Zach Collaros is trying to fit in
SASKATOON — Zach Collaros is getting more and more comfortable being a member of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Now the veteran quarterback has to get comfortable working with other Roughriders.
Collaros, who was acquired from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January, played previously with receivers Bakari Grant (in Hamilton) and Chad Owens (with the Toronto Argonauts) and also has worked out in the off-season with slotback Naaman Roosevelt.
But most of the receivers at the Roughriders’ training camp at Griffiths Stadium are new to Collaros — and both sides started working on their chemistry during Sunday’s first session.
“I’m a big (repetition) guy, whether it’s mental or getting the physical reps,” Collaros said. “The more reps that we can get, the better off we’ll be, especially versus all the different looks that we’re going to get. And Coach (Chris) Jones throws a lot of them at us during practice.”
Wide receiver Rob Bagg concurred with Collaros, noting that repetitions are the key.
The two men never have played together before, so a feeling-out process will be going on in the early stages of training camp.
“You can hope and wish that you’re going to trust each other and that he has faith in you, but really the only way to get it is to get reps — and certainly today we got a lot of them,” Bagg said. “It was a good start.”
Collaros began his CFL career with the Argos, who ran the same offence the Roughriders currently use. Saskatchewan offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo was on the Argos’ staff at the time, so Collaros has a working knowledge of the scheme.
But in his mind, Collaros’ familiarity with Grant and Owens gives him more of a comfort level than playing with someone who knows the system itself.
“That to me is more important than a guy who knows the offence inside and out, who can sit down and read the X’s and O’s with me,” Collaros said. “(It’s important) having guys around who I feel comfortable with. They can get on me if they need to and I can get on them if I need to and there’s nothing personal about it. We just want to get better and win.”
On Sunday, Collaros was doing his best to get to know the other receivers with whom he’ll be working. Conversations between plays helped the quarterback and receivers figure out what they wanted to do in certain situations against Jones’ defence.
“Once we got into practice, it felt like football again,” said Collaros, who’s competing with Brandon Bridge, B.J. Daniels, David Watford and Marquise Williams for the starting job. “It was a really enjoyable thing.”
Collaros watched film of the Roughriders’ offence during the off-season as he tried to familiarize himself with the scheme, but he didn’t break it down to focus on the individual receivers and how they run their routes.
Instead, he’ll rely on the communication he has with his teammates to get more comfortable with them.
Bagg noted that he hadn’t watched film of Collaros, either. The 11th-year receiver instead plans to focus on his own game to benefit the quarterback.
“The ball is either going to be there or it’s not,” Bagg said. “All I think about is trying to get open — and the more you get open, the more the quarterback wants to throw it to you.”
Like Bagg, Duron Carter also hasn’t played with Collaros before. For Carter, the key will be getting his timing down with the QB and understanding what Collaros likes.
Where last season’s starter, Kevin Glenn, may have wanted Carter to do one thing on a certain route, Collaros may want his receiver to do another. That kind of thing takes time to figure out.
One thing Carter isn’t worried about is how hard Collaros throws the ball.
“I’ve had Brandon Bridge on my team for a few years, so getting used to somebody else’s arm strength isn’t really that hard,” Carter said. “We’re all professionals. We’ve all played with quarterbacks who have rockets and some quarterbacks who have noodles; you just have to go out there and adjust.”
Collaros will do the same through training camp as he tries to fit into his new surroundings. Jones said Collaros was “really solid” Sunday, so the QB is off to a good start.
Having said that …
“I don’t know if you’re ever 100-per-cent comfortable,” Collaros said. “There are always ways you can improve your game and obviously you can keep building chemistry throughout the season and for years to come.
“It’s always going to be a work in progress, but as long as we communicate, that’s the key. We’ve got a really good group of veteran guys who know this game, who know this offence and are very good communicators. I’m very fortunate in that regard.”
