Despite Wednesday’s trade deadline deal, there’s no quarterback controversy for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — at least not yet.
The Bombers (9-6) held a closed practice as they continued to prepare for Saturday’s match-up against the 8-6 Montreal Alouettes.
Afterwards head coach Mike O’Shea said Chris Streveler remains their number one quarterback, despite the team picking up quarterback Zach Collaros in deadline deal Wednesday.
“Chris Streveler is the starter,” O’Shea said. “He’s the guy who’s gonna get it going for us.”
“Chris is a pro. I’ve said right from the get go, one of things that was really cool to see from Strev was how much of a pro he was in his prep, and his understanding of being a pro quarterback, and leading a team.
“When I talked to Strev yesterday after the trade went down, he said it doesn’t change anything in his prep.”
READ MORE: Winnipeg Blue Bombers acquire quarterback Zach Collaros in deadline deal
For now Collaros is here for veteran support, but he’s still just one play away from having to go in. Considering he’s 31-years-old, O’Shea believes the veteran can pick up their systems and playbook rather quickly.
And the head coach already knows what their new quarterback brings to the table, as Collaros and O’Shea were together for parts of two season with the Toronto Argonauts.
“Fire, leadership, competitive, yup, able to get the job done for sure,” O’Shea said. “Love to play football.”
The Bombers are Collaros’ fourth CFL team. He played on the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season where current Blue Bomber Willie Jefferson was one of his teammates.
“We have us a veteran quarterback that knows how to play in the post-season and stuff like that, but we’re not leaning on him,” Jefferson said.
“If you look back at Zach’s track record, he’s always been a guy that can make plays, always been a guy that gets the receivers the ball, and if need be he can run the ball. He’s an all-around quarterback.”
READ MORE: Evans’ 61 yard TD reception caps Riders’ win over reeling Bombers
“He’s a great player that’s got a lot of experience in this league,” Andrew Harris said.
“Definitely someone who can potentially help us down the road, and obviously it’s gonna take some time to get him acclimated to our playbook, and systems, and stuff. But he’s a proven player, if given the need to step in, he can come in and do some good things.”
But at least for now, Collaros will serve as the team’s new backup quarterback.
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
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