Dru Brown takes first-team reps in practice with Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Though the team has yet to declare a starter for the East Semi-Final on Saturday, all signs point to Dru Brown being under centre for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The 29-year-old took the majority of the reps during practice on Tuesday with the rest going to Bryce Perkins and Taylor Elgersma. Zach Collaros did not participate. According to the team’s official injury report, he is dealing with a ribs injury.

Brown took over from Collaros during last week’s game against the B.C. Lions after the latter took an illegal hit from defensive lineman Nathan Cherry.

Winnipeg was trailing 10-3 when Brown entered the matchup late in the third quarter. He completed 11-of-11 pass attempts for 185 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team to a 34-10 victory and a spot in the playoffs.

“It was good to get a win,” said Brown. “It felt good for the guys, and now it feels like a long time ago. We’ve kind of moved on.”

The native of Palo Alto, Calif. 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.

Brown has had a lot of success coming off the bench during his time in Winnipeg. He recently indicated that his arm sometimes feels better when he hasn’t taken as many reps during the practice week, and indicated he’s trying to find the right balance of preparation and rest.

“Anytime you’re not taking reps in practice, your body feels better, but you have to be that much more in-tune mentally. I think it’s like a thin line that I try to skate because I like being out here, I like throwing to the guys, and I like working with them, but at the same time, you don’t want it to be dead by the time the game comes,” he said.

“I’ve never really been a guy that is ever like, ‘Nah, I’m good, I don’t want to throw.’ I guess as you get older, you might need to take a step back and look at that, so I’m working on it.”

Collaros completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 2,989 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions over 12 regular-season starts, going 7-5. Head coach Mike O’Shea declined to provide an update on his status.

Other non-participants in practice included running back Brady Oliveira (ankle), receiver Tim White (hand), offensive lineman Stanley Bryant (ankle), defensive linemen Nuer Gatkuoth (foot) and Cam Lawson (knee), and defensive back Jaylen Smith (hip).

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-9) will visit the Toronto Argonauts (9-9) for the East Semi-Final at BMO Field on Saturday, October 31 with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. The teams met twice during the regular-season and split the meetings 1-1.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and TSN 1050 in Toronto.