Though he refuses to use it as an excuse for his performance, the hand injury suffered by Zach Collaros during the Grey Cup appears to be even more serious than he first led on.
“I could look inside my finger,” said Collaros on Tuesday. “It was weird.”
The injury occurred on a deep pass to Keric Wheatfall on Winnipeg’s final possession of the third quarter. Though the veteran passer remains unaware of exactly how the laceration took place, he explained that he suffered a deep cut to the inside of the top knuckle on his right index finger, which left the tip of his finger hanging open.
Collaros went the locker room where medical staff numbed the finger and placed five stitches to resecure the tip back in place. Collaros indicated that the numbing didn’t wear off until Monday morning, though he has since regained feeling and some range of motion. He is hopeful he will make a full recovery.
The 36-year-old was sporting a bandage on his right index finger on Tuesday. He said that he saw the doctor earlier that morning, who indicated that it “looked pretty good.”
Terry Wilson went zero-for-three in relief of Collaros, who returned to the bench wearing a glove on his right hand after receiving medical attention. Wilson’s third pass, a shot to Kenny Lawler in the back of the end zone, was underthrown and should have been intercepted by defensive Benjie Franklin, though he was unable to complete the catch.
Collaros threw on the sideline with Drew Wolitarsky and Chris Streveler, neither of whom were dressed due to injury, and struggled to grip the football. He recalled thinking, ‘Sh*t, I can’t really throw’ and relayed that information to offensive coordinator Buck Pierce. After that, head coach Mike O’Shea told him to reenter the game.
“(O’Shea) has played the highest level in the biggest games and he understands moments like that and how much you put into it, how much you care for your teammates. He trusted me and I appreciate that. He knows my heart was in the right spot. I don’t think I was being selfish because, ‘Hey, it’s my team, I want to go out there.’ It was, ‘I just want to be out there with the guys and I think I can help,’” said Collaros.
“The thing you’re dealing with mentally is like, ‘Am I being selfish to want to go back in here, even though I don’t feel like I can necessarily help to my best ability?’ And the other side of that is, ‘Am I being selfish for bailing on the guys?’”
The results weren’t positive. After taking the field with his team down 24-16, Collaros was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter. The team eventually trailed 41-16 before adding a touchdown in garbage time from Brady Oliveira, though the damage was done.
The native of Steubenville, Ohio told his teammates in the huddle that he was having trouble gripping the ball, so his receivers needed to be prepared to come back to the ball. When asked if the team tried too many pass attempts late in the game — Brady Oliveira, who was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player on Thursday, finished the game with only 11 carries — Collaros defended his offensive coordinator.
“I appreciate the faith that Buck has in me, so if he asks me to throw the ball, I’m gonna throw to the ball. I want to throw the ball, so I’m not going to argue,” said Collaros.
“Was I having a hard time gripping the football? Yes, but in those moments, you’re in the swing of the game, you’re feeling the game out. You’re adding to that feeling of what Toronto has been playing all game long and how they’ve been playing the run, how they’ve been playing the pass. At that point of the game, I thought it was appropriate to call the plays that he called.”
Collaros has a contract for next year and indicated there’s a “99.9 percent chance” he’ll be back with the team, though he wants to discuss it with his wife, Nicole, first. The couple has three young children and a permanent home near Toronto, which leads to some logistical challenges during the season. He indicated that the finger injury he suffered on Sunday is not a factor in determining his future.
Over the last three Grey Cups, the veteran quarterback has thrown for 621 yards, zero touchdowns, and six interceptions, which leaves much to be desired. Despite the challenges, Collaros, who is now 2-4 in six Grey Cup starts, still feels good about the situation he’s in as a person and professional passer.
“Mentally, you’re kind of exhausted from just the way it all ended. Disappointed, frustrated, you always want to play better. As the quarterback, a lot of times you think if you just do one thing differently, everything could change and that’s the hardest part is thinking about every single play and all that, you could drive yourself crazy,” he said.
“Mentally, I think I’m in a pretty good space. I’m a very, very blessed individual. I’m a part of a great organization. The work environment that I get to come to every day is second to none. You know how much I care for my family and how lucky I think I am for that. I get to go home and see my wife and my children every day and I had so many people come out to the game to support me and so many calls. I’m in a good space.”
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