Friends turn frenemies

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This article was published 16/11/2019 (1621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — There was a time, not very long ago, when Cody Fajardo would have walked over to Zach Collaros to pick his brain about the next big game on the schedule. And the student would have listened intently as the teacher talked.

There’ll be no such meeting of the minds this weekend in Regina, as the recent teammates prepare to face each other with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line.

“I’m excited. He’s my enemy (Sunday) but after that, we’ll be friends. We’ll be friends before the game and after the game. But in between the 60 minutes, obviously, I want to beat the man across from me,” Fajardo said Saturday following his team’s walk-through at Mosaic Stadium as part of the final preparations for the West Division final between the long-time prairie rivals.

Fajardo, who started the year as the understudy to Collaros, will start at quarterback for the Roughriders, despite still dealing with an oblique injury suffered during an Oct. 30 practice. Collaros — first traded to Toronto, then to Winnipeg — is expected to take the bulk of the snaps for the Blue Bombers, with Chris Streveler and his hobbled foot rotating into the offence.

“I’m just excited for him, that he got a good fit over there in Winnipeg. It seems like he went over there and they welcomed him with open arms, which is pretty cool to see for a guy who’s been traded twice in one year. But I’m excited just to compete against him,” Fajardo said.

“We obviously competed through training camp and he taught me a lot of things about playing quarterback in the CFL and for that, I owe him a lot. I’m just excited to see him back on the field, but I hope we prevail.”

To hear Fajardo explain it, the pair spent plenty of time pouring over film together, especially after Collaros got hurt early in the first game of the regular season.

“It was more game-study stuff, just preparing for weeks as a starter. He really helped me with that. Through his injury, when he was around in the building, he was able to sit down and watch film with me when I was just getting my first couple starts. I really didn’t know how to attack a week as the starter,” Fajardo said.

Turns out, Collaros helped create a bit of a monster. Fajardo never looked back, leading Saskatchewan to top spot in the West and being named a finalist for most outstanding player.

“He’s just done a great job, obviously. I got to spend a lot of time with him in camp, talking ball. Things were still up in the air for him, whether there was a backup job. I said you’ll get your shot, you’re going to do really good things,” Collaros said Saturday afternoon, shortly after his team touched down in Regina.

Of course, Collaros has played a significant role in getting the Bombers where they are, with No. 1 Matt Nichols done for the year and Streveler limited. He’s had a big effect in a short period of time, and can take another massive step today by beating the team that ultimately gave up on him.

“That’s who he is. That’s what you’d expect. I don’t know if it would be the same for every veteran quarterback. And I’m not trying to diminish what he’s done by any means. But we knew what we were getting when we got him. A highly competitive, really intelligent, good team guy able to fit in right away, seamlessly. All those things,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said Saturday.

“I’d say he came as advertised. He’s done great for us, he’s been a good teammate and learned extremely quickly. But it’s what we’d expect.”

With the Bombers expected to use the two-headed monster of Collaros and Streveler behind centre, the Roughriders may actually one-up them by getting both backups, Isaac Harker and Bryan Bennett, involved at various times. How much may depend on the health of Fajardo.

“I have to be really smart and level-headed with that decision. Hopefully, adrenaline takes over and I don’t feel anything. That’s my wishing. But I can’t just base everything on that.”– Riders QB Cody Fajardo

“It’s been frustrating. It’s been taxing, body-wise. Mentally, a little bit taxing. But the medical staff did a tremendous job. We uncovered every stone possible to get me feeling as comfortable and confident as I can be. I thought our game plan throughout the two weeks has been tremendous. It’s put me in a position to hopefully go out there and play some good football,” Fajardo said.

The 27-year-old admits to drawing some inspiration from last week’s Bombers win in Calgary, which included seeing Streveler make a number of key plays despite being far from 100 per cent. Now, he’s hoping for a similar result on his end.

“When you see a guy like that, you understand it’s playoffs. Guys are going to be beat up, nicked up. His was a little bit different, I guess it’s a pretty serious injury when you have a bone that’s broken, or allegedly broken,” Fajardo said.

“When you play the whole season and then you’re injured for the playoffs, it hurts a bit more. But knowing that we have six months off after this helps you make a decision in your mind a little bit easier, as opposed to getting injured halfway through the season and you know you’ve got a lot of games left.”

With the oblique, the biggest question is how effective he can be throwing the ball. Fajardo was clear on Saturday to say he’ll ultimately do what’s best for the team, even if it means taking a seat.

“Whatever it takes to win this game. For me, that’s something I’ve got to think about, too. If things aren’t going right, I’ve got to be able to pull myself out of the game if I know I can’t get certain things done. It’ll be selfish of me to go out there and put our team at risk, knowing that I can’t do the things that are asked by our offence,” he said.

“I have to be really smart and level-headed with that decision. Hopefully, adrenaline takes over and I don’t feel anything. That’s my wishing. But I can’t just base everything on that.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Sports reporter

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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