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

 

1 hour ago, Atomic said:

Really?  I like it.  

March 29, 2016 - TBURGESS vs Mike Round 253:The Grudge Match with special appearances by Atomic, ISO_55 and a bunch of guys with Blue in their name

Don't drag me into this. I've deliberately kept quiet for months about the Bombers. It's not worth it.

49 minutes ago, TrueBlue said:

So you want them to just step aside and let the returner score?  Neat.

If he has to tackle then fine. but going around looking to tackle, no. Too valuable.

2 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

Don't drag me into this. I've deliberately kept quiet for months about the Bombers. It's not worth it.

lol it's a joke, simmer down.

10 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

If he has to tackle then fine. but going around looking to tackle, no. Too valuable.

I kind of see it like being a pitcher in baseball,  your main assignment is one thing, but after it's done,  your taught to flip to defense, not just stand around - such as be ready to field a grounder/line drive/pop up and backing up a base for a long throw in (like home plate). I dont expect a kicker to be racking up the stats, cuz usually he's the last line of defense should a returner make it that far, but I'd expect him to be following along the play and contribute as much as he can after the kick.

Same way I'd expect a QB to try and tackle after an INT or fumble coming back his way.  Theres a risk of injury, but when isnt there in football

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by Taynted_Fayth

I'd hate to see our clutch kicker go down for 6 weeks with an injury. I'll gladly give up a touchdown to keep Medlock from getting hurt.

 

 

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by iso_55

1 hour ago, Mike said:

lol it's a joke, simmer down.

Obviously I'm scarred. Or is that scared? Maybe both.   

Edited March 29, 20169 yr by IC Khari

Yeah that about covers it.

7 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Mike has an opinion that he refuses to share, yet he calls me out on my opinion.

Like most folks around here, I watched the games and formed my opinions based on what I saw.  I didn't see a (m)any big plays by Waggoner. In fact he was pretty much invisible most of the time. I looked up his stats to see if anything stood out to change my opinion. Nothing did. 18 Games, 7 tackles. Nothing to see there. 

I stated my opinion in my very first post with Waggoner's name in it in this thread... "First Round Misses: Maybe Waggoner, but that's still TBD.". Strong opinion? Nope. 

Solid special teams player? Based on what? Lining up in a position that isn't a gunner? Simply being on the field? Your own observations that don't match mine?  FUUUUUCK is right.

 

Don't you know by now that Mike knows everything and is always right?

For the record, I wouldn't call Waggoner a "solid" ST player either. 

BTW regardless of the role of the player on the team all downfield players SHOULD be ready to tackle. As well, each player is responsible for a lane on the field. If the returner is in your lane he is in your responsibility.

With STs the players that are downfield first and making the bulk of the tackles are usually your most solid players. Heck those guys often make the tackle even when they have been beaten initially. 

I would say Waggoner is maybe average, considering we chose to give up a top pick for him I would lean to he is a bit of a wash. If you are going to give up your first round pick you damn well better do a bit better than a "L5" STer.

10 hours ago, Dragon37 said:

Don't you know by now that Mike knows everything and is always right?

It's ironic that you make that kind of ignorant comment, considering his problem is I didn't share an opinion and the reason I didn't is because I don't know enough to have one. All I was sharing in this thread were the facts. But carry on.

Unsubstantiated, unconfirmed, uncorroborated, unverified, unproven, unattested ... here's a good start, some should look these words up

 

If the punter/kicker is the last line of defense and does no more than wave his arms at the returner, then it is demoralizing and respect is lost ... going all out to make a saving play is expected of everyone .... anyone who doesn't is finished with the club ... getting injured or not isn't a realistic thought as the returner gets close

29 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

If the punter/kicker is the last line of defense and does no more than wave his arms at the returner, then it is demoralizing and respect is lost ... going all out to make a saving play is expected of everyone .... anyone who doesn't is finished with the club ... getting injured or not isn't a realistic thought as the returner gets close

This is very untrue.

A kicker not selling out to make a tackle might cost you 7 points. Losing your kicker for the rest of the game could cost you far more. Losing your kicker long term? Even worse.

If Medlock didn't sell out to make a tackle, I'm not going to be upset. Kickers wear next to nothing for equipment. They're basically 50/50 to get injured if they have to sell out for a tackle.

18 minutes ago, Mike said:

This is very untrue.

A kicker not selling out to make a tackle might cost you 7 points. Losing your kicker for the rest of the game could cost you far more. Losing your kicker long term? Even worse.

If Medlock didn't sell out to make a tackle, I'm not going to be upset. Kickers wear next to nothing for equipment. They're basically 50/50 to get injured if they have to sell out for a tackle.

Can you go into the locker room and smile after making a half hearted attempt to save a TD?

15 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

Can you go into the locker room and smile after making a half hearted attempt to save a TD?

I guess that really depends on what the coach has asked of you. Some coaches will simply demand their kickers don't go all out on those plays. Try and wrap up or knock the returner out of bounds, maybe trip him up if you can but you're not going to ask your kicker to full blown submarine himself at a returner in most cases.

1 hour ago, IC Khari said:

Unsubstantiated, unconfirmed, uncorroborated, unverified, unproven, unattested ... here's a good start, some should look these words up

 

 

Edited March 30, 20169 yr by Jimmy Pop
pic, bad.

33 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

Can you go into the locker room and smile after making a half hearted attempt to save a TD?

Do you think Renaud was smiling in the locker room after tearing his ACL making a tackle?

1 hour ago, Jimmy Pop said:

 

HA so perfect. Read that in his voice too!

2 hours ago, BigBlue said:

Can you go into the locker room and smile after making a half hearted attempt to save a TD?

Let's see, if the kicker is being asked to make the tackle, that means 11 professional football players, guys who are actually expected to do things like tackling, failed to do what they are being paid to do.  So I don't think anyone is going to look at the kicker and say anything, being that tackling isn't something that a specialist like him is being paid to do.  Lose 7 points in a game - manageable.  Lose a kicker for the season trying to save 7 points - beyond dumb (Grey Cup game notwithstanding).  Strategic thinking over tactical thinking.

All I want to know is who let Dragon37 start posting here.  The person or persons responsible should be out of a job!!

Athletes at the pro level are competitors. If they weren't they wouldn't have made to the level they have achieved. The belief that an athlete is going to deliberately whiff in the heat of a game might in itself not be realistic. The tendency is to react to a situation not necessarily go " let me think this through and plan an appropriate strategy based on the possible outcomes of my actions"

5 hours ago, WBBFanWest said:

Let's see, if the kicker is being asked to make the tackle, that means 11 professional football players, guys who are actually expected to do things like tackling, failed to do what they are being paid to do.  So I don't think anyone is going to look at the kicker and say anything, being that tackling isn't something that a specialist like him is being paid to do.  Lose 7 points in a game - manageable.  Lose a kicker for the season trying to save 7 points - beyond dumb (Grey Cup game notwithstanding).  Strategic thinking over tactical thinking.

Same goes for any QB with a last name that rhymes with silly.  Better to trot to the sideline immediately head hung in shame for throwing an intercept and leave the cleanup duties to the likes of Smith and Dressler. 

2 hours ago, DR. CFL said:

Athletes at the pro level are competitors. If they weren't they wouldn't have made to the level they have achieved. The belief that an athlete is going to deliberately whiff in the heat of a game might in itself not be realistic. The tendency is to react to a situation not necessarily go " let me think this through and plan an appropriate strategy based on the possible outcomes of my actions"

That's why they have coaches.  Here's a possible instruction that a coach might give to Medlock - "Justin, you aren't paid to tackle people, so unless he runs right into you, get the hell out of the way and stay there.  Got it?  Good. Oh and Drew, did you hear what I just told Justin?  That goes for you too.  Now neither of you will have to think this through and plan an appropriate strategy based on the possible outcomes of your actions."

12 hours ago, Mike said:

This is very untrue.

A kicker not selling out to make a tackle might cost you 7 points. Losing your kicker for the rest of the game could cost you far more. Losing your kicker long term? Even worse.

If Medlock didn't sell out to make a tackle, I'm not going to be upset. Kickers wear next to nothing for equipment. They're basically 50/50 to get injured if they have to sell out for a tackle.

For once, Mike & I agree. I saw Noel Prefontaine get seriously injured once making a tackle. And Prefontaine was athletic for a kicker. Medlock looks like he's not that strong except for his kicking leg.

Edited March 31, 20169 yr by iso_55

On 3/30/2016 at 9:28 PM, Dragon37 said:

Don't you know by now that Mike knows everything and is always right?

For the record, I wouldn't call Waggoner a "solid" ST player either. 

BTW regardless of the role of the player on the team all downfield players SHOULD be ready to tackle. As well, each player is responsible for a lane on the field. If the returner is in your lane he is in your responsibility.

With STs the players that are downfield first and making the bulk of the tackles are usually your most solid players. Heck those guys often make the tackle even when they have been beaten initially. 

I would say Waggoner is maybe average, considering we chose to give up a top pick for him I would lean to he is a bit of a wash. If you are going to give up your first round pick you damn well better do a bit better than a "L5" STer.

after his first season in cfl football?

 

smh.