Kyle Walters End-Of-Year Presser

[DR. CFL]

All well and good about MOS....how does that speak to whether he is a good HC or not?

[pigseye]

 

Good summary, torched the receivers and the D for not forcing enough 2 and outs. Nice to see he recognized the problems that the kool-aide gang didn't. Have to agree that for his flaws, he knows enough about the game and where the improvement is needed.  

 

Don't really care for the whole "kool-aide gang" comment. I'm guessing you are refering to Oshea and the coaches here? 

 

I don't know man but... I think if we have truly learned one thing about Mike O'shea, it's that he will not throw players under the bus in public, he's said it multiple times even, I'm not sure why some people have issues with that... Don't kid yourself, MOS recognizes the problems too, he's just not gonna come out and throw anyone under the bus, Neither did walters really, He just said that certain areas, all areas need to improve and you know what, He's right.. Every GM would say that too, Even Calgary and Hamilton and the best teams in the league are always looking to improve, Just cuz MOS doesn't come out and name names and throw people under the bus, doesn't mean he doesn't recognize the problems...

 

MOS seems to be learning from his past mistakes, he fire bellefeuille pretty quickly after the season ended, he obvious recognized the O was a problem. 

 

Walters didn't exactly name names either... he mentioned positions and how they'd like to improve on some... He didn't say "this guy" sucked, he said we need to get better at these positions... specifically DL and Receiver.. He didn't name names. The only guy he half threw under the bus was Brohm when he said, he pissed his chance away. 

 

 

This is what I'm referring to as the kool-aide gang

 

More on the Coordinators -

THE COORDINATORS

A tough decision was made this week in deciding to not renewing the contract of our offensive coordinator. It produced somewhat of an interesting storyline - that Mike O’Shea doesn’t know how to hire coordinators. Yes, he has made changes to three coordinator positions in two years. But there is a bit of an underlying story to this that is worth sharing.

When CEO Wade Miller, GM Kyle Walters, and Head Coach Mike O’Shea took the reins of this franchise, we were troubled in many aspects, including the perception of the franchise around the league. Free agents didn’t want to come here, and coaches didn’t either. When Coach O’Shea took over, his first call was to a now offensive coordinator who is having immense success at that position, but the offer was declined. Mike’s next call was to a high-profile defensive specialist. Again, the offer was declined. Wade, Kyle and Mike not only had to deal with the mess that was the roster, but the perception that Winnipeg wasn’t an ideal destination to coach or play either.

The good news is that perception is changing. Stability and continuity at the high-level positions are in place, and high-prized free agents, who could have chosen to go anywhere, are now choosing Winnipeg (think of Jamaal Westerman and Ian Wild among others). A few nights ago, in casual conversation, I asked a player who chose Winnipeg over other markets this season knowing full well the money was equal, why Winnipeg? His answer might surprise you: “Winnipeg operates like an NFL team now. The other places don’t. And even though the team isn’t winning, I felt it was headed north.”

Sure, none of this matters if the team doesn’t win. But one of the first ways to start winning is to be able to attract and hire the right people, whether it be a coach or a player. Almost every winning organization in sports is thought of as an ‘elite organization’. That’s not a coincidence. I think we’ve changed perception, now we need to improve the record.

 

 

It's not Winnipeg that keeps them away, it's getting a call from O'Shea or some other unknown instead of a Huffnagel or Buono. It's not the city, it's the guy on the other end of the phone. If Huff was in Winnipeg and made the call to that successful OC he'd be on the next plane here, right after he changed his shorts.

[Dragon37]

I don't care what Walters has to say. I already know he talks the talk. He just can't walk the walk.

If you know the problems, then fix them. Hell, you should have done that two years ago when you claimed "the right person is in the job now."

Charlatan.

[Captain Blue]

I'll listen to this later when I get home, but at this point I don't what Walters has to say. He is well spoken and sounds smart - all great traits to have. He must be judged on his work. Single biggest problem this team has right now is him.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Bombers have the 9th and 10th pick.  A little shocking that Walters doesn't know that.  Riders 2nd rounder is 9, acquired for Greaves, Bombers finished 8th in the league, their 2nd rounder is next, 10th overall.

[iso_55]

Bombers have the 9th and 10th pick.  A little shocking that Walters doesn't know that.  Riders 2nd rounder is 9, acquired for Greaves, Bombers finished 8th in the league, their 2nd rounder is next, 10th overall.

That is amazing. 

[Tracker]

More on MOS: -

THE HEAD COACH

For a guy who holds the title of most games played by a defensive player, won four Grey Cups, and is second in league history in tackles, his toughness sure gets put into question frequently. Many times throughout the season, including in his end of year address Tuesday, he was asked why he doesn’t show more emotion, (i.e. getting after players on the sidelines during a game) for everyone to see.

Have you ever heard the saying “don’t believe everything you read?” Well, don’t believe everything you see, either. His ‘calm’ demeanor on the sidelines is often misconstrued, because he’s the type of guy that can send Goosebumps down your spine simply by looking at you.

Fans didn’t hear him walk up to a player this season and say, “you ever do that again I’ll cut your *** right on the *** sidelines.” They didn’t see him storm into the locker room at halftime of a road game this year, and with the room dead silent say, “that’s the most embarrassing half of football I have EVER been a part of.” Fans don’t see the look in his eyes as he roams the locker room at halftime, diminishing players to a cower for taking a stupid penalty.

People say Coach O’Shea isn’t emotional. Ask any player, and they will agree, he is hands-down one of the most emotional people I have ever met. He commands the respect of our locker room like no coach I have ever worked with, and as he told me the other day, “We WILL get this right. We have to.” I’ve seen and heard a lot here over the course of seven years, and without hesitation, I believe that statement wholeheartedly.

http://m.bluebombers.com/article/blog-wrapping-up-2015

Sounds an awful lot like what Kelly, LaPolice, Daley, Burke etc etc had to say. I'm sure he means it in all sincerity, but...

[Blueandgold]

Bombers have the 9th and 10th pick.  A little shocking that Walters doesn't know that.  Riders 2nd rounder is 9, acquired for Greaves, Bombers finished 8th in the league, their 2nd rounder is next, 10th overall.

The reporter even tried to correct him and he still said 9th & 11th. 

 

Listening to him, I wouldn't expect to see both of Denmark and Nick Moore back next season.

[Mr Dee]

The draft picks would have been #2 our pick, #10 Sask pick acquired from Edm, and #11 our pick again in the second round

#2 for Waggoner so,

1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Eight picks, but the rounds are 9 full picks in the second round. 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18

So, #10 pick is the #9 selection and the 11th pick is the 10 selection.

Or to put it another way, our first selection is the #10 pick or the 9th selection,

And our second selection is the #11 pick or the 10th selection.

Who says that something so conceptual could present a problem?

[Dragon37]

It isn't rocket science and he still doesn't know. That is just plain sad our GM doesn't know which picks he has.

[IC Khari]

To be fair he's a little distracted, what with buying a house in Guelph and all ...

[Nolby]

To be fair he's a little distracted, what with buying a house in Guelph and all ...

haha, he did flat out say that he wasn't taking the job though.

[The Unknown Poster]

Did he really criticize the O line coaching? I thought our coach was very highly regarded.

[Guest J5V]

 

Good summary, torched the receivers and the D for not forcing enough 2 and outs. Nice to see he recognized the problems that the kool-aide gang didn't. Have to agree that for his flaws, he knows enough about the game and where the improvement is needed.  

 

Don't really care for the whole "kool-aide gang" comment. I'm guessing you are refering to Oshea and the coaches here? 

 

I don't know man but... I think if we have truly learned one thing about Mike O'shea, it's that he will not throw players under the bus in public, he's said it multiple times even, I'm not sure why some people have issues with that... Don't kid yourself, MOS recognizes the problems too, he's just not gonna come out and throw anyone under the bus, Neither did walters really, He just said that certain areas, all areas need to improve and you know what, He's right.. Every GM would say that too, Even Calgary and Hamilton and the best teams in the league are always looking to improve, Just cuz MOS doesn't come out and name names and throw people under the bus, doesn't mean he doesn't recognize the problems...

 

MOS seems to be learning from his past mistakes, he fire bellefeuille pretty quickly after the season ended, he obvious recognized the O was a problem. 

 

Walters didn't exactly name names either... he mentioned positions and how they'd like to improve on some... He didn't say "this guy" sucked, he said we need to get better at these positions... specifically DL and Receiver.. He didn't name names. The only guy he half threw under the bus was Brohm when he said, he pissed his chance away. 

 

I could be wrong but I think the "kool-aide gang" refers to those fans that drink the "blue kool-aide". Y'know, the ones that can find the positive in almost anything Bomber-related, as opposed to those who can find the negative in almost anything Bomber-related. We have both types of fans and shades of everything in between.

 

You're right about O'Shea and his refusal to "rant about a player for public display". He won't do it and that's to his credit. Even with Lirim and his struggles O'Shea often threw an arm around him and tried to console him. Love that about O'Shea. He's a player's coach. 

[Guest J5V]

I didn't like Walters refernce to Cam Marshall as not being a playmaker. The guy was the only bright spot in our run game & instead had to share time with duds like Chevon Walker all seaon long which made absolutely no sense. He should have been our full time #1 back all along. Also, he should have got the ball much more than he did. I think the guy could have been a thousand yard rusher if he had the opportunity to carry the ball 15-20 times a game & instead our GM dismisses what he did. I sure hope the coaches & GM don't evaluate Marshall the same way they evaluated Brohm & Marve... All wrong.

Didn't like his comments about Marshall or the D. I'm concerned about his comments regarding the draft and free agency. He didn't seem willing to take any responsibility for depth or quality of players. After all, it's his team, he built it, and not to be negative, but let's be honest, it sucks.

[Guest J5V]

As for O'Shea's presser ...

 

- Like Walter's, he blames our poor performance on injuries, ie. the loss of Willy and the ineffectiveness of the backups. I agreed with that and that's on Walters. I hope he was listening as Walters needs to do a much better job building depth on this team.

- Later on, O'Shea said the players are good enough to be a playoff team. That's what he said but he paused a long time before answering and I doubt he really believes that. Again, Walters needs to do a much better job building quality depth on this team.

- He said he won't rant for public display about a player. Good, as long as he's ranting privately.

- He made the statement that he didn't think experience was particularly important. I'd like to see him rethink that before he hires his OC.

- That leads to this, he said "Buck and Marcus" are being considered for the job as OC and that the decision was his. Man, I hope he gets it right.

- Unlike Walters he showed some humility and admitted he needed to do a better job. When pressed for specifics he pointed to the Calgary game. Good for him. 

[Guest J5V]

Does anyone know if and when Miller will address the media and fans?

 

What I'd like to hear from him is how much confidence he has in Walters to deliver enough quality players to win a championship.

 

Then I'd like to hear from him whether or not he thought O'Shea was a good enough coach to win a championship if Walters can deliver those players.

 

After the last two seasons, even he must have some doubts on both counts.

 

I want to hear from Miller that bringing a championship to Winnipeg ASAP is his #1 priority and that he is willing to make the tough decisions, ie. fire and hire some people, to make that happen. 

 

I don't want to hear that we are on another 3 year plan and will re-evaluate at that point. 

[rebusrankin]

Walters has the teflon touch with our media ala Obama, Clinton, Trudeau.

[LeBird]

Show me! 

[TBURGESS]

Walters does great media. Sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Doesn't talk down to the media. Doesn't answer their questions preferring to stay on his talking points, but isn't obnoxious about it. Very agreeable. Should be up there monthly with a state of the team address. 

[HardCoreBlue]

I don't care what Walters has to say. I already know he talks the talk. He just can't walk the walk.

If you know the problems, then fix them. Hell, you should have done that two years ago when you claimed "the right person is in the job now."

Charlatan.

I believe it's walk the talk.

And your analysis about fixing problems tends to overlook the actual complexities/challenges of putting a championship team. Yes Walters is fair game to criticism but not to unrealistic standards.

[TBURGESS]

 

I don't care what Walters has to say. I already know he talks the talk. He just can't walk the walk.

If you know the problems, then fix them. Hell, you should have done that two years ago when you claimed "the right person is in the job now."

Charlatan.

I believe it's walk the talk.

And your analysis about fixing problems tends to overlook the actual complexities/challenges of putting a championship team. Yes Walters is fair game to criticism but not to unrealistic standards.

 

Championship team? Are you crazy? Folks around here would settle for an average team that makes the playoffs and that's not an unrealistic standard.

[do or die]

Walters did a pretty good job of articulating current weakness, on this team.  

 

Mind you, a fair number of posters, on this site....have or could have done the same.    

 

The deal is how will these issues will be dealt with, this off-season.   Breaking the chain of incompetence.... in hiring OC's.. is a must, as well.

[HardCoreBlue]

 

 

I don't care what Walters has to say. I already know he talks the talk. He just can't walk the walk.

If you know the problems, then fix them. Hell, you should have done that two years ago when you claimed "the right person is in the job now."

Charlatan.

I believe it's walk the talk.

And your analysis about fixing problems tends to overlook the actual complexities/challenges of putting a championship team. Yes Walters is fair game to criticism but not to unrealistic standards.

 

Championship team? Are you crazy? Folks around here would settle for an average team that makes the playoffs and that's not an unrealistic standard.

 

An unrealistic standard is suggesting that knowing and fixing problems seems to be a simple process. That's how I interpreted the above post. I would suggest it's a bit more complex and challenging.

As for your point about building an average team, yes it's a progression but that's the ultimate holy grail GM's work towards.

And yes at times I am crazy.

[IC Khari]

I'm excited about perpetually rebuilding my favorite team said no one ever ...