Zach Collaros may have some issues this season, but it's a good problem to have.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ veteran quarterback must distribute passes and touches to keep his hungry offensive teammates happy as the Canadian Football League team aims to reach its fifth straight Grey Cup.
“Obviously, that’s the problem that everybody wants to have,” Collaros said, “but I don’t even think it’s a problem.”
“What we've built here is right, and if they weren't team-first people, they wouldn't be here. So no matter who has the most catches, most carries, most touchdowns per game, whatever, I really don't think it matters to them. It's all about winning.”
The Blue Bombers have won as many games as they have over the past four seasons (51-17), but twice have lost in the most important games of the year.
After winning the Grey Cup in 2019 and 2021, Winnipeg lost to the Toronto Argonauts in 2022 and to the Montreal Alouettes last season. The margin of those two losses totaled five points.
Winnipeg will host the Alouettes in Thursday’s season opener.
The pain of the loss is still there, but the Bombers are confident they can overcome the departure of key players and build on last season’s strong performances on both offense and defense that led to a 14-4 record.
“We do have open spots, more than we’ve ever had before,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said.
He added that bench players will be counted on to expand their roles and newcomers will also be given opportunities.
“If they were in our team, we’d have confidence in them and believe they could help us win games,” O’Shea said, noting the club faces salary cap challenges.
Winnipeg's offensive line is missing right tackle Jamarcus Hardrick, the league's top forward runner-up last season, before he signed a high-paying contract with the Saskatchewan Mounties. Fellow forward starter Jeff Gray is also a victim of funding shortages.
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The offense was also missing starting receiver Rasheed Bailey but retained Nick Demsky, Kenny Lawler, Dalton Schoen and Drew Wolitarski.
Winnipeg's biggest win in free agency was re-signing Schoen and star running back Brady Oliveira, a dual accomplishment that was once financially questionable.
Oliveira was the league's top Canadian player last season and was runner-up for Most Outstanding Player.
In his second season as a starter, the popular homegrown player led the CFL with 1,534 rushing yards – the second-highest total in Canadian Football League history. He also caught nine touchdowns and had four touchdowns for 482 receiving yards.
Oliveira missed training camp with an undisclosed injury, but O'Shea is hopeful he will be ready for Thursday's opener.
Colaros said the main challenge in rejigging the offensive line is the level of communication, not talent, and he expects that once the team has more opportunities, Oliveira will have time to throw and the gaps will open up.
“I have every confidence that Brady can continue to maintain the form he had last season,” he said.
Eric Lofton returns to the Bombers and replaces Hardrick. He started 14 games for the Saskatchewan Mounties last season and is playing for Winnipeg in 2022.
Winnipeg's defense also took some hits in the offseason.
Fan favorite Willie Jefferson returned to rush opposing quarterbacks, but fellow quarterback Jackson Jeffcoat did not re-sign and retired.
Cornerback Demerio Houston signed with the Calgary Stampedes for his tackling prowess, while defensive tackle Ricky Walker remained unsigned. Linebacker Adam Bighill missed training camp and was placed on the six-game injured list.
“(The challenge is) seeing if we can communicate well, build chemistry with the guys that are replacing the guys that left, and how much energy we can maintain,” Jefferson said of the defense.
He added that a championship loss could motivate players to work harder in the offseason.
“Then you should fully demonstrate yourself this year and give it your best effort again,” Jefferson said.
“We've done it four years in a row. This year, we just need to get better results.”
Winnipeg's special forces may be its Achilles' heel.
The team is trying out players in training camp to return kickoffs and punts after being unable to afford to keep Janarion Grant and waiting for cuts from other clubs. After playing four seasons with the Bombers, where he became the franchise's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns (8) in 41 regular season games, he signed with Toronto.
Kansas player Chris Smith returned a punt 109 yards for a touchdown in Winnipeg's exhibition game against Calgary last Friday, but he was injured during the game and immediately became one of the team's casualties for the weekend.
2023 record: 14-4, first in the Western Conference
Did you know? : The Bombers have more regular-season wins (51-17) than any other team over the past four years.
Key additions: QB Chris Streveler (NFL), OL Eric Lofton (Saskatchewan),
Key losses: OL JaMarcus Hardrick (Saskatchewan), CB DeMerrio Houston (Calgary), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (retired), KR Janarion Grant (Toronto)
Players to watch: QB Zach Collaros, RB Brady Oliveira, QB Chris Streveler, WR Kenny Lawler, TT Dalton Schoen, OL Eric Lofton
