Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Zach Collaros practices, will play against Argonauts

It was certainly a sight for sore eyes for fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Starting quarterback Zach Collaros was back on the field with the rest of his teammates to start the practice week. Collaros was a full participant on Tuesday, despite getting knocked out of their last game in the first half.

Collaros was back at the controls of the Bombers’ first string offence only four days after taking a hellacious hit in the second quarter of Friday’s lopsided defeat to the Calgary Stampeders. Collaros has a history of head injuries but wouldn’t confirm he suffered another concussion.

Collaros said there’s no chance he misses Saturday’s Grey Cup rematch against the Toronto Argonauts. The team is calling it a neck injury on the official injury report.

“I had to come out of the game and be evaluated,” said Collaros. “And felt that (I) shouldn’t go back in.”

Collaros said he understands there’s always a risk in football, especially at the QB position.

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“It’s all I know, but it’s part of the game,” said Collaros. “It doesn’t happen that often. Unfortunately, in my career, I’ve had some kinda chronic stuff come back up in different seasons. So, it’s been tough on me obviously personally, but if you’ve played this game your whole life, you understand the risk of it.

“But again, getting back in the meeting room, being back on the practice field, you just, like, forget all about that and just keep going, you know. And you can’t play the game to not get hurt. You got to get out there and sling it.”

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Collaros has taken countless big hits throughout his 14-year CFL career. He said he thought last week’s hit was clean, but the timing was late, and Collaros thinks the CFL can do more to protect the quarterbacks with bigger punishments for the late hits.

“I just think there’s not a lot of consistency,” said Collaros. “It’s kinda the bottom line.

“I have a lot of friends that watch and they say why wasn’t this a late hit, this is a late hit.  There’s just not a lot of consistency. I think that’s the frustrating part. I think there’s ways to mitigate those hits from happening. I think they’d have to be drastic, and I don’t think that the league or the association are ready to do those kinda things.”

After back-to-back losses, the Bombers tangle with the 1-5 Argos on Saturday with kickoff at 6:00 p.m. Manitoba time.