Opportunity Knocking For Back Up Qb Hopefuls

DON LANDRY – Argonauts.ca Columnist

TORONTO  – Let’s not get too dramatic and say that one quarter of football in Winnipeg on Wednesday night will completely alter the career trajectory of either Zach Collaros or Trevor Harris.

But, you know, one quarter of football in Winnipeg on Wednesday night….

Okay, it won’t completely change the fortunes of either of the co-favourites to emerge at quarterback for the Argos as Ricky Ray’s understudy. In the compact window that is the CFL pre-season, though, every pass, every decision, every moment to lead takes on heightened meaning and Harris and Collaros both know it.

“Last year, with Ricky Ray and Jarious Jackson (Ray’s back-up in 2012, now a coach with the B.C. Lions), it was a competition, a battle to stay on the roster,” mused Harris about the difference in perspective. “This year, there’s a higher expectation, battling for the number two job. That’s the difference this year, the difference in mindset.”

“When you get your opportunity you’ve got to get out there and make the most of it,” said Collaros.

With each of Collaros, Harris, and rookies Mitchell Gale and Josh Portis expected to get around a quarter’s worth of action each, it’s possible any one of them might get as few as a dozen snaps to work with. That would make Collaros statement all the more apt.

It’s not surprising that head coach Scott Milanovich is leaving Ray off the roster for this game. There is absolutely no question as to the quarterback’s position in the hierarchy. And no question as to his abilities to light it up after sitting out. Late last season, after returning from a knee injury, Ray went on a tear in his final two games of the regular season.

Then, Milanovich decided to make him a healthy scratch for the regular season finale. Ray returned for playoff action and picked up right where he’d left off, taking a bead on three more wins and a Grey Cup championship.

Getting Ricky Ray ready can wait for next week’s game against Montreal.

The Argos have much to look at in this first pre season game; defensive linemen galore and rookie defensive backs aiming to secure one of the positions vacated by outgoing veterans.

Those questions – in the grand scheme of the season about to unfold – might well be more important than the back-up pivot mystery. Could be that Ray will cruise through the season unscathed and the main understudy will barely get a whiff of game action, outside of teeing up field goals and extra points or plunging ahead in short yardage situations.

That doesn’t happen often though and the Argos need a capable co-pilot. One ready and able to keep the offence ticking if QB1 is sidelined at all.

Both Harris and Collaros want to show that they are the man for the job. Each has a strong feeling of what he needs to show in order to signal he’s improved from year one.

“For me, being able to sit in the pocket and be able to work through the progressions and our check downs is something that I’ve been trying to get better at,” explained Collaros, who was limited to six pre-season game plays in 2012. “I think I do a pretty decent job of making something happen when nothing’s there and making a play out of the pocket.”

His best game of the year came last November, when he threw for 101 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 17 more yards in a 43-40 win over the Ti-Cats. Collaros showed poise and good decision making in that game as well as that ‘pretty decent job’ when flushed from the pocket.

Harris had a marvelous pre-season in 2012, completing 20 of 25 passes in two appearances. His totals were terrific; 244 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. For him, the expectation is that he’ll show he knows when to cut his losses.

“You have to pick your times to throw (the ball) away,” he said. “Not turning the ball over and forcing things is important and I just try to keep that in mind.”

A star during his time at Edinboro University – he threw for 630 yards in his final game there – Harris is looking to show some consistency in Winnipeg. He rates his camp so far as a little uneven, but not alarmingly so.

“I’ve been up and down,” he admitted. “I’ve made some good decisions, made a couple of bonehead plays, but that just comes with the territory of playing quarterback. You’re the decision maker every play.”

“Every quarterback will tell you that they’re a perfectionist and that they want to perform at the highest levels on all plays. But, they’re professionals on defence too and they’re gonna get you every once in awhile,” he said philosophically.

At first blush, it might seem Harris is a little more suited to the Argos’ offence as his style more closely reflects that of Ray. Comfortable in the pocket, he’s not a real threat to tuck and beat you with scrambling.

Conversely, Collaros seeks to find the range between the tackles and is working hard with new offensive coordinator Marcus Brady to get it down pat.

“It’s been great to pick his brain,” said Collaros of Brady. “He’s been in this offence for awhile and he’s coached a great player in Anthony Calvillo. And to see him interact with Ricky is a pretty cool thing, to see what those guys are thinking. You just try to learn off that.”

Reiterating his mission statement, Collaros – a former University of Cincinnati Bearcat – adds: “I’m always trying to improve my mechanics in the pocket and working through progressions.”

After all, that’s what it’s all about in this Argo offence. Reading pass opportunities in a specific way and delivering the ball at just the right moment, in just the right manner.

Showing that, even in the small amount of time they could be afforded in Winnipeg, will go a long way in deciding who is number two.

Both Collaros and Harris come across in a self-assured way, even if that confidence is expressed in different fashion. Collaros seems a man of few words when being interviewed while Harris is plenty expressive. He sometimes seems to occupy the same head space as Milanovich, who is a stickler for treating each football moment as an opportunity.

“You want to win walk-throughs,” began Harris. “You want to win practices. You want to win pre-game. You want to win every individual drill, competitions, games. Everything’s the same exact mindset. If you’re in a meeting, you want to win that. You want to know that you have learned something or come out better.”