Need to Know | Eastern Final | QB WATCH, PART DEUX

The Blue Bombers held a closed practice on Wednesday, meaning there were no eyeballs on the session to see if it was Zach Collaros or Dru Brown at the controls for the majority of the offensive period.

The club's injury report listed Collaros, who missed last week's Eastern Semi-Final with a rib injury, as 'limited.' Asked near the end of his media session if he would say who is starting against the Alouettes, head coach Mike O'Shea grinned.

"Why would I do that? Why would I share the roster? It's the time of year," he said. "I'm not going to share anything."

And when he was asked how Collaros was today, he kept grinning and added: "He looked good."

A good chunk of Wednesday's Blue Bombers media availability focussed on the QB question and the idea of keeping that card tight to the collective chest. There was also a wide range of thought if keeping that information top secret served any benefit to the club in terms of making it more difficult for the Alouettes to gameplan.

"I don't know if there is a benefit for us or if they look at it that way," said O'Shea. "I'm not in their room so I don't know if they're guessing or whether they're planning like they probably are for whatever quarterbacks we have.

"You usually plan for coordinators and less about the players."

And when O'Shea was asked if the roles reversed if an uncertain QB picture in Montreal would add more work to the plate, he shrugged and said:

"Well, we wouldn't let it be a distraction."

Collaros last saw action in the Blue Bombers regular season finale win in Vancouver and was struggling before being injured on a hit by B.C. Lions Nathan Cherry, for which he was flagged for unnecessary roughness and then fined. Dru Brown came off the bench to go 11-for-11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns as the club rallied to earn its playoff spot.

Brown was then 18-of-30 for 206 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. His second TD pass to Nic Demski came with 44 second left and was the game-winner to advance to Montreal.

Interestingly, it was Collaros at the controls when the Blue Bombers knocked off the Als 44-28 in Winnipeg in late August, as he completed 26-of-32 passes for 324 yards and two TDs.

And it was Brown at QB when the Blue Bombers were thumped 37-10 in Montreal in early October as he completed 11-of-16 passes for 161 yards and one TD.

"Is there an advantage? I don't know," said running back Brady Oliveira when he was quizzed about the QB mystery. "Maybe. I mean, for me, how I think about it for my opponents, I don't really care who's playing. It's just line up and let's play ball.

"I think maybe people get into it too much... the mind games. For me, it doesn't really bother me. It's just whoever is playing is playing."

"From my standpoint, you study the system. You can't change the whole system within a week or two," said Redha Kramdi. "OCs (offensive coordinators) are who they are."

BRING IT: The Blue Bombers remain heavy underdogs heading into Montreal. And that, naturally, means zero in Bomberland.

"That's perfect," said Oliveira. "I absolutely love that we are viewed as the underdog and no one has us picked to win the game.

"There's so much outside noise and we just have to completely forget about all the outside noise and really focus on each other and use this week to compete with one another, go out there, have great week of prep, get close with one another and go out there Saturday and battle and really embrace this underdog status.

"It's perfect," he added. "I want everyone to pick the Als. It's perfect."

Added Kramdi:

"If before the season you told me that regardless of everything that happened I'll give you an opportunity to go at Montreal and play an East Final and you're one win away from the Grey Cup... I would take my chances and go for it. So, I'll take it. We're in a good position. We've worked ourselves into that position and now we've just got to go out there and do everything we can to stop them. They have, honestly a really, really challenging offence."

OUCH REPORT: The full injury report from Wednesday:

ICYMI: Blue Bombers right tackle Jarell Broxton was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award on Wednesday.

That story is here.