New Bombers coach O'Shea doing everything possible to control the message

 

So I decided to stop in and take a peek at Camp O’Shea, Monday, get the season’s first whiff of pigskin and sweaty O-linemen.

 

Upon first glance, nothing stood out about the methods of the new sheriff in Blue Bomberville, the usual training camp sights and sounds greeting me: large men grunting, coaches barking and the occasional whistle interrupting the festivities.

 

In the middle of it all stood the man charged with turning this leaky vessel around, holding a piece of paper and wearing a T-shirt and shorts, even as a chilly, wind-aided rain pelted the last half hour of the proceedings.

 

There would be no rain jacket or pants for Mike O’Shea or his coaching staff.

 

Muzzles, on the other hand, have already been deployed.

 

Ripping a page from ex-coach Mike Kelly’s book — the one copy that hasn’t been burned, I suppose — O’Shea has banned his assistant coaches from doing interviews.

Not just on Monday, not just this week, not just during training camp — but for the entire season.

 

If you eventually want answers from offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille about why his air attack sucks like a shop-vac, sorry, you’re out of luck.

 

If down the road Gary Etcheverry’s confusing defence is confounding his own players more than the opposition, well, we won’t be able pick his brain about that, either.

 

New running backs coach Buck Pierce? Muzzled.

 

The always smiling Marcus Howell, the pride of St. James? Off limits.

 

Part-time magician and O-line guru Bob Wylie? He felt guilty even saying hello to one wag on Monday.

 

It’s a startling bit of control freakishness in the normally accessible world of three-down football. Rare, if not unheard of.

So, what gives, coach?

 

“It wasn’t hard to come up with that,” O’Shea explained to the dunces taking notes. “My decision was easily just to control the message, and make sure you’re only hearing one voice and only one opinion. That way there’s no confusion for the players.”

 

Control the message? Good lord, I’m having a flashback.

 

Wasn’t that one of Kelly’s mantras in that gong show of a 2009 season?

 

But not even The Professor went this far in his war with the inked-stained wretches of the press. He only wanted to mimic the NFL by limiting his co-ordinators to one day of access per week.

 

O’Shea doesn’t want his hired help to utter a peep from now until November.

 

“I’m trying to serve the players as best I can,” he continued. “If it comes from me, and only me, then they can come into my office and talk about that with me. They don’t have to worry about talking to their position coach and then the co-ordinator and then myself about three different interviews that were done after a practice or a game. It’s important.”

 

Ah, I’m starting to see where the seed for this petty notion was planted.

 

If that bit about players answering to mixed messages from their coaches sounds familiar, it’s because it is: it happened here during last season’s train wreck.

 

Head coach Tim Burke one week deferred the decision about who to start at quarterback to co-ordinator Gary Crowton, leading to Justin Goltz feeling “betrayed” and Pierce throwing up his hands wondering who was calling the shots.

 

“Watching from afar for the last bunch of years... it was an easy decision, I’ll put it that way,” is all O’Shea would say.

Curiously, no other CFL head coach has found it necessary to make that easy decision.

 

Former Montreal boss Marc Trestman implemented a ban to deflect from the hiring of controversial assistant Jeff Reinebold early in the 2012 season, but it was short-lived.

 

Kent Austin runs an airtight ship in Hamilton, but doesn’t have a problem with his assistants opening their mouths in front of a microphone.

If you hire assistants with the same philosophy, what’s the issue?

 

A strong leader, and by all accounts O’Shea is one, should have no trouble with this concept.

 

It’s not like Bellefeuille and Etcheverry are prone to flapping their gums wildly in the breeze. Both have been head coaches. They know the drill.

 

Muzzles are fine for pit bulls.

 

They don’t look so good on people.

paul.friesen@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @friesensunmedia

 

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2014/06/02/new-bombers-coach-oshea-doing-everything-possible-to-control-the-message

Pretty funny.....players say when they become coaches they won't do this or that......

Coaches say when they become the Head Coach they won't do this or that.......

Ultimately some element of paranoia or insecurity usually sneaks in.....

There are always exceptions...

The bottom line is if you don't think you can trust, or that your staff will be loyal and support the common cause.....why did you hire them?

Have to say, I'm a little disappointed in Penton.

 

Sean Oleksewycz @seanoleksewycz

@PentonKirk @mike_wpg i know that bama head coach nick saban does that same thing at bama... Cant argue with that guy

 

Kirk Penton @PentonKirk

@seanoleksewycz We're talking about professional sports organizations

 

MIKE @mike_wpg

@PentonKirk @seanoleksewycz NCAA coaches are professionals and that's what you're talking about - coaches. No difference.

 

Kirk Penton @PentonKirk

@mike_wpg No, I'm talking about pro sports versus college sports. They're big boys who can handle themselves

 

MIKE @mike_wpg

@PentonKirk @seanoleksewycz so you're implying NCAA coaches aren't "big league" compared to CFL? and they can't handle themselves?

You should bring up to Penton Huffer and Trestman and see how he tries to spin it then.

I still don't understand why some people are in such a tiff over this.... again I'll revert back to Marc Trestman who did not allow assistants to give interviews.... I think that worked out ok for him

For a columnist people refuse to read he has a lot of readers.

 

third person theater....

 

mbrg reads thread title..."aw jeez, really, cmon moab, you're not the type to spew out inflammatory crap like this"....

mbrg clicks on thread..."oh, its an article"...

mbrg reads first two paragraphs..."it's a really shitty stupid article"...

mbrg stops reading and scrolls down..."who wrote this piece of ****"....

mbrg sees the name of the laziest hack writer in town..."sigh"...

mbrg knows exactly what the next 3 pages in the thread will look like but glances at some of the posts anyways..."sigh"...

mbrg gets a phone call and now has plans for lunch..."yippee"...

 

You have Drew Edwards you lucky lucky man.  Count your blessings.

Rick Ralph and Don Landry just talked about this on TSN1290.  Scott Milanovich apparently did this last year in Toronto.  Said no coordinators to talk to media during training camp, preseason and playoffs.  Allowed a few interviews during the season.  Said the reason they did this was it allowed the coaches to coach and not have to worry about what they have to say after practice or after a game.

Was there not issues on conflicting messages between the coordinators and Burke last year?

Paul Friesen columns... So predictable.

MBB reactions... Even more predictable.

Here we go again.  Friesen complains about something the Bombers do and the boys on forums go nuts.  I get the popcorn out and see if anyone comes up with anything new.  It's almost like the folks around here don't know that Friesen is trying to create buzz and he doesn't care if it's negative or positive.

 

Personally, I think O'Shea trying to control the message and the media is a mistake, just like it was when 'He who must not be named' did it.  Picking a fight with the folks who write the articles is a no win situation and it will result in negative press, which the Bombers really don't need.  I'll chalk it up to a Rookie HC mistake or not understanding how the press, especially in Winnipeg works.  At least it will be grist for the forums so things won't get boring around here.

 

On the contrary, Terry, i think that Osh's quote in the article displays a keen awareness of how the press in Winnipeg works.

Paul Friesen columns... So predictable.

MBB reactions... Even more predictable.

How dare fans come on a message forum and discuss issues pertaining to the football team.  Shame on us.

 

Here we go again.  Friesen complains about something the Bombers do and the boys on forums go nuts.  I get the popcorn out and see if anyone comes up with anything new.  It's almost like the folks around here don't know that Friesen is trying to create buzz and he doesn't care if it's negative or positive.

 

Personally, I think O'Shea trying to control the message and the media is a mistake, just like it was when 'He who must not be named' did it.  Picking a fight with the folks who write the articles is a no win situation and it will result in negative press, which the Bombers really don't need.  I'll chalk it up to a Rookie HC mistake or not understanding how the press, especially in Winnipeg works.  At least it will be grist for the forums so things won't get boring around here.

 

On the contrary, Terry, i think that Osh's quote in the article displays a keen awareness of how the press in Winnipeg works.

 

if even you can see it then I don't understand how anyone else can miss the point. 

And re: Kelly's stance vs MOS, the difference is in how it was handled. Kelly was a prick about it and MOS was pretty honest and up front. Just stated how it is and why, and that's that. There's really no story here...

The media is looking to call you on mistake or any appearance of distension why give them any chance to exploite this.

So to flip this around a bit...

 

O'Shea is being (wrongfully, in my opinion) blamed for this move but why shouldn't we look at it like the media is at fault for their own mess?

 

He's always honest and open with them and yet it took all of three days for them to turn on him.  So maybe the fault should lie with the likes of Friesen and crew, who had the opportunity to start a new relationship with the coach and squandered it already?

 

Maybe, just maybe, they should see that there are consequences to their actions?

Friesen doesn't give a ****, I am telling you his article after the Bombers next Grey Cup win is going to be titled "All Down Hill From Here" Guy doesn't care about doing a good job he's just the worst sort of troll out there, an obvious and bad one. Good trolls have subtlety and intelligence, Friesen just tries to hit people over the head with his trolling. 

I don't like the guy, i'm not sure how anyone who is a fan of teams in this city can, he does way more harm than good. You can see it, i saw it with the Jets coach maurice a bit too, you see it with O'shea, when certain members of the media ask them questions, you can almost see them rolling their eyes at them. Guys like Friesen and even Lawless with the Jets ask the stupidest most uninformed questions around. Anyone hear friesen ask the question? He sounds scared when he does, intimidated, afraid really. He is what i'd call a keyboard warrior, doesn't really say much to guys faces, just asks questions where he can spin the answer in to whatever he wants really but writes articles that basically crap on the team, Friesen is no different than what we call "trolls" on here, getting a rise out of people for the sake of it. No substance no nothing, just pure and utter BS. I remember in another thread, Mike was going on about a blogger in the states arguing with him and being pretty adamant that the riders made 150 million last season, Hey Mike, you sure it was a blogger in the states and not Paul Friesen cuz this is the type of crap we always get from him.

 

Living in this city, i'm not sure (yes there is the internet) but i'm not sure if people who don't or haven't lived here in a while (17 to 85 not withstanding) understand the crap that some of these guys pull, friesen more often than not. The guy is a grade A pile of steaming crap and so are his opinion articles. It sickens me that there are people out there who live and die on what Paul Friesen says. I said it another thread, i'll say it here, In Real Life, when talking to people, random people, guys girls kids even, they can't stand paul friesen, he is a joke. I have yet to actually meet one person who actually likes friesen, They exist but i have yet to meet one. 

 

People wonder sometimes why coaches don't want to come here, you'd have to be naive to think that articles like this and guys like friesen aren't one of the reasons. Was there not a rumour about was it millanovich? bombers wanted to talk to him about their head coaching job a while back and he said No thanks, and one of the main reasons was he didn't want to have to deal with slimeballs like friesen every day?

 

Be naive to think these guys are helping, they aren't. Friesen is a joke, always has been, always will be. There is a reason the sun is free in most every area of this city.. It's cuz it's completely crap that nobody in their right mind would pay for. 

1. Bombers do something that doesn't involve kissing Friesen's ass and giving him anything and everything he wants

2. He writes a stupid poorly written article about it

3. MBB members express anger at the poorly written article

4. Other MBB members say "you fell for it again" and bask in their smugness

5. MBB members express anger at the smug posters

Rinse and repeat.

I have to say that this is one of the dumber articles I've seen from Friesen, and there is a large sample size to choose from.

Friesen is like a watered down, less intelligent, less attractive version of Gary Lawless.

It didn't seem to have a negative effect in Montreal with Trestman, nor in Calgary with Huf (although Dickenson has been speaking with the media the past 2 seasons), same with Buono or Benevides in BC and Milanovich and Co. in T.O.

 

Honestly what else did we expect from Friesen.

I understand i responded earlier but in a way, im angry at myself for doing that. 4 pages here now, that's exactly what this article was intended to do.

 

The better thing in the future, unless some people like stirring the pot, is to not have topics based on friesen articles. Don't read the article. Don't have 4 pages plus on a message board about it. 

 

The only time anyone talks about Paul Friesen is when he makes crap articles like this, if nobody talked about him and his garbage articles then eventually he would go away.

 

It's almost like we are egging him on.

 

Do i think he reads these forums? he probably knows they exist and the other forums too, what he sees is people going on and on about it and the sun site getting cliks  and boom, bam,bang, zing, pow... Friesen did his job.

 

I hate it but.. 4 pages probably more to come = we all fell for it again.

 

Don't post future friesen articles is the moral of this thread.

It didn't seem to have a negative effect in Montreal with Trestman, nor in Calgary with Huf (although Dickenson has been speaking with the media the past 2 seasons), same with Buono or Benevides in BC and Milanovich and Co. in T.O.

 

Honestly what else did we expect from Friesen.

 

Dickenson is also assistant head coach so it's not surprising he would be dealing with the media at times.

 

Huff has the same rules in Calgary, Trestman had the same rules in Montreal. It's someone reaching trying to stir the pot. End of story.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Milanovich has the same rules as Trestman had regarding the media.

 

 

 

Does anyone know which other CFL teams employ this method of communication?  

 

Huff in Calgary...

Milo in Tor? (suspected)

Jones in Edm? (suspected)

I would guess Austin is the same way in Hammy

 

 

In Toronto, they don't control who talks to the media.  They can control the message since there is only one reporter in the room.

In Toronto, they don't control who talks to the media.  They can control the message since there is only one reporter in the room.

And he's standing there all puzzled wanting to know who Milanovich is and why Encarnacion and Bautista haven't showed up.

 

It didn't seem to have a negative effect in Montreal with Trestman, nor in Calgary with Huf (although Dickenson has been speaking with the media the past 2 seasons), same with Buono or Benevides in BC and Milanovich and Co. in T.O.

 

Honestly what else did we expect from Friesen.

 

Dickenson is also assistant head coach so it's not surprising he would be dealing with the media at times.

 

Good point, I actually forgot about that.

The irony of all this Freissen BS is people hear continue to read him, write about him and complain about him. I guess that makes him successful at what he does. Stop fanning the fire folks.

Apparently, Friesen did the "FULL FRIESEN" on Mike O. and it resulted in a typical bomber reaction. A veritable lockdown.

 

How did that work out for Maggot Kelly?

 

No problem with Wpg Media. Jimbozo Bell has already told O'Shea that Bob Irving is his official media caddy and all info goes thru CJOB BOB.....

Most of the other radio outlets just wanna have fun and send reps to the game (a la Ace Burpee, Philly, Bunkhouse Buk (Wheeler), etc.

The FP is the official newspaper of the Bombers and have money invested in the team . . . they don't wanna rock the boat too much so guys like Tait, Campbell, etc. serve the purpose of unofficial house organs (as opposed to the official one, Bob Irving)

Lawless is the wild card at WFP as he's got the columnist license and also has the 2 hour daily radio gig at TSN. He can get a ton of digs in at the Bombers, and if they flail like last year I'm sure he'll GO NEGATIVE!

TV stations in town all have significant investment/interest in bomber games. CTV is part of Bell/TSN so they simply do smile 'n giggle reports. CBC hardly does sports, but Mitch Peacock goes to all press conferences and usually gets as many questions in as Lawless or Sara O.

CKND has Shoeless Joe - they don't do much other than hi-lites and a bit of grief.

The Wpg boards are usually more favourable to the bombers than unfavourable, especially their own JeffBannon.com site. 

So in essence Friesen is the only one with Billy the Kid status, Lawless lurking about for interesting angles (so far his top one is Jeff Rabb being rebuffed by the Bomber board)

CJOB - the bomber radio rights-holder is usually 90% favourable to the team (understood) and the only time Irving gets mean or nasty is during play by play when things go to heck in a hand-basket. After the losses he's usually found trying to talk people down off the ledge.