Taylor Elgersma in his Blue Bombers debut Saturday in Saskatoon; photos by Sam Calvert
Taylor Elgersma looked angry enough to chew nails and spit rust.
And as he made his way back to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room near Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon with his teammates Saturday night, he was stopped briefly by head coach Mike O’Shea, who slapped him on the back of the with one hand and the front of his shoulder pads with the other.
“He had a stern look on his face when he rolled into the locker room here,” O’Shea explained afterward, “and I’ve got to tell him to enjoy himself a little more.”
Given the benefit of hindsight — and that’s what we do weekly here in Upon Further Review — Elgersma’s Blue Bombers and Canadian Football League debut in Saturday’s 31-27 preseason loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders hardly went against the script for a rookie quarterback.
In completing 6-of-13 passes for 78 yards with two interceptions there was some stuff that popped out, including a picturesque 23-yard strike to Dorian Singer near the sideline, which was his best throw of the day. He also looks every bit his 6-5, 240-pound frame and moves around the pocket effectively for a big dude.
There were also a couple of drops that didn’t help him find a rhythm and he rushed or forced throws or had miscommunication that were part of the two picks. File that under ‘Growing pains.’
Still, for a 24-year-old rookie playing his first meaningful snaps since the preseason last year with the Green Bay Packers, there was enough to want to see more.
Even if it was eating him up inside afterward.
“I felt like I was seeing it fine, but when you’re out there for the first time you want to make a big play,” Elgersma told bluebombers.com after the game. “It being the first one, I was excited to go out there and let it rip. I’ve just got to make sure I was playing within the scheme, playing within our offence and allowing us to move the ball down the field methodically instead of pressing for those chunks.
“That’s obviously something Zach (Collaros) does extremely well and watching him day in and day out, I think I’ve done that well in practice. Now I’ve got to translate it to game situations and let those come to me and when they come to me, I’m going to hit ’em.”
The adrenaline still clearly pumping, Elgersma grinned when asked if he wanted to get back to work ASAP.
“Any competitor, when there’s plays you want back you want to watch them right away and I’ve already watched them,” he said. “But I also want to get out there and go right now. I’ll learn the lessons from this film and not make the mistakes again.
“I want to win and I want to play my best. I know that there’s growing and learning and it’s part of this process and I appreciate Coach O’Shea and Coach Condell (Tommy Condell, offensive coordinator) reiterating that message but as a competitor you’re always thinking about the ones you want back. That’s an important part of playing this position — you learn the lessons and try not to make the same mistakes again.
“There were definitely some plays we were able to make and when we got those opportunities, I was able to hit them. Dorian (Singer) did a great job all day and was able to come down with a couple of big balls for me. There’s definitely some plays I’m happy with, but when you care a lot about playing well and care a lot about winning it’s not the ones that go well that you think about.”
ICYMI, here is our Game Recap from Saturday:
And what follows is the rest of this week’s Upon Further Review…
ALL THREE QBs WHO DRESSED … saw action — the sudden departure of Terry Wilson was addressed by O’Shea afterward and is mentioned in the Game Recap — and here’s what the boss said about their performances:
-Collaros (3-of-4 for 57 yards, one carry for six yards and a TD drive on his only time in the game):
“Operated extremely well. That’s all you really need to see. Good decisions, scored, and then was angry that he gets taken out. He said ‘yes’ eventually but he’s told you before, he wants the snaps. He looked good.”
-Elgersma:
“Good. Decent command. Understands the playbook, understands defences and everything like that. I think he is pressing — he wants to make plays. He wants to make plays, so there’s times where he could just probably slow down a little bit and understand that a completion for a first down is a good play, too. But that’s all stuff that he knows. He comes off the sideline, and he knows what the answers are, it’s just out there he wants to compete at a high level, he wants to make bigger plays.
“He’ll learn from them, for sure. He’s not happy right now but I think he should be. It’s an exciting time for him.”
-Bryce Perkins (5-of-9 for 67 yards with one interception, rushed twice for eight yards after entering the game in the fourth quarter):
“Very mobile. Probably had some other opportunities he could have taken but he’s new to this game. Taylor’s got a different look at it because he’s played 12-man football and these same concepts and understands CFL defences. Perk’s been in it for 12 days and there’s going to be some pictures that are just a little more cloudy for him and those will clear up as we go along.”
THERE WERE 76 PLAYERS IN A BLUE BOMBER UNIFORM… Saturday night, so that’s a ton of clips on a ton of talent the coaches and personnel staff need to sort through over the next few days leading up to Friday’s final preseason game.
One player who jumped out was linebacker Ja’Kobe Clinton, who came to the club earlier this month after starring at Division II West Florida, where he was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Year last year.
ICYMI, here’s his sensational Pick-6 TD:
PICK SIX !!!!#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/EsXbQiQ0VY
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) May 24, 2026
“Oh man, I’m just blessed to be out there playing,” said Clinton. “I waited my turn; the opportunity came to me and then I just did what my team asked me to do.
“… They had been running that all day, and I just tried to bait him into throwing that slant at that side and I guess he didn’t see me sliding behind. The ball just came to me and I made a play.”
Clinton just signed with the club on May 5th, and it’s been a crash course on everything since then.
“I’m fresh out of college,” he said. “It’s definitely a change of scenery, coming from America. But I’ve got good veterans around me — Willie (Jefferson), Tony (Jones) — and they’ve been telling me what to do. I’m just really trying to take it day by day. Like Coach O’Shea said, training camp is hard, but you’ve got to fight through it and push through it. I just want to be a good teammate.
“I’ve learned so many things since the start of camp, I feel like I’m part Canadian now.”
TIM WHITE PLAYED JUST SEVEN OFFENSIVE SNAPS... on Saturday, but Blue Bombers fans should be giddy about what they saw. All three of Collaros’ completions went to the veteran receiver and that one drive was just a snapshot of his speed and how quickly he can get open.
“It felt fun, for sure, to open the game out with a reception and carry on from there,” he said. “Playing with Zach… he’s a gamer. He’s a playmaker. I like that style because he’ll put the ball out there and let you make plays and have some fun.”
IT WAS THE FIRST EXPERIENCE FOR THE BLUE BOMBERS… with the new 35-second play clock and while the game didn’t necessarily feel quicker because of all the QB changes and possession changes — there were 11 punts in the game, including six by Winnipeg’s Keegan Andrews, who was solid with a 45.7-yard average — the impact was felt.
“It’s a little quicker in certain situations where guys feel slightly rushed. That won’t last long,” said O’Shea. “I think they’ll get used to it. Once again, with the 35 second clock, trying to challenge, trying to look at an iPad and get some determinations that quickly is going to be next to impossible so I think the CFL will get some things they want out of that, which is less challenges for everything.”
AND FINALLY… thanks for reading this far and for those who have made it to the bottom or maybe missed the game entirely it is available here through CFL+ although you’ll need to fast-forward to around the 24:20 mark.
