Blue QB Collaros, wife call audible ahead of baby’s arrival

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This article was published 27/03/2020 (2024 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Zach Collaros had 16 days to absorb the nuances of Paul LaPolice’s playbook before he found himself racing to elude enemy CFL defenders as Winnipeg’s starting quarterback last fall.

Then, Collaros’s ability to read and react and his uncanny passing touch took over.

His leadership and ability to quickly process vast amounts of information after being acquired from the Toronto Argonauts in a deal that went down just before the trade deadline was a big part of four consecutive wins that culminated in a Grey Cup championship for the Blue Bombers.

Lately, though, the 31-year-old product of Steubenville, Ohio, has been cramming for another life-altering test. His wife, Nicole, is two weeks shy of her due date with the couple’s first child.

And all of this amid the jumbled uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You get nervous,” said Collaros in a phone call from his home in Aurora, Ont., Friday morning.

“I think your first time being a father is a little nerve-racking and you want to do the best you possibly can and you’re thrown a curveball like this and it makes it tough. But I have a very strong wife and she’s going to do a great job with the whole delivery process.

“We have a great family and a great support system and obviously we’ve gotta deal with what life throws at you but again, a lot of people are dealing with that, so we’re not special.”

Support systems are great but in a time of social distancing, the new normal means his parents haven’t been able to visit from Ohio in more than two months. The same goes for Nicole’s parents, who live nearby.

“The hardest part has not being able to see our families like we like to,” said Collaros, whose sister is a nurse.

“Depending on how long the distancing has to go on, when the baby comes obviously you want to share that with the people you love.

“We feel that, our parents feel that, our siblings feel that but again, other people are going through that, too, and our main concern is the health of the baby, the health of my wife and if that’s all good, than we’re happy.”

Around the house, Collaros has his to-do list. He’s doing the shopping and cooking while also trying to stay as fit as possible for the start of training camp, whenever that may take place.

He worked for the first two months of the year with Dan Noble of The Hill Academy in nearby Vaughn, Ont., but when the gym closed, he started FaceTiming with Noble and using recently acquired equipment in his garage.

He’s also preparing to venture outside soon.

“The backyard’s a little choppy,” he said. “I need to run to Home Depot and grab some dirt to fill some spots in but it’s not too bad to jump around and run a little bit.”

Being physically prepared is one thing but Collaros, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Blue Bombers in January, has had most of the off-season to get a firm grip on the playbook. Rookie camps were scheduled to begin on May 13 with main camps opening four days later but the CFLPA warned its members earlier this week the pandemic will affect the start of training camp and the regular season.

Collaros speaks twice weekly with Buck Pierce, who became the club’s offensive co-ordinator when LaPolice was hired as the new head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks.

“During the off-season I have the playbook with me and I’ve been watching film and talking to Buck, all those things are definitely helping me to be more ready this year to play the position in Winnipeg,” said Collaros.

“I mean, Winnipeg’s had a great offence for a while now and I’m not expecting too many things to change although Buck is a creative guy and a very smart guy. From conversations with him over the last couple of months, he’s definitely working his butt off and has a lot great ideas and different ways we can complement things we’ve done in the past and add some things… It’s a lots of fun talking ball with him.”

But baby comes first.

“That definitely dominates our lives right now,” said Collaros of his daily routine. “Getting things together here and we’re ahead of the curve because we’ve been able to spend so much time here. But, you know, watching Netflix, reading, (when) my wife falls asleep I’ve gone down these rabbit holes of YouTube — past NBA finals or Super Bowls or AFC, NFC Championship games you remember watching as a kid and you watch and understand a little bit more and have more of an appreciation for it all.”

What about baby names? Surely there’s been enough time to get that established even if the prospective parents are keeping the child’s gender a surprise.

“We’ve picked our names, yeah,” he said, laughing. “We haven’t told anybody yet, so I’m not going to give you that.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14