Veteran quarterback Shea Patterson, who joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in free agency in February, is happy to no longer have to play against the team that once gave him fits.
The 28-year-old played 36 games over stints at the University of Mississippi and the University of Michigan, giving him a chance to face the highest level of competition in the collegiate ranks. Between those games and his professional stints in The Spring League, USFL, and CFL, Patterson considers Winnipeg the toughest competition he’s ever faced.
“Every time I’ve ever played them in preseason or regular season, it’s been the hardest fought games of my entire life — high school, college, and pro level,” Patterson told 3DownNation at training camp.
“You’ve got to play your best game against them. You’ve got to play penalty-free football as well. You’ve got to get takeaways. You’ve really got to have your A game all across the board: defence, special teams, offence has got to be clicking if you’re gonna have a chance.”
“You can tell they’re very well coached and disciplined. They play together, they’ve got a family vibe. Even when I played against them, I could just tell how close they were and how much that meant to them.”
Patterson dressed for a handful of games with the Montreal Alouettes in 2021 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2023 but last season marked his first chance to start. He went 2-4-1 over seven starts with the Green and White, throwing for 1,655 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. One of his two wins came against Winnipeg in mid-July, making him the only Saskatchewan quarterback to beat the Blue Bombers in 2024.
Though he recognizes he still has lots to learn, Patterson believes he’s come a long way on the mental side of the game, particularly when it comes to mastering the unique facets of three-down football.
“I think over the last two, three years, (I’ve improved at) understanding coverage, understanding the game. I think it takes time to learn the game up here. When you come up from the NFL or college or wherever the heck you’re coming from, it’s a unique game. It’s a fun game, but it takes time,” said Patterson.
“A lot of the guys that are starting right now will attest to that, but I think just growing knowledge-wise about defence, structure, fronts, coverage, quarterback progressions and where to go with the football — I think I’ve grown a lot in those areas.”
Zach Collaros has been suspended for the first game of the regular season, opening Winnipeg’s starting job for at least one week. Patterson isn’t sure what to make of the news — though he’d undoubtedly love the chance to start (all players do) he seems focused on being the best version of himself while learning from a veteran quarterback he clearly holds in high esteem.
“I don’t know what to think (about the suspension),” he said. “My job is to make the room better and to bring my best self to the locker room every day, regardless if I’m one, two, three, four, or five (on the depth chart), it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna show up and be the same guy every day and just be ready to go.”
“You’ve got probably the best quarterback to ever play up here. I’m looking to learn from him, I’m looking to learn how he goes about his every day. He’s really, really good vibes — that’s really good. There’s a really good feeling in the quarterback room. It’s a good group of guys. I’m looking to learn from (Collaros), be a sponge, and really anything he needs, anything this team needs, I want to be there for it.”
“When you can go into a room and know a guy has multiple Grey Cups and that’s your goal … there’s no better person to watch than him.”
The native of Toledo, Ohio is one of five quarterbacks in training camp, including Collaros, incumbent backup Chris Streveler, second-year passer Terry Wilson, and rookie Chase Artopoeus. University of Manitoba Bisons quarterback Cole Anseeuw is also on the field, though he’s not under contract as he’s participating in the CFL’s internship program.
Head coach Mike O’Shea seems happy with his crop of quarterbacks, saying he’s looking forward to seeing how they perform in the preseason.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good room there in terms of guys that can compete. I think they’ll all show us that they can do something when they get that opportunity in the preseason, and then you really are looking forward to seeing the games,” said O’Shea.
“We can look at their throws and chart everything (during practice in training camp) … but for me, it’s how are they going to manage the game and are they going to put their teammates in great positions and manage the ball, take care of the football, and do those things that we need them to do.”
It’s clear that Patterson doesn’t harbour any ill will against his former team, though he’s excited to be in Bomberland.
“I’ve got a lot of good friends still on the team and had had a lot of good times in Saskatchewan, so very, very grateful for the opportunity that they gave me,” he said. “Now, I’m just all about the present moment, all about being a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better environment, better group of guys, better organization, so it’s just awesome to get back out here and get rolling with the boys.”
The Blue Bombers and Roughriders will meet twice during the preseason — in Winnipeg on Saturday, May 24 and in Regina on Friday, May 30.
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