Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a quarterback controversy on their hands, whether Mike O’Shea likes it or not
Through six weeks, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 3-2, but they have a potential quarterback controversy on their hands.
The CFL has a couple of interesting quarterback situations, and they got even more interesting within the last week.
We know the disaster that is the Ottawa Redblacks with Jake Maier, as they sit at 0-5 and that merges into the conversation surrounding the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. At the end of June, the Blue Bombers traded with the Redblacks for quarterback Dru Brown. It ended the competition in Ottawa, but it created an issue with the future in Winnipeg.
Blue Bombers could now have a quarterback controversy
Before the season, Zach Collaros decided to return to Winnipeg for one more season. The 38-year-old quarterback has led the Blue Bombers to five consecutive Grey Cups from 2019-2024 (no season in 2020), and head coach Mike O’Shea made it known how much he believed in Collaros.
“(A decline to his game is) not what I see,” O’Shea told the media in Winnipeg before the season. “I see a guy who is the best quarterback in the league.”
He might be the only one who still sees that. Before he suffered an injury against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 5, Collaros was struggling. He was completing 71.8% of his passes, but only for 985 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Within those simple stats, Collaros was showing major struggles throwing the ball down the field with there being less zip on the intermediate throws.
That is something that Brown didn’t have on Friday night against the Toronto Argonauts. He gave the Blue Bombers that element, and the offense clicked for the first time this season. The only touchdown Brown threw is a perfect example of what that brings.
Brown wasn’t perfect. He threw an interception, and couldn’t punch in a second touchdown, leading to five field goals. That’s better than what Collaros was producing in recent weeks, but it’s still something that remains a concern. Even so, the moment wasn’t lost on Brown.
“It was special,” said Brown after Friday’s 30-21 win. “I can’t really express… I feel like I say it all the time, but I really love it here, my family loves it here, and the support that I’ve gotten from everyone in the building and in the community means a lot to me.”
Brown was with the Blue Bombers from 2021-2023 and made a handful of starts in relief of Collaros. The only reason he didn’t dress in the last couple of weeks was due to O’Shea not wanting to put him in a bad situation.
“I think he made it look easier than it really is,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “I think it would be unjust to say, ‘Well, he just steps in and it’s because he knows this and he knows that.’ He works his ass off, so this isn’t luck; this isn’t, ‘Oh, he’s been in the system.’
“This is a guy who puts in a tremendous amount of time — that whole room does. It’s interesting to see them work together. They just love it, the four of them. It’s really cool. And then you throw Tommy (Condell, offensive coordinator) into the mix and they put in a ton of work. When things look easy, it’s because they work their tails off for it.”
Sitting at 3-2, it’s a big decision sitting in front of O’Shea. We still don’t the health of Collaros either short- or long-term, but his status shouldn’t matter here. Brown played the best quarterback game of the season for Winnipeg, and it wasn’t close. That should be the focus here.
If O’Shea does make the change, it’ll be at the expense of “his guy,” as they won two Grey Cups in five appearances together. It’s not the ideal end to Collaros’ career, but if the Blue Bombers want to have a chance to win the Grey Cup, making the move to Brown should be the decision.
