‘We brought Dru in for a reason’

Mike O’Shea isn’t a big fan of letting reporters under the hood when it comes to how certain decisions get made.

Yet, as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was pressed for information on how he came to his final conclusion before naming Dru Brown his starting quarterback for Friday’s showdown with the Toronto Argonauts, O’Shea worked through a number of questions before revealing this decision eventually made itself.

“We brought Dru in for a reason. We brought Dru in for this reason,” said O’Shea, noting the final call wasn’t made until Thursday morning. “So, you execute the plan as it was laid out.”

Asked a follow-up question for clarification, O’Shea made it clear that he prefers not to deal with hypotheticals, even if precautions are made to cover all of the bases.

“I don’t know. I think you make the decision when the situation arises that you have to make the decision,” said O’Shea. “So, we didn’t have to make that decision before.”

When Zach Collaros was ruled out this week due to a neck injury, the logical conclusion was to go with the more experienced quarterback — especially when you consider Brown has familiarity both with the Bombers organization from his previous stint with the club and offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell from their two years together in Ottawa.

“You execute the plan as it was laid out.”

But with rookie Taylor Elgersma leading the Bombers to a comeback victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, there was at least an element of suspense surrounding who would be behind centre against the Argos.

Since it was a short week, some wondered if Elgersma would be asked to try and ride the momentum, but ultimately Brown got the nod and one can certainly understand why.

This wasn’t just an insurance policy; it was a move made with an eye towards the future.

Let’s not forget that the Bombers didn’t want Brown to leave as a free agent in the first place, but they also couldn’t commit to getting him more playing time as long as Collaros was on the roster.

“I thought he was good when he left. When he signs with another team, you know that a very good player that you like, that you like the way he conducts his business, how into getting better he is, when that guy walks out of the building, you feel it,” said O’Shea.

“So, to say that he’s gotten better, I’m sure he has. I just think it’s natural that guys get better. But we really liked him when he moved on, too.”

Brown is clearly a different quarterback than the one who departed in free agency.

Not only is he more experienced, given all of the reps he got in two seasons as the starter for the Ottawa Redblacks, but Brown hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for learning or competing.

“Yeah, obviously, I’ve played a lot of football since then. I feel like I’ve refined a handful of things,” said Brown. “But at the end of the day, I still feel like a kid that gets a chance to play a kid’s game. I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”

Brown’s teammates are also excited for him as they see him as someone who is ready to step in and get the job done.

“I still feel like a kid that gets a chance to play a kid’s game. I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”

“Every week you have confidence in whoever is going to be back there, but I think it’s even different for this week,” said Bombers running back Brady Oliveira. “Dru has been here before, he’s obviously a proven starter in this league. He knows the offence. He worked with Tommy (Condell) for the last two years in Ottawa, so his confidence is through the roof. He’s ready to go in there and execute.”

“I don’t know if there’s much difference. It was like stepping into a time warp,” added Bombers offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld. “As soon as he was back, he’s the same Dru, he’s the same guy. We still have the same handshake from when he was here back in those years. It’s great to have him back. Just excited that he’s going to be out there for us.”

Nic Demski says it hasn’t been difficult to regain the chemistry he built with Brown, even with a limited number of reps since his return.

“Dru knows the type of receiver I am and I know the type of quarterback he is,” said Demski. “He and Zach (Collaros) see the game very similarly, so I know what to expect out of that.

“He’s quiet but he definitely has that confidence in there. Maybe he’s actually a bit more vocal now, but for the most part, Dru is the same guy.”

Brown recognizes there have been plenty of changes in terms of the personnel and the offensive system the Bombers are running, but he’s fired up to run an offence that features plenty of weapons — from Oliveira coming out of the backfield to the receiving corps that features Ontaria Wilson, Tim White and Demski, among others.

“The guys that we have here at receiver attack the ball and I’m always a fan of guys that attack the ball,” said Brown. “I pride myself on anticipating and making good decisions and then letting (the receivers) go get it. With the group that we have here, it’s obviously special, so that’s not going to change.”

There was plenty of discussion surrounding whether or not Brown could or should have been activated for Sunday’s game with the Tiger-Cats, but this wasn’t something the quarterback was second-guessing.

“I think I can do a lot of things. I have confidence in myself, but like I said before, I appreciate and I trust everyone that makes decisions here,” said Brown. “I don’t necessarily worry about the, ‘What if, this or that.’ I have a lot of respect for O’Shea and that was the decision that he made. I just decided that I trust him and I’m going to be supportive of whoever had to play.”

Brown went 2-1 in his three starts during his first stint with the Bombers, and he’s eager for what will be his first start on the home field at Princess Auto Stadium, even though Winnipeg is technically the road team this week because the 2026 FIFA World Cup forced the Argonauts to miss three home games.

“This is exactly the environment that you want to play in front of,” said Brown. “I think it’s the best environment in this league. Unfortunately, when you’re out there, you don’t necessarily get to appreciate it. But before and after, you have an understanding of how big of a role they play and how challenging it is to play here as a visiting team.”

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