Taylor Elgersma should see work in Saturday's preseason game in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Roughriders; photos by Cameron Bartlett
No one will admit it as such unless they’ve been forced to guzzle a gallon of truth serum — the party line across the Canadian Football League is always every rep in every training camp session matters, after all — so we’ll raise our hand and make a counter-observation.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have now unofficially hit the ‘dog days’ of camp where every drill and practice can blur into the next and the anticipation for the first preseason game — coming this Saturday in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Roughriders — is absolutely, positively bubbling over.
“We’re all itching to play,” said Blue Bombers quarterback Taylor Elgersma to a swarm of media following Wednesday’s practice session. “We’ve been hitting each other for long enough now and it’s time, since we’re all wearing the same colour, to go hit someone else.
“… We’re all ready to go put some points on the board on someone else.”
The Blue Bombers have been at it every day since May 10th — the rookies practised three days before that with a one-day off the field in between — and that grind, coupled with Mother Nature being particularly nasty, has many in Bomberland in a cranky mood.
Take that vibe and couple it with what’s at stake on Saturday with so many fighting either for starting jobs or roster spots, and there is a healthy tension growing.
As per usual, most eyes will be on the play of the quarterbacks on Saturday and, specifically, who shines behind QB1 Zach Collaros. Elgersma, the big Canadian, has had a solid camp and both veteran Terry Wilson and Bryce Perkins have had their moments, too. Payton Thorne, the other QB in camp beside CFL QB Internship Program invitee Cole Anseeuw of the University of Manitoba, did not practise on Wednesday.
Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said the rotation of the QBs for Saturday will be determined in a meeting with offensive coordinator Tommy Condell Wednesday night and will also include a conversation with Collaros about how much time he’ll need in the preseason to be ready for the opener.
Winnipeg’s second preseason game comes a week from Friday — May 29th — vs. the B.C. Lions at Princess Auto Stadium with the curtain raiser on the regular season going Friday, June 5th in Calgary against the Stampeders.
Collaros could easily make the case for a ton of work in the preseason, seeing as he is operating a new-ish offence with Condell now calling the shot as the club’s third different offensive coordinator in as many years and with at least two changes to the receiving corps.
He played in both preseason games a year ago, although he attempted only two passes in the second contest.
“I just like really embracing the system, the offence, the details, getting repetitions with all the guys — I’m a big rep guy and if I could take every rep, I would,” said Collaros. “So, it’s about feeling comfortable with the concepts. A lot of the concepts are similar to things that everybody has done in the past in this league. But it’s coached differently with different expectations and all those things.
“Obviously, you want everybody to stay healthy and just keep that upward trajectory as we get to the regular season.”
Again, fans always fixate on the quarterbacks — practice, preseason, regular season or playoffs — but O’Shea said what they’re looking for from their group of pivots on Saturday essentially applies in general terms to the entire roster.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been talking about learning about everybody: when there’s an opponent there that’s actually going to hit you – because we can’t practice like that and we won’t – what are their reactions? Do they rise or do they not?” he said.
“Even in practice when you’re running a skelly practice and you’re throwing, the DBs aren’t necessarily breaking up through receivers so the timing always good for the most part. So, now the receivers will be getting hit and the timing has to be better.”
Elgersma, meanwhile, will be in game action for the first time since last year’s preseason with the Green Bay Packers. The 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the top player in Canadian college football had an impressive camp with the Pack, completing 16-of-23 passes for 166 yards and a TD but — strangely to many observers — did not earn a shot with the club.
He’s been impressive since his arrival in Winnipeg, both on the field and in his confidence with the cameras and notepads in his face in dealings with the media.
“It was obviously very exciting being able to get out there and being at Lambeau (Field) for the first time and running out of that tunnel for the first time was definitely a cool experience,” said Elgersma of his preseason in Green Bay. “But I’m excited to get playing here and I’m excited to, when we’re at home, I think it will be a similar experience running out there.”
