WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers might not be that far off from seeing a changing of the guard at the most important position on the field — but for now, it’s still the status quo when it comes to quarterback Zach Collaros leading their offence.
And with the way things have been going for the team in recent years, that might be enough to get the job done if the supporting cast is there to help out.
Winnipeg Free Press reporter Ken Wiebe joined the SportsCage to talk about all things Blue Bombers heading into their Canadian Football League regular-season opener against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday night, and his assessment is that it’s Collaros’ job for now, but that could change if time finally catches up to the veteran pivot.
“We know that the talk is about Collaros,” Wiebe said in a conversation with SportsCage’s Barny Shynkaruk. “Two years in a row with 17 touchdowns, he missed some time last year, this is the last year of his deal. But it's overwhelmingly positive around him. He's a positive guy and he's been enjoying the new weaponry around him.”
The Bombers finished 10-8 and only two wins out of first place in the West Division, but that still saw them finish in fourth place. They’d end up in the cross-over game as a result and dropped a 42-33 decision to eventual Grey Cup finalist Montreal in the East Division semifinal.
That finish led to Winnipeg made a handful of coaching changes in the off-season, with the biggest seeing Tommy Condell take over as offensive coordinator. The team also brought in receiver Tommy Nield from the Saskatchewan Roughriders and multiple-time 1,000-yard receiver Tim White from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as additional weapons for Collaros’ arsenal.
“I've seen a lot of touchdowns to Tim White in practice, and this this guy looks like a absolute stud to be honest,” Wiebe said. “Obviously Tommy Nield is a guy Rider fans are familiar with, but [Ontaria] Pokey Wilson and Tim White on the same side of the field is something that is going to be interesting.”
Fourth-year veteran offensive lineman Jarell Broxton is a big addition from the B.C. Lions on the offensive line, and he’ll look to help anchor a crew that will be tasked with protecting Collaros and opening room for the running game.
That aspect sees perennial all-star Brady Oliveira seeking another 1,000-yard season, giving Winnipeg a decent look when it comes to their offence.
“So I think there's a lot of positivity around the team, but again, they have to show it,” Wiebe said. “This is a team that dipped to 10 wins last year after five consecutive trips to the Grey Cup, so they're definitely going to have something to prove going into the season.”
While Collaros has proven incredibly resilient in his time with Winnipeg despite known concussion issues — he missed five games last season after playing all 18 the previous three campaigns — age comes for us all, and should the 37-year-old falter, the Bombers think they have his heir apparent.
Highly touted prospect Taylor Elgersma finally made his Winnipeg debut this pre-season and had his moments, but is still a work in progress, and the passing of the torch might still be a year or two away.
“He's getting to learn the system at the pro game and all of those things, but when you talk to people who have been around the CFL game, they're impressed by his demeanor,” Wiebe said. “Zach himself said his ability to command the huddle as such a young quarterback is something that stands out to him.”
“Whether this is a one-year transition or longer, that'll be interesting to monitor, but obviously he's inexperienced when it comes to the CFL game to some degree. Nobody wants to have to lean on their backup quarterback and the CFL, even if you have a good one.”
The good thing is that from all indications, Elgersma is willing to put the time in to learn behind a veteran as talented as Collaros.
“Tommy Condell says when the quarterbacks get it in the room and he asks ‘who wants to get better today?’, he's the guy at the front of the class, like raising his hand saying, ‘yeah, yeah, me,” Wiebe said. “There's always a fine line between having to be patient and pushing the pedal down to help expedite the process as quickly as you can… but it looks like he’s the clear-cut number two.”
On the defensive side of the ball, two time All-Star defensive lineman Jake Ceresna brings his 46 career sacks to the team and will look to join former Riders standout Willie Jefferson in making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
“Historically the last couple of years, it hasn't seemed like they've pressured the quarterback a ton in terms of blitzes and sort of relied on the backend to try to guard against the explosive play,” Wiebe said. “So maybe they're going to get more pressure as long as there aren't as many double teams, but it'll be interesting to see how all that comes together.”
Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols anchor the defensive back corps, though injuries there to the likes of Regina product Ethan Ball, rookie Major Williams and Cam Allen might have an impact on their Week 1 prospects.
“There could be some questions there in terms of how the secondary looks, there might be some job share situations,” Wiebe said. “But their defense was very solid last year, they just didn’t get enough going offensively.”
You can check out the full interview — including a look at the revamped coaching staff and the Bombers schedule — by clicking on the video below.
