Collaros eager for shot with Riders
Zach Collaros’s interaction with the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ other quarterbacks has been short, but productive.
Collaros has spent limited time with holdovers Brandon Bridge, Marquise Williams and David Watford since being acquired from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Jan. 3 for a second-round pick in the 2018 CFL draft. However, Collaros already has a familiarity with his new teammates.
“I’ve got to know them a bit over the last couple of months,” Collaros said during a recent conference call with media. “It’s weird being the oldest guy in the room and it’s the first time for that. They are all good guys and we like to talk about the NBA and they’re pretty knowledgeable about the game of football.
“I’m excited to be able to pass some wisdom about the CFL game down to these guys and hear their perspectives as well. I’ve only been able to interact with them for a few days, but it’s been a really good time.”
There have been some opportunities for the quarterbacks to interact in person. In March, they were in South Pittsburg, Tenn., for meetings. They were together for the Riders’ mini-camp April 24 and 25 in Bradenton, Fla.
The four will meet again next weekend when the Riders’ main training camp begins in Saskatoon.
Collaros, for one, heads to training camp with something to prove after struggling through the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the TigerCats. He lost 12 consecutive games, one shy of the league record, before being replaced by Jeremiah Masoli.
“In pro football, you have to prove yourself every practice, every rep and every game,” Collaros said. “I’ve always had that mentality and that’s not going to change.”
The Riders are hoping Collaros returns to the form he showed 2015, when he was the leading candidate for most outstanding player before suffering a season-ending knee injury against the Eskimos.
Collaros said: “I’m definitely excited for the new situation. Anytime you’re thrown into something like that, something that’s outside your comfort zone, you become a better person and player.”