Long after their teammates had left the practice field Friday morning, Dan LeFevour and Jeremiah Masoli were still working on spot-passing drills with Ticat receiver hopeful Kelvin Bolden.
There's your first clue as to which two are not the starting quarterbacks for Saturday's game against the Alouettes. Nor, barring injury or major setback to No. 4, against any other team which happens to be in the Canadian Football League this season.
Although there was some public hedging of the bets the day before when Kent Austin suggested there was a scenario in which Zach Collaros would not play in one of only two pre-season games afforded each CFL team, it was hard to take that suggestion too seriously.
This is a professional sports franchise, which is a business, and a lot of that business' collective thinking, finances and off-season planning were invested in transforming the Argonauts' No. 2 quarterback into the Ticats' No. 1.
And part of that evolutionary process is for him to take the ball in every symbolic situation, which includes the very first snap from scrimmage in mini-camp, training camp, first exhibition game and first regular-season game. Quarterbacks are leaders and leaders have to not only lead, but to be seen to lead, and to be seen as anointed to lead.
So Collaros, the No. 1, gets No. 1 reps Saturday afternoon, although not even he or his boss know for exactly how long.
There is a message here, perhaps unintended but certainly loud: 'We have the replacement for Henry Burris, and this is he'. That message, sent to everyone who cares about this team including the players on it, is most emphatically delivered on the opening series of the team's first public appearance since late November.
"I think we just decided as a staff that he needed a little bit more work in game time than just the last exhibition game," Austin said. "Just get comfortable with the offence.
"We'll play it by ear (as to how long he plays), but hopefully not too long, We'll just see how it goes."
Returnees Dan LeFevour and Jeremiah Masoli will follow Collaros, in that order. Stephen McGee and Corey Robinson, the other pivots in camp will not play Saturday.
Collaros said he'd like to play the whole game, but knows that's not possible, with the pecking order of the other quarterbacks still to be fully established, although from here it seems obvious that LeFevour is the primary backup because of the regular contributions he made last year and his demonstrated familiarity with the Austin quarterbacking regimen.
"I think we work well together," LeFevour says of Austin. "I try to approach the game the way coach Austin wants us to approach it, and do the best that I can.
"I'm just here to fulfil my role. I don't know what that is yet and I don't think about it. Otherwise you'll cloud your judgment."
OK, but does he think he has any chance of ever being the No. 1 guy in the quarterback rotation this year?
"That's above my head," he replied.
OK, but if he really looks at it objectively?
"My honest assessment? Ask the guy who's making more money than me."
Well-trained in the media arts is this particular quarterbacking crew. They're determined to play the game on the field, not in front of a mic.
Masoli says he needs to work on certain aspects of the offensive system, particularly his drop-back footwork. He had an excellent mini-camp and has looked very good in regular training camp as he battles McGee for the No. 3 job.
Austin says that on both sides of the ball the Cats will institute enough of the playbooks to test the "understanding" of players but not so much that it creates a "propensity for missed assignments." Plus, he's not into providing opponents with usable film-study material so early in the year.
smilton@thespec.com
905-526-3268 | @miltonatthespec
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