Collaros looks back on his journey in 2019

Zach Collaros’ playing time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2019 CFL regular season amounted to three offensive plays.

Now, more than five months later, Collaros has a chance to win a Grey Cup.

“I don’t think what I do is special,” the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback said in Calgary on Thursday when asked about the journey he has taken this season. “Obviously people want the story to be that way.

“It has been a crazy year for me. There has been a lot of adversity, but I always try to rely on my family, my wife, through those times and just really look back and appreciate those people — because if it wasn’t for those people, then maybe I wouldn’t be here.”

On June 13, Collaros — then the Roughriders’ starting quarterback — scrambled for seven yards on the third offensive play of the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence hit a sliding Collaros in the head, earning a 25-yard penalty and sending the Saskatchewan pivot to the sideline with a concussion.

Collaros didn’t play another down with the Roughriders. He returned to his home in the Toronto area to recover and then, on July 31, was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

He didn’t play for Toronto, which shipped him to Winnipeg on Oct. 9.

On Sunday, Collaros will start for the Bombers when they face Lawrence and the Tiger-Cats in the Grey Cup game in Calgary. Kickoff at McMahon Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

Many outsiders wondered if Collaros’ CFL career was over due to the concussion he suffered in Hamilton. He has a history of that injury and many suggested he should retire rather than try to return to the field.

On Thursday, he was asked if he was in a dark place when he went home.

“I don’t know if it was dark,” Collaros replied. “I try to keep things in perspective. I could be a lot worse off. Injuries happen; it’s part of the game.

“Obviously when you’re caught up in something, you say, ‘Why me? Why does it have to happen to me?’ But when you sit back and you think about things that have happened in history and you think about other places in the world, I’ve always been the kind of guy who has said, ‘Ah, (my plight) is not so bad.’ I have a great family and I have a beautiful wife.

” ‘Dark’ is not the right word. You want to play. We’re football players. I was more disappointed than anything. Then after you figure out you’re ready to go, it’s like, ‘All right. Let me get ready to go and if I get an opportunity, I’m going to do my best.’ ”

The last time Collaros was seen in a Roughriders jersey, he was walking off Tim Hortons Field — and jawing at Lawrence most of the way.

Former teammates in Hamilton, the men since have talked and, apparently, mended fences.

“I’m used to Zach barking at me; I didn’t think anything of that,” Lawrence said in reference to their conversation on June 13. “Me and Zach cursed back (and forth) at each other at practice when he was here all the time, so that’s just what it is.

“(The most-recent chat) was just good to make sure that he’s OK, see where his head was at. It was just good to talk to him.”

Collaros didn’t step immediately into the starter’s role in Winnipeg. He watched Chris Streveler run the Bombers’ offence until Oct. 25, when Collaros finally was summoned.

The veteran then helped Winnipeg upend the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division semifinal on Nov. 10 and got the win as the Bombers beat the Roughriders in the West final on Nov. 17.

On Sunday, he’ll get a chance to win his second career Grey Cup title. He was a rookie when the Argos won the CFL championship in 2012, but was on the losing side when Hamilton fell to the Stamps in 2014.

In reality, though, there are bigger issues for Collaros. After being considered by many to be a candidate for retirement, he appears to be resurrecting his career.

“From a personal standpoint, I’ve had a lot of success, but in this game, you have success because of the people around you — not just the players but the coaches, the organization (or) the school,” Collaros said. “I’ve been very, very blessed to be around some amazing people and I’ve learned a lot from them. I just try to make those people proud.

“I was lucky enough five or six weeks ago to be traded to an organization and a team that is in the middle of a playoff run, getting ready for the big thing, and they do things the right way. It’s a joy to be around.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Jamie Nye