Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Calgary, August 9, 2025

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Narrator: He is not.

hahahahahaha

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Does anyone remember BLM battling injuries, struggling along mightily, cast off by Calgary, a healthy scratch and benched by HC Milanovich, and many of us here (myself included) saying he was on the down side of his career and all washed up? Hmmm ... where is he now?

As of Week 10 ...

Rank: #1, QB: Bo Levi Mitchell, Team: Ticats
Rank: #2, QB: Trevor Harris, Team: Riders
Rank: #3, QB: Nathan Rourke, Team: Lions
...
Rank: #7, QB: Zach Collaros, Team: Bombers
Note: "It was a high-risk pass, but there may not have been a better throw in Week 10 than Zach Collaros' 42 yard deep hook up with Brady Oliviera in the second quarter against the Stamps". -- Matthew Cauz , CFL.CA

Collaros at Bo-Levi's salary is a bit different (although every QB is different, Bo is 2 years younger which at mid 30s makes a big difference in football) and we probably still wouldn't love the results. If he was making Bo money we'd still have Lawler and Dobson, likely, which would be better. It's not that Collaros has suddenly gone full Casey Printers. It's just that he's on the books for about 50% too much and can't elevate those around him like he could.

[Blueforlife]

He'll be 37 in two weeks. Of course he's in a decline. Hard. He would be the second or third oldest QB in the NFL this season behind only Aaron Rodgers (who has been horrible the last couple years) and Joe Flacco, (the same).

It's not his fault. No one is "turning on him" or blaming him for being older in football terms. It is what it is. The Bombers were probably hoping for a more graceful decline arc but the writing has been on the wall for awhile and his play style isn't conducive to a couple more years which is something I was hoping he'd be able to get to for the last couple of seasons. There's a recipe book to follow, it just isn't being followed or doesn't work for him and the result is the same. 

There's no way to "prove" yourself right. He's got a contract that's suddenly way to big for his current ability. That's the reality.

This ain't the NFL.  I can't prove nothing but Zach can by throwing more TDs than ints and leading us to the post season.  If so, I'll serve bird. If we don't make it, I'll eat.  His decline is overstated imo.  Yes he is near the end but they don't all fizzle out, just ask Harris.  It's not about right or wrong, it's about two people's opinions on a star QB near the end of his rope.  I'm not hanging him out to dry yet, but he might hang a few more dimes.

Zach's contract is what it is.  He earned it previously and then some.  Now he needs to turn this team around and earn his cake.  Many are talking like the season could be a write off and Zach is done.  I am willing to entertain a different narrative.  The season is only half done for Zach, can't say he hasn't earned his pay till the season is done. Imagine making the suggestion last year and then he came back strong.  Wait, yes there was a crowd last year as well that said Zach was done.  Proof comes when I start my sled up lol.

Nurse is overpaid heavy for the Oil and people roast him for that.  But he got paid market value at the time of signing.  Still brings value, just not 9mil.

Does anyone remember BLM battling injuries, struggling along mightily, cast off by Calgary, a healthy scratch and benched by HC Milanovich, and many of us here (myself included) saying he was on the down side of his career and all washed up? Hmmm ... where is he now?

As of Week 10 ...

Rank: #1, QB: Bo Levi Mitchell, Team: Ticats
Rank: #2, QB: Trevor Harris, Team: Riders
Rank: #3, QB: Nathan Rourke, Team: Lions
...
Rank: #7, QB: Zach Collaros, Team: Bombers
Note: "It was a high-risk pass, but there may not have been a better throw in Week 10 than Zach Collaros' 42 yard deep hook up with Brady Oliviera in the second quarter against the Stamps". -- Matthew Cauz , CFL.CA

Yup most of us wrote him off and now he is near top dog again.  Success goes in waves.  Ride the top and don't panic on the bottom.  Surf will always come back.

[blue_gold_84]

Does anyone remember BLM battling injuries, struggling along mightily, cast off by Calgary, a healthy scratch and benched by HC Milanovich, and many of us here (myself included) saying he was on the down side of his career and all washed up? Hmmm ... where is he now?

It's a great comeback story for Mitchell.

Collaros has already had his comeback story, and I'm not sure if there's another. Seems like a long shot, IMO.

[Blueforlife]

It's a great comeback story for Mitchell.

Collaros has already had his comeback story, and I'm not sure if there's another. Seems like a long shot, IMO.

One can hope, Collaros return 2.0

The 1st comeback was harder than this one imo, if his OL can protect him and we figure out our receivers.  The run game will come on by fall.

[Pete]

Collaros at Bo-Levi's salary is a bit different (although every QB is different, Bo is 2 years younger which at mid 30s makes a big difference in football) and we probably still wouldn't love the results. If he was making Bo money we'd still have Lawler and Dobson, likely, which would be better. It's not that Collaros has suddenly gone full Casey Printers. It's just that he's on the books for about 50% too much and can't elevate those around him like he could.

and yet we signed him for another year, without seeing him play a regular season game ty

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

and yet we signed him for another year, without seeing him play a regular season game ty

Nothing legally binding about that agreement, it can be torn up and burned.

[TecnoGenius]

No team has done what you suggest. Teams going over the SMS by mostly minimal amounts. The Lions were an exception due to two starting Canadians coming back from the NFL.

Last season IIRC 3 teams went over by $50-$100k+.  This year I bet it'll be even more (excluding the $400k, so it will be hard to tell).  The number of teams going over seems to be going UP each season, not DOWN.  And the average overage seems to be increasing.

Once again, unless there was some conspiracy about the timing and use of the increase to the SMS, then I disagree.

Well, personally I think HAM did know (tinfoil).  But it doesn't matter, let's say HAM didn't know and just decided they wanted to go $200k over the cap in FA and pay the punishments.  The magic $400k showing up then effectively bailed them out.  And then they went ON TOP of that and spent the other $200k.  They came out and said it: "we spent the $400k".

We don't have proof that any team knew in time to take advantage of this extra amount.,

And you make it sound like the $400k was announced in TC or something.  It wasn't, it was still the middle of FA.  Many holdouts were still available, waiting for big paydays.  The $400k allowed teams to suddenly have space for the top vet holdouts!

If the Bombers knew and choose to not spend more money on retaining a few players or adding in free agency then yes then management should be called out.

They told us precisely this.  KW said outright he was not spending a dime of the $400k and made zero changes to his decisions because of it.  No other team said this AFAIK.  We may be the only team in the entire league not have spent the $400k on better talent.

This may help us in '26 because we can prepay a ton of players a ton of $ from the '25 $400k bonus.  But who cares about '26.  We want to be in the cup NOW!

Spending money does not guarantee a good season.

Ya, because we'd suck right now if our OL was:

Stan-Desjar-Couture-Neuf-Yoshi

and our RECs were:

Gino-Kenny-Demski-Schoen-Philpot

and our DBs were:

Milligan-Nichols-Holm-Ford

eh?  Money would guarantee a good season, all else being equal.  Before anyone says "that's impossible!", we could with our "real world $" buy every single one of those guys by overbidding by $50k, go $1M over the SMS each year, lose all DPs and pay fines (only "real world $" so who cares), and win basically every game.  Change my mind.

[TecnoGenius]

Remove Zach's name and just look at the output from the last season and 8 games and his birthday. There's your answer. It's that simple.

Birthday means nothing.  BLM & Trevor & and R.Ray are/were lighting it up around Zach's age.  Tom Brady...

As for last 1.5 seasons: how good has the OL been?  Hint: pretty bad.  Zach's best seasons had him behind the league top OL.  Remember '21-'22?  My word those guys were good.  Downhill ever since Desjar bailed.

When is the last time booth guys said "Zach has all day to throw back there"... even for one snap.  I haven't heard that once this season.  The heat is on Zach straight from the snap, every single down.  Not only can't the OL give him 3.5s back there, or the magic 2.7s: they can't even give him 2.0s most snaps.

The ONLY QB that could be good behind our OL is a young runner like Alexander.  Even VAJ wouldn't do well.

Look at the powerhouse teams like CGY.  How many times in our 3 games did we say "VAJ has all day to throw back there" even with 4 or 5 man pass rush.  How many times did he get 4, 5, 6s.  Ya, a lot.

Give Zach the '21 OL today and Zach would be lighting up 350Y and 3TD every game.  The problem is not Zach.  The problem is our bottom-3 OL performance.  (It's hurting our run game too...)

[TecnoGenius]

We are living a reality that many before us have lived.  The Als turfed Faj and went younger and cheaper and were on the right path but injury happened.

Pretty sure Alexander got a huge contract as starter, same or more than Cody did.  Wasn't Cody a cheap budget QB when he first moved to MTL?  Then a small bump after his cup win?

No way Alexander went for $350k or something, as every team in the world would have offered him $100k more than that.  Bidding war would take him up to $500-$600k, which is what he's worth (incl MMM).

[J5V]

Of all the CFL's present-day QBs how many have lead their team to five consecutive Grey Cup games? That's the one that deserves to be paid. 

[Big Daddy]

Of all the CFL's present-day QBs how many have lead their team to five consecutive Grey Cup games? That's the one that deserves to be paid.

This! 

You can say "37" and he's on a rapid decline.  I would say based on other factors there is zero proof of this.

I agree with Tecno - the decline to this point has been OL, not on Zach - at least I haven't seen any proof of that (hard to see proof when it's been pointed out so well by others that Zach doesn't get anywhere near the time to throw this year).

I agree that Zach is much more a victim of the decline in the OL.  I think I made this point 3 times now, so I am getting into Brodbeck territory of saying the same thing over an over to fill a column with one thought.

Sorry for the long read.

[bunker]

Pretty sure Alexander got a huge contract as starter, same or more than Cody did.  Wasn't Cody a cheap budget QB when he first moved to MTL?  Then a small bump after his cup win?

No way Alexander went for $350k or something, as every team in the world would have offered him $100k more than that.  Bidding war would take him up to $500-$600k, which is what he's worth (incl MMM).

https://3downnation.com/2025/04/14/qb1-money-cfls-highest-paid-quarterbacks-for-the-2025-season/
He actually went for a bit less.

[TecnoGenius]

He actually went for a bit less.

Holy sweet jeez.  (However, how much MMM? Could be $100-$200k)

Did MTL force him in before the tamper period?  Did he not know to hold out for FA?  What was his agent thinking?

He will be the league-best QB within 1-2 years, if healthy.  Tons of years left to play, he could be one team's franchise guy for the next 12 years.

If I was KW I would have paid him $500k in a hot second to get him here in FA, and just fired Zach (as much as I love the guy)... assuming I could make him the face of my club for a decade.

Albeit ignoring the injury situation, of course.  If he's going to be ruined by perpetual hammy, he won't amount to anything.

Why does MTL get all the amazing deals on top quality player?  They pulling a CGY funny money situation under the table?

[blue_gold_84]

One can hope, Collaros return 2.0

The 1st comeback was harder than this one imo, if his OL can protect him and we figure out our receivers.  The run game will come on by fall.

The thing is he was much younger back in 2019. Time remains undefeated and the slope gets steeper the older one gets.

He'll need all the help from his hogs, receivers, and tailbacks in order to succeed. Oh, and his coaches.