Pete Catan's Ghost Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 After watching Kent Austin unhinge before our eyes, I can only imagine it's a matter of time before OSH loses it...at least that's what Gary Lawless said in June...and he would know; being a broadcast journalist and all. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/osheas-gotta-keep-a-lid-on-his-temper-264346841.html O'Shea's gotta keep a lid on his temper Can't afford to blow up at players after lossesBy: Gary Lawless Posted: 06/24/2014 1:00 AM | Comments: 78 Mike O'Shea is going to have to figure out how to be a little less like Mike O'Shea. After a playing career of small-picture focus, where winning each battle, play and game dominated his very existence, O'Shea is now going to need to look at the big picture and take a loss now and again to make future gains. If O'Shea allows his unbridled passion for winning to bubble over early in this season, he may very well impede the growth of his Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Simply put, the rookie head coach won't be able to hold all his charges up to the same standard to which he holds himself. First of all, not many will ever meet it. Second, to expect such and then get frustrated and react when the inevitable failure occurs will leave O'Shea and the Bombers a broken team. O'Shea needs to temper the edge that drove him to success as a Hall of Fame player. It will be counter to all his instincts, but it will allow his team to find its way and eventually get to the point where players can act, walk and talk in a manner acceptable to O'Shea. Surely, O'Shea will eventually expect this team to consistently win. But to demand it from them now isn't realistic. It's a most delicate balance. The Bombers need to approach every battle, play and game with a winning attitude. But that alone won't garner victories. Talent and experience, two areas the Bombers are short on in a number of positions, are key to a winning formula. O'Shea needs to drive his team. Push them and lead them -- but not over the cliff. Quarterback Drew Willy is going to struggle and the coach is going to want to yank him early and often. He can't. Willy needs to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. This will require some losing. It's difficult to fathom O'Shea looking in the mirror and uttering, "It's OK if we lose today, so long as we learn, which will enable us to win on a consistent basis down the road." Hearing him croak out a whisper to the same effect in front of his team is even more impossible to imagine. It won't happen. Never. But that doesn't make the sentiment any less true. All Bombers fans want this team to win and win often this season. But the inability to accept losing for the right reason is precisely how the Bombers got themselves into a 3-15 jackpot last season. Already management -- and that includes O'Shea -- has shown the courage to take a step back to move many forward. Opening the season with Willy and two other untested quarterbacks is the kind of step the previous regime was afraid of taking. O'Shea should make decisions to play youth when the promise is obvious, as in the case of offensive lineman Matthias Goossen. The first-round pick has the size and athleticism to play in this league for a long time. Goossen is more of a brawler than anyone along a Bombers offensive line with a very thin mean streak. He's a Canadian who needs to play and gain experience. The sooner the better. Get him in and take some lumps early with an eye to the long-term benefit. Why would the coaching staff push for veterans and bring Goossen along slowly? The only reason not to play Goossen now is to protect Willy. If using Goossen is a safety hazard, then the point is conceded. There's been no compelling reason provided by the veterans to keep Goossen off the field. He's going to have to sink or swim at some time, so why not now, when everyone in the league is trying to find their way? O'Shea spent some time last week stressing this isn't a rebuild. OK. But the Bombers are low on Canadian talent and green at quarterback, which often spells disaster in the CFL. A quick fix is possible but impactful Canadians have to be in place for an experienced quarterback to parachute in and stack up the wins. The Bombers don't have any elite Canadians on their roster right now, and both Henry Burris and Zach Collaros spurned the Bombers' advances during the off-season. So a fast turnaround is off the table and O'Shea is left with taking the longer route of development, which will include growing pains. Everyone wants to win. Everyone knows what kind of a winner O'Shea is. Now it's time to find out what kind of a loser he can be.
IC Khari Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 It's desperate times like these that call for the dancing turd ... Floyd 1
iso_55 Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 And the point of this thread is....??????
SPuDS Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 Where's mike with the weird mayo eater when ya need him..
do or die Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 Well, If the purpose of this post.... was to clearly illustrate what a garbage writer, Lawless is.... Mission accomplished. mfranc 1
bearpants Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 When this article was originally released I believe there was a bit of conversation about how ridiculous it was... and that's about all the conversation it deserves...
Armchair GM Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 I'd really like to know what precipitates posts like this. You absolutely should demand the best from your players. That's how you get the most out of your players. And when your HC is known to be one of the best ST'ers and Cdn LB's in CFL history, you have a shining example to hold your players up to. We should be upset that we lost that game. We should be upset when we lose any game. But I have no idea what you saw that led you to believe O'Shea is going to blow an Austin nut. Different kind of guy. Logan007 1
Pete Catan's Ghost Posted September 2, 2014 Author Report Posted September 2, 2014 Well, If the purpose of this post.... was to clearly illustrate what a garbage writer, Lawless is.... Mission accomplished. Pretty embarrassed that I worded the initial post so that y'all thought this was my belief. I was trying to be ironic, which didn't translate well in this case.
IC Khari Posted September 2, 2014 Report Posted September 2, 2014 Well, If the purpose of this post.... was to clearly illustrate what a garbage writer, Lawless is.... Mission accomplished. Pretty embarrassed that I worded the initial post so that y'all thought this was my belief. I was trying to be ironic, which didn't translate well in this case. Nope
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now