WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers still don't know whether quarterback Drew Willy will be able to play in Saturday's home game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, coach Mike O'Shea said Tuesday.

"It's really just a question of how he feels," added O'Shea, who said they likely won't answer that question until Friday.

"We'll check in with him tomorrow and see if he can come out to practice and still feel good and then we'll just keep that process going along right up until the last-ditch minute."

Willy threw balls Tuesday but the team didn't let him talk after practice. He hurt his shoulder in a 26-9 loss to the B.C. Lions Sept. 13.

Fortunately for the Bombers, it happened just as they started their bye week.

With Willy uncertain, the Bombers have been giving backup Brian Brohm a few more plays with the first team in case he has to start Saturday.

"I'm getting more reps than I get in a normal week as the backup, so that will help me be more prepared than I was last week," said Brohm, who would be making his first start for the Bombers.

Brohm finished the game for Willy and completed only six of 13 passes for 33 yards.

Defensive back Johnny Sears could be making his first start since July because of an injury to halfback Bruce Johnson's heel.

"It's exciting for me right now, it almost feels like week one," said Sears.

"That's my mindset going into it. Like everybody else we come off the bye week, we know how many we've got left, we've got to win this first one in order to do anything else so that's what we're focusing on."

Sears was initially sidelined with a lower-body injury in July but says he's been able to return for a month or so.

The Bombers (6-6) are in last place in the CFL West Division while the surging Ticats are on a roll with quarterback Zach Collaros back. While only 4-7, they currently sit in first in the East Division with a game in hand over 4-8 Toronto and Montreal.

Collaros has led the team to three wins in four games since his return from a concussion and he was named the CFL's offensive player of the week for his performance.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had the wrong game for Willy's injury.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2014