http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/snappy-hed-373580051.html#st_refDomain=t.co&st_refQuery=/QmAbKLelGf

He’s got a football team counting on him.

And he’s got a city of frustrated football fans counting on him.

But it wasn’t until our discussion this week turned to the wife and three children that are also counting on him that it became clear just how much weight Mike O’Shea feels pressing down upon him right now as he heads into what is a make-or-break season for the beleaguered Winnipeg Football Club.

Make no mistake — one of two things is going to happen in 2016: either the Blue Bombers are going to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, or the head coach — and probably a few others in the Bombers front office — are going to be looking for a new job.

And it’s that latter prospect, and what it would do to his young family, that this week brought tears to the eyes of one of the most feared linebackers the Canadian game has ever known.

Yes, you read that right: Mike O’Shea cries. And yes, it was uncomfortable to watch — and not just because it was happening in a crowded restaurant.

"I’m getting emotional now and I’ll tell you why," the Bombers head coach said over lunch this week. "I’ve got a great family. They really do a good job in making their dad feel comfortable at work…

"They’re doing more than holding up their end."

The question heading into this season is whether O’Shea can now hold up his end of a family bargain that saw his wife, Richere, and the couple’s three children — Michael, 16,  Ailish, 13 and Aisling, 10 — leave the only home they ever knew in southern Ontario in 2014 to follow O’Shea to Winnipeg so he could fulfill his dream of being a pro football head coach.

It was a bold move for a young family that O’Shea had gone to extraordinary lengths to protect from the itinerant pro football lifestyle. Indeed, O’Shea says he played his entire 16-year CFL career with just two teams in Toronto and Hamilton — turning down, he says, more lucrative offers to play in Western Canada — precisely so he wouldn’t have to uproot his family.

So moving to Winnipeg was a big thing for the entire O’Shea family. And now that they’ve finally settled in — his son is on high school football and hockey teams, his daughters are competitive gymnasts, the family spent the entire winter here, save for a week-long Bombers cruise — the idea that they’d have to move again this year because O’Shea’s head coaching dream turned into a nightmare weighs on the man of the house.

Don’t misunderstand — he says he is at peace with the fact 2016 is the final year of his three-year contract with the Bombers and there is going to be no contract extension on offer until there are first some winning results on display.

Head coaches who go 12-24 in their first two seasons don’t get contract extensions and O’Shea accepts that.

What troubles him  more, however, is that he cannot insulate his family from the uncertainty. "I’ve just realized recently that my kids really do follow all that stuff (on social media)," said O’Shea. "So it’d be naive for me to think they don’t know about the contract or lack thereof. All of that stuff — they understand...

"And that comes as bit of a shock to me — that they know more maybe than I want them to."

Now make no mistake: O’Shea is not unique. Almost every head coach in pro sports also has a team at home that is counting on him.

And O’Shea is not complaining, either. I dragged this stuff about his family out of him because it interests me to know how a guy in the spotlight copes with the vagaries of chronic job insecurity when those lights are turned off and the house is quiet and it’s just you alone in the dark with your thoughts.

The answer, it seems, is you spend a lot more time worrying about how it will affect those around you than you do about how it affect yourself.

The good news for O’Shea is that while there is no room for error in 2016, he will have by far the best team he’s had in Winnipeg with which to work.

Off-season free agent signings in Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith will make the receiving corps spectacularly better. A defensive line rid of underperformers and bolstered by some other free agent acquisitions, including Canadian Keith Shologan, will be better. The signing of all-star kicker Justin Medlock gives some much needed consistency to special teams. The Canadian content overall will be deeper, including a ratio changer at running back in Winnipegger Andrew Harris.

And, most important, with a proven backup QB in Matt Nichols behind a proven starting QB in Drew Willy, the Bombers are deeper at quarterback this year than they’ve been in a decade.

So the team around him has changed. But has O’Shea?

He admits to making mistakes in his first two years as Bombers boss, but they’re mostly detail stuff rather than big-picture. And so, for instance, O’Shea takes full blame for that blocked field goal in 2014 that cost the Bombers a win against Saskatchewan — poor scheme, he says — but he doesn’t see much in his general approach that needs to change.

He rejects a popular criticism that he should hold individual players more accountable — either on the sideline or before the microphone — and he says it’s simply not true he worries too much about players liking him and not enough about them fearing him.

"I can’t deny I still want to be one of the guys," says O’Shea,  "but that doesn’t mean I want them to be my buddies... I’d love to still be playing…

"But for 16 years, I watched what works and doesn’t work with a coach. And what doesn’t work is a lack of authenticity. I’m just not that guy who’s going to publicly display some player getting in (trouble)...I’m not going to put on a show."

And so while the team around him in 2016 will look different, don’t expect O’Shea to look different. And that includes the shorts he wears on the sidelines during games — which have filled both my mailbox and the Bombers mailbox with emails of complaint from fans.

The shorts are comfortable, he says. And they’re practical, he says. But as we’re walking out towards the parking lot, he also admits the shorts are here to stay for another reason. "If I stopped wearing them now," he tells me, "people would think it was because they complained."

You want to see stubborn? Try those shorts on for size. And then text me a picture on your Blackberry, something O’Shea also clings to.

"This phone works fine," he says. "What do I need an iPhone for?"

The man is who he is, in other words. And for all the worry about his family and his team and the upcoming season and what a very uncertain future holds, he says that, yes, he is willing to die on that hill.

"I would just die quicker," he says, "if I pretended to be someone I’m not."

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

 

I thought the swipe about stats was directed at TBurg, not Iso...

13 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

That's not what I'm saying at all. I don't think he's a bust or a star. If he played all 18 games and only had 7 SP tackles, then he's not a solid special teamer. It's that simple.

... except it's not.

13 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

That's not what I'm saying at all. I don't think he's a bust or a star. If he played all 18 games and only had 7 SP tackles, then he's not a solid special teamer. It's that simple.

No it is not that simple. like has been explained before, not everyone on the field is responsible for making a tackle.

his stats are irrelevant to me especially for year 1,  but what should we realistically expect from him in year 2 before we start forming an opinion on how this pick turned out

18 hours ago, Noeller said:

I think I actually heard Walters snort from all the way here in Alberta. The amount of time and effort that goes into research on every single player in the draft would blow your mind......just ask Rids.

Never mind asking Rids, common sense should help everybody come to that conclusion.

Just now, Taynted_Fayth said:

his stats are irrelevant to me especially for year 1,  but what should we realistically expect from him in year 2 before we start forming an opinion on how this pick turned out

Well we used our first pick. So I would hope to see some significant time on Defence from him this year. Not going to say starting...though that would be nice. But if he can get some game time in at safety I think that would be a good sign. Heard from a few people that think he is ready to start, but I'll wait until TC to make that jump.

21 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

That's not what I'm saying at all. I don't think he's a bust or a star. If he played all 18 games and only had 7 SP tackles, then he's not a solid special teamer. It's that simple.

Erroneous!!!!

The Hurl defense. He's filling a hole, he's not supposed to make tackles, but he's really good even tho the stats don't show it. 

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by TBURGESS

2 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

The Hurl defense. He's filling a hole, he's not supposed to make tackles, but he's really good even tho the stats don't show it. 

I never said he's really good. I never suggested anything about his abilities whatsoever, but as was predicted, you're just going to completely ignore everything thrown at you as far as actual football discussion.

What's the point of discussing football if you don't want to actually discuss football? You're just going in circles complaining.

1 minute ago, Bigblue204 said:

Well we used our first pick. So I would hope to see some significant time on Defence from him this year. Not going to say starting...though that would be nice. But if he can get some game time in at safety I think that would be a good sign. Heard from a few people that think he is ready to start, but I'll wait until TC to make that jump.

That's how I see it. I don't expect him to start, but I want to see him on the field fairly regularly.

Edited: Picture was bigger than I expected.

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by sweep the leg

19 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

The Hurl defense. He's filling a hole, he's not supposed to make tackles, but he's really good even tho the stats don't show it. 

better than the, "He's not doing what I think he should be doing, so he must be total garbage." argument.

 

5 minutes ago, Mike said:

I never said he's really good. I never suggested anything about his abilities whatsoever, but as was predicted, you're just going to completely ignore everything thrown at you as far as actual football discussion.

What's the point of discussing football if you don't want to actually discuss football? You're just going in circles complaining.

Recap: The original poster called him a 'Solid Special Teamer'. I disagreed with that statement and provided tackle stats to back up my opinion. I was told that the stats were wrong on the CFL site (Which is possible) and that Waggoner had played every game. That made Waggoners stats even worse IMO. You jumped in and said his job wasn't to make tackles, but to take up the man opposite him, which I called the Hurl defence. That's not going in circles complaining. 

3 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

better than the, "He's not doing what I think he should be doing, so he must be total garbage." argument.

 

I never called him total garbage. I simply said that he wasn't a 'Solid Special Teamer'. Way to overreach.

The whole argument boils down to the word "Solid". Folks around here think it means "Average". I think it means more.

Calling it the Hurl defense is insinuating it's a defensive statement I made, when in reality it's just the truth. If you're going to sit here and try to argue with me that every guy on special teams coverage is assigned the same job (to make the tackle), that's narrow minded and unintelligent. Waggoner didn't play a position on teams that was primarily responsible for tackling the ball carrier. It's not an opinion, it's not a defense, it's a fact. Your inability to want to address it and simply throw out terms like "the Hurl defense" really doesn't contribute anything.

9 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Recap: The original poster called him a 'Solid Special Teamer'. I disagreed with that statement and provided tackle stats to back up my opinion. I was told that the stats were wrong on the CFL site (Which is possible) and that Waggoner had played every game. That made Waggoners stats even worse IMO. You jumped in and said his job wasn't to make tackles, but to take up the man opposite him, which I called the Hurl defence. That's not going in circles complaining. 

I never called him total garbage. I simply said that he wasn't a 'Solid Special Teamer'. Way to overreach.

The whole argument boils down to the word "Solid". Folks around here think it means "Average". I think it means more.

You're argument was based on stats. Which do play an important part in showing a players worth on the field. But do not tell the entire story. As some players don't get the "Stats" due to the job they are supposed to do on the field. Just like Goosen isn't going to be racking up the rushing yards this year, but he will still play a vital role in that department. Or if you take a look at Wilds punting average, it's fairly bad, but he still plays a role on that team, just doesn't collect that particular stat.

So by making an argument on some ones ability based solely on a single stat line, you are over looking the position they play and the purpose they fill while on the field.

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by Bigblue204

39 minutes ago, Mike said:

Calling it the Hurl defense is insinuating it's a defensive statement I made, when in reality it's just the truth. If you're going to sit here and try to argue with me that every guy on special teams coverage is assigned the same job (to make the tackle), that's narrow minded and unintelligent. Waggoner didn't play a position on teams that was primarily responsible for tackling the ball carrier. It's not an opinion, it's not a defense, it's a fact. Your inability to want to address it and simply throw out terms like "the Hurl defense" really doesn't contribute anything.

I never said or implied that every guy on special teams coverage is assigned the same job. I never said or implied that tackle stats are the one and only way to determine worth. Both are bogus arguments.

Coaches give players jobs they can handle. In Hurls case, that's to simply fill a hole. In Waggoners case it's a 'position that isn't primarily responsible for tackling the ball carrier' (Your words, not mine). That's the connection I was trying to make, but was lost in translation. 

TB - Looks to me that you've changed tracks..went out of your area of responsibility..failed to make either the tackle or strayed out of your lane... You need more coaching..

18 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

I never said or implied that every guy on special teams coverage is assigned the same job. I never said or implied that tackle stats are the one and only way to determine worth. Both are bogus arguments.

Coaches give players jobs they can handle. In Hurls case, that's to simply fill a hole. In Waggoners case it's a 'position that isn't primarily responsible for tackling the ball carrier' (Your words, not mine). That's the connection I was trying to make, but was lost in translation. 

That's not what you meant and we both know it.

12 minutes ago, Mike said:

That's not what you meant and we both know it.

Actually it is what I said and what I meant.

17 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

TB - Looks to me that you've changed tracks..went out of your area of responsibility..failed to make either the tackle or strayed out of your lane... You need more coaching..

The number of tackles on special teams means something whether anyone wants to admit it or not. 

Waggoner showed up about half a dozen to a dozen times on the TSN game feeds last year and most of those were his tackles. I was wondering where he was for much of the season. You can infer his assignment from where he lines up but unless you have access to the wide angle 'tape', can follow Waggoner down the field on every play, and cross reference that to his assignment, you have little to no idea if he's playing well or badly or if he's doing what they expect of him. I doubt anyone on these forums has done that, so how do you form an opinion of his play? His only stat is 7 tackles or about 1 tackle a month. That's all we have IMO.

One of the most important non-stats that aren't/can't br recorded would be the assists in tackles made on STs BECAUSE a special teamer held his lane and forced the play as was drawn up. If you've done your job..it will be noticed.

3 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

One of the most important non-stats that aren't/can't br recorded would be the assists in tackles made on STs BECAUSE a special teamer held his lane and forced the play as was drawn up. If you've done your job..it will be noticed.

That's a true statement, how do you know it applies to Waggoner?

28 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

One of the most important non-stats that aren't/can't br recorded would be the assists in tackles made on STs BECAUSE a special teamer held his lane and forced the play as was drawn up. If you've done your job..it will be noticed.

Also if ball carrier runs into his lane, much higher chance he makes a tackle.  If he's free-lancing on ST to increase his tackle stats he's not doing his job properly despite the numbers.

1 hour ago, TBURGESS said:

Actually it is what I said and what I meant.

The number of tackles on special teams means something whether anyone wants to admit it or not. 

Waggoner showed up about half a dozen to a dozen times on the TSN game feeds last year and most of those were his tackles. I was wondering where he was for much of the season. You can infer his assignment from where he lines up but unless you have access to the wide angle 'tape', can follow Waggoner down the field on every play, and cross reference that to his assignment, you have little to no idea if he's playing well or badly or if he's doing what they expect of him. I doubt anyone on these forums has done that, so how do you form an opinion of his play? His only stat is 7 tackles or about 1 tackle a month. That's all we have IMO.

So if, in your estimation, we have very little to go off in forming an opinion, why did you choose to form such a strong one based on that limited information?

8 minutes ago, Mike said:

So if, in your estimation, we have very little to go off in forming an opinion, why did you choose to form such a strong one based on that limited information?

I disagree with calling him a Strong Special Team player. How on earth do you call that a strong opinion? It's not like I called him garbage or said he wasn't doing his job or even said that he was a bad 2nd overall pick. Those would strong opinions. BTW: How did you base your opinion on him?

3 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

I disagree with calling him a Strong Special Team player. How on earth do you call that a strong opinion? It's not like I called him garbage or said he wasn't doing his job or even said that he was a bad 2nd overall pick. Those would strong opinions. BTW: How did you base your opinion on him?

Here's how I know you're not even bothering to read the posts before you continue to backpedal and argue: I never shared an opinion on him.