O’Shea mum on Bombers’ starter

All signs point to Dru Brown starting at quarterback.

But if you think Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is going to confirm that publicly any earlier than he has to, guess again.

The official confirmation will come early Friday when the club releases its depth chart.

“I don’t see any point in talking about the roster before we have to,” O’Shea said Thursday.

Brown worked with the starters at Thursday’s practice, while Zach Collaros was in street clothes and did not participate.

The Bombers listed Collaros (ribs) as a limited participant for Wednesday’s closed practice, but O’Shea — of course — declined to elaborate on what that entailed.

With the evidence that’s out there, it would be a surprise if Brown wasn’t under centre Saturday when the Bombers take on the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern final (3 p.m. kickoff).

“I think Dru is definitely capable of leading this team at the quarterback position, if that’s the direction it goes,” said receiver Nic Demski.

“And I think everybody would follow me in saying that.”

Brown turned the ball over three times in last week’s semifinal, but made just enough plays to help lift the Bombers to a 25-22 win over the Toronto Argonauts.

Although Collaros was unable to suit up, he found ways to contribute from the sidelines.

“He (did) a great job of being like, ‘Hey, I’ve been in a million games like this, just stay in it. Things aren’t necessarily flowing but we’ve got a lot of bullets, and it’s only a matter of time until all 12 of us execute at the same time,’” said Brown.

“I like to think that I try not to waver, but anytime you have a guy that you really respect, especially a guy that has sat back there and dealt with it before, it’s always good to hear.”

Brown knows he needs to be better, especially against an opponent like Montreal, but he’s not putting any additional pressure on himself with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line.

Brown started for the Bombers (9-9) last month in Montreal when they were thumped 37-10 by the Alouettes (14-4).

“At the end of the day, it’s a football game. Obviously, the circumstances are different because if you lose you go home. But I don’t necessarily think that you need to think about it like that,” said Brown.

“You kind of just go out there, try to execute and then hopefully you look up at the scoreboard and everything pays off at the end.”

In the seven games Brown has started this season, including the playoffs, the Bombers have averaged 26.4 points and 236.4 passing yards.

The Alouettes, meanwhile, have been an offensive juggernaut, with quarterback — and CFL Most Outstanding Player — Davis Alexander leading the charge. Montreal averaged 34.7 points and 320.6 passing yards per game this season.

But Brown isn’t getting caught up in the numbers or the challenge of outscoring the league’s most dangerous offence.

“I just don’t think we really look at it that way, to be honest with you,” said Brown. “I just love football, and I like the guys that I work with. I think a lot of value comes from that just for me. I’ve never really cared about what others think about how I am as a player, or as a person, really. I know that I value what I bring and the people close to me value that.

“At the end of the day, we all do want to spend more time together and I think that’s important to us.”

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