WINNIPEG — It’s officially Groundhog Day for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ quarterback situation. Much like the lead-up to last week’s semifinal against Toronto, the Bombers are heading into Saturday’s East Division final against the Montreal Alouettes with little indication of who will be under centre come kickoff at Molson Stadium. “Once again, I don’t see any point in talking about the roster before we have to,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said following Thursday’s final practice, echoing what he said after Wednesday’s workout. As to whether it’s starter Zach Collaros or backup Dru Brown again this week, an answer won’t come until Winnipeg reveals its depth chart Friday morning. Even then, a decision might need to be made; assuming Collaros has healed enough from a rib injury suffered in the regular-season finale against B.C., he could still be a game-time decision on the Bombers’ 45-man roster. A similar movie played out last week. Collaros was sidelined for the first two practices leading up to the Toronto game, then was limited in the club’s final, closed practice. When the depth chart was released, Collaros wasn’t on it, making room for rookie pivot Taylor Elgersma. This week, with the Bombers only scheduling two workouts to keep their players fresh, Winnipeg opted to close their practice on Wednesday, seemingly to allow Collaros to test his injury. When they opened practice backup on Thursday, Collaros was a spectator, giving him the same number of workouts as last week before he was ruled out. “He’s obviously very involved in the plan,” Brown said of Collaros, adding that the veteran quarterback draws on his experience facing different defensive co-ordinators and players to offer ideas. ”He holds a lot of value in that.” While the QB question has dominated the noise outside the locker room, those inside aren’t nearly as occupied with the guessing game. “We know both guys can go out there, handle business and do their job,” Bombers left tackle Stanley Bryant said. ”We’re just trying to be prepared for a good Montreal defence. We need to hold guys up and get these guys time to make plays downfield.” If last week was any indication, all signs point to Brown getting a second consecutive start. Brown was traded from the Ottawa Redblacks earlier in the season, reuniting with the club where he started his CFL career. With Collaros sidelined by three separate injuries, Brown started six regular-season games, posting a 2-4 record. Brown led Winnipeg to a 25-22 victory over the Argonauts last week, relying on a bit of luck from a fumbled punt and some last-minute execution. Brown finished 18-for-30 passing for 206 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, capitalizing on the late turnover to find receiver Nic Demski in the end zone for the winning touchdown with 44 seconds remaining. “Just the ability to continue to learn from, continue to get better at,” Brown said of lessons taken from the win over Toronto. “Then knowing you want to play better, but having a chance at the end, you’re able to execute when it matters the most. We’d love to clean up some of the stuff in between.” The Bombers will need to be much better against a Montreal team that finished atop the CFL standings at 14-4 and will be fresh off a bye week. The Alouettes boast a prolific offence and stingy defence, ranking second in the league in offensive points scored (32.5 per game) and second in fewest points allowed (25.4). Led by quarterback Davis Alexander, who was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player on Thursday, the Alouettes are a perfect 9-0 at home. Several Bombers players said the 25 points they scored against Toronto won’t be enough this week. “Everybody understands who Montreal is,” O’Shea said. ”Our offence’s job is to put up points, and our defence’s job is to stop them from putting up points, and our special teams’ job is to control the momentum. But to say we’re going to change our style based on one phase of an opponent is probably not the way we’re thinking about it.” The Bombers split the season series with the Alouettes, with each team winning a lopsided contest. Collaros played arguably his best game of the season, throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant 44-28 victory at home in Week 13. It was a different story a month later, with Brown struggling to find a rhythm in a 37-10 loss in Montreal. Although considered heavy underdogs, a Bombers victory over the Alouettes would mark the first time in CFL history that a crossover team has reached the Grey Cup. “We just want another opportunity to play football,” Demski said. ”That’s going to be our pressure. If we leave it all out on the line, we’ll be OK.” Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press
