of ball security, assignment, execution of your assignment, making sure you’re always right — the little things,” said O’Shea. “The depths of your route, the width of your alignment, how hard you waggle.”

The Blue Bombers aren’t going to abandon their offensive principles, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few change-of-pace packages for backup quarterback Chris Streveler installed this week.

That’s not to suggest a quarterback controversy is looming.

“I know Zach. He’s a competitor. He wants to be better. We all want to be better. We’re going to get it right.”– Nic Demski

Collaros has earned the benefit of the doubt and things are likely to start looking a bit more normal after star wideout Kenny Lawler returns from injury.

“I mean, Zach is the ultimate pro,” said Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill.

“I’ve seen it time and time again. I’ve seen him win countless games when no one gave us hope and seen him make magic happen when everyone thought he was dead to rights. So, we’ve got full confidence behind Zach at any point, any situation. The offence hasn’t executed the way they want, I’m sure they’re going to tell you that. And at the end of the day, that doesn’t define them. It doesn’t define what they’re capable of tomorrow, or in the next game.”

That confidence and belief — coupled with a healthy dose of accountability — was being exuded by Blue Bombers receiver Nic Demski on Tuesday as well.

“It’s been a little bit of a rough start, not just for Zach, but for the offence as a whole,” said Demski.

“He’s the quarterback. He’s the head honcho back there. But at the end of the day, it’s not just him. It’s everybody. We’re not playing clean football right now. That’s penalties, that’s assignments, that’s discipline. When the head honcho back there doesn’t have all of his keys around him moving in sync, it makes it tough on him, too. We’ve just got to be better on offence as a whole.

“I know Zach. He’s a competitor. He wants to be better. We all want to be better. We’re going to get it right.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld