No guaranteed spots on the roster for Bombers vets

Jamieson Sheahan recently earned a promotion — although it’s not one he was clamouring for.

The Australian is not only the team’s punter, but as of this season, he’s also the commissioner of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ NFL fantasy football league.

The league has been around for a while, with longtime defensive tackle Jake Thomas previously holding the position. But now that Thomas is on the coaching staff, a current player had to step up to the plate.

“A prestigious honour, maybe, but it was just de facto — no one else was gonna do it, so, it just fell to me,” Sheahan explained after Wednesday’s closed practice as the Bombers prepare to host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday.

“And you know, us specialists have a little more time than most other guys. No one offered me it, it was just like, ‘Are we running this league again? Yes? Alright, I guess I’ll do it.’”

As silly as it may sound, those involved believe there are benefits to having a bunch of guys bonding over pretending to be general managers.

“Being an offensive lineman, you don’t really co-mingle with everyone on the team. So, talking to Jams (Sheahan), Jelly (safety Jake Kelly) and all the other guys, it’s super, super fun,” said offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool.

“It’s just something cool to be with the guys and build some camaraderie. And competition is always breathing in this locker room. No one likes to lose. You always want to win. Shout out to my team, we’re 2-0 right now.”

Sheahan, Vanterpool, Kelly, Cam Lawson, Tanner Schmekel, Jake Ceresna, Stanley Bryant and Patrick Neufeld are among those in the 12-man league.

If you’re a rookie, don’t even bother asking. And if you’re a veteran, you’re not guaranteed a spot, either.

“We want really dedicated people in it, so, we’re pretty picky about who we allow in,” said Sheahan.

“There are only so many spots available each year.”

Unfortunately for kicker Sergio Castillo, he didn’t make the cut. Instead, he worked his way into a league with the Bombers’ media and communications staff.

“I’m not cool enough,” claimed Castillo.

According to the commissioner, that’s not entirely accurate.

“Like I said, we get people with a keen interest and someone who will set their lineup every week and someone who is locked in, let me just say that,” said Sheahan.

“Serg is maybe in some other leagues, and he’s a busy guy, he’s around town, he’s very active in the community and we just didn’t want to put too much on his plate. He missed out this year, but I’m sure we’ll look at bringing him in at some point.”

Not everyone is itching to get in on the action like Castillo. It’s a hard pass for defensive end Willie Jefferson, who is also active in the community and has two young kids at home. With everything he has going on, it’s too big of a hassle.

As for safety Redha Kramdi, he’d rather spend his NFL Sundays watching tape of the three-down game.

“Nah, I’m not in it. I was there during their draft hanging out with the boys, but I don’t really watch the NFL,” said Kramdi. “There’s so much football. And I watch the CFL whenever I’ve got time.”

They don’t have a trophy, but there is a nice cash prize for the winner, considering everyone pays $150 to play. Kelly took home the pot last year after outlasting Lawson in the final.

“I tried to get him to split the money 50-50 at the end. I was really hoping he would do that because he had Puka Nacua and JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), and I’m like, ‘There’s no way I’m beating that.’ So, I was hoping he would split the money, but he clued in to what I was trying to do,” laughed Lawson.

For most, the bragging rights are worth more.

“That’s all you need,” said Vanterpool. “All you want to do is be No. 1.”

Sheahan can control — at least on most occasions — whether he boots a good punt or a bad one. But in the wacky, unpredictable world of fantasy football?

“There’s no control in fantasy football. Drafting is one of the most important things, then it’s dumb luck from there,” he said.

“I think there’s an element of skill about it, but the end of the day, you have zero control about what they’re gonna do on any given Sunday, as they say. It’s just set a lineup, hope and pray.”

And if they ever need one more participant, it won’t be head coach Mike O’Shea who bails them out.

“I’ve got no time to think about fantasy football,” he said.

Collaros ruled out

The Bombers confirmed the obvious on Wednesday. O’Shea revealed to reporters after practice that starting quarterback Zach Collaros will not be available for Friday’s tilt with Toronto.

Collaros suffered a head injury in the Banjo Bowl and has not participated in practice all week.

“He’s out for this game,” said O’Shea. “It’s the same thing we talk about with anybody — this is why we have teammates because they have an opportunity now to step in and honour a guy who can’t play.”

Dru Brown will start in his place. Collaros missed four games earlier in the season with a neck injury and Brown helped the Blue and Gold go 2-2 during that stretch.

One of those wins came against Toronto in Week 6 when Brown threw for 339 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 30-21 result.

The Bombers acquired Brown — who started his CFL career in Winnipeg (2021-23) — from Ottawa in a trade back in June.

With Collaros set to miss his fifth game this season, the trade has paid off in a major way.

“Dru is a good football player. We brought him in for a reason. We had him for a number of years and that’s why we brought him back,” said O’Shea.

“We really liked him when he was here and it was just — he got an opportunity (in Ottawa) that we couldn’t match. He had an opportunity to step in and lead a team, and he had to take it, otherwise I don’t know that we would ever have wanted to let him go.”

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