Zach Collaros non-participant at Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ practice ahead of East Final

Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

It appears Dru Brown is set to start for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Final on Saturday, as he took first-team reps under centre at practice on Thursday.

Zach Collaros was in street clothes during the session. The Bombers did not practice on Tuesday and held a closed session on Wednesday, in which Collaros was listed as a limited participant.

Head coach Mike O’Shea has not officially declared a starter. It is unlikely the team will until it releases its depth chart on Friday morning.

Collaros did not play against the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final due to a ribs injury he suffered against the B.C. Lions in Week 21. He was a limited participant in practice leading into the game and was officially listed as questionable.

Brown started in his place and completed 18-of-30 pass attempts for 206 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 25-22 win. He threw the game-winning score to Nic Demski with less than one minute left in the fourth quarter.

Winnipeg and Montreal met twice during the regular season, and split the two meetings. Collaros started when the Blue Bombers won 44-28 at Princess Auto Stadium in August, which was one of the biggest upsets of the year. Brown started in October when the Alouettes evened things out with a 37-10 victory at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

Earlier this week, the Alouettes indicated they’re preparing for both quarterbacks.

Collaros went 7-5 as a starter during the regular season, completing 70.4 percent of his passes for 2,989 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 12 times for 76 yards.

Brown made six starts during the regular season, posting a 2-4 record. He completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 1,687 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

According to lead CFL statistician Steve Daniel, Collaros is 11-8 in his regular-season career versus Montreal, including 6-2 on the road, and has gone 1-1 in the playoffs. Brown is 0-3 for his career against the Alouettes.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-9) will visit the Montreal Alouettes (14-4) for the East Final at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 7, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The teams met twice during the regular season, with both teams winning at home.

The game will be broadcast on TSN, CTV, and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.