By Darren Cameron
Director of Communications & Media Relations
It was one of our afternoon practices during training camp this past year, when one of the rookie players (I honestly don’t remember who it was) was going on and on about his time in “the league” (NFL), while standing on the sidelines. Whether he didn’t notice or didn’t care, his Head Coach happened to be standing about ten feet from him, on the field, observing practice. As the player repeated the term ‘the league’ yet again, Mike O’Shea turned around and gave him exactly the type of glare you would expect from the CFL’s second all-time leader in tackles. He stared right through the kid and said, “you’re in THE league.” I reminded him of this the other day in his office – he didn’t tell me whether he remembered the scenario or not, and I didn’t ask – but I did ask why he responded the way he did.
“Probably two things,” said Osh. “First and foremost, I’m fiercely proud of being Canadian, and our game. And secondly, where you are is where it’s at. Whether you’re coming from another professional league, or Canadian junior football, you’re on the same field together at the same time.”
I suppose twenty years in the Canadian Football League gives you a great passion for it, but Mike’s passion is different. I can’t count the amount of times, both during professional and personal conversations, that he’s made mention of what a ‘fan’ he is of the CFL or how much he owes this league. He’s simply seen so much through those twenty years, both good and bad, that when you get him talking about it, his eyes light up and it seems he could go on forever.
The passion he has for our league is matched only by his love for our country. Coach’s late father, Michael, served in WWII, and his appreciation for anyone who has served our country is intense. He credits a lot of that to his dad.
“I think the attitude comes from having an immigrant father, who deeply respected the country,” he told me. Coach’s admiration for his father is evidenced around his office. On the mantle directly in front of his desk sits a model of the type of plane (Mosquito) his father navigated during the war, and beside that is a picture of his dad in front of the actual bombardier aircraft he flew in.
When the attacks on Canadian Forces members in Quebec and Ottawa occurred earlier this year, he asked us to find him an Armed Forces hat to wear during our game a few days later, simply because he believed it was the right thing to do. The day Parliament was attacked, Osh was late to his daily press conference because he was reading what had happened while we were out at practice. The look of disgust on his face while he digested it all spoke volumes. He’s a proud Canadian in every way.
Walters’ World
I checked in with our GM today – as I do multiple times throughout a work day – and he was in the process of signing Derek Jones to a contract extension. Walters on Jones: “He really stepped up on special teams for us last season, and he’s a guy we feel is underrated at this point. A fourth round pick last season, he will just continue to grow and that’s what you want to see. ”
Kyle recently held three days of extensive meetings, 10-12 hours a day, with our scouting department, and our Head Coach. There, they went over everything from details of this past season to our pending free agents and all of the free agents around the league. With Kyle presiding over the meetings, the dialogue was very open. Conversations included talk about certain positions where we feel we need to upgrade, and how the scouting staff of Danny McManus, Ted Goveia, and Drew Morris would go about meeting these needs. The massive amount of knowledge these individuals have about the rosters, and individual players/positions at every school across North America, as well as NFL bubble guys, was amazing to listen to.
During these meetings, to my right sat Hall of Famer Danny Mac, who always brings a very calm but convincing presence to the table. He spoke about many topics including our current negotiation list and the quarterbacks on there. Later that night, while we watched the Cardinals/Rams game, when their starter Drew Stanton went down, we were waiting for a player on our negotiation list, Logan Thomas, to step in. We will see if they go that route this week.
Over in the middle of the room sat Ted Goveia, intently watching video of a pending CFL free agent on the big TV screens on the wall. He likes this player, and believes we should make a move for him if he makes it to free agency in early February. Goveia’s nearly 20 years of Canadian football experience makes his voice and opinions heard and taken seriously.
In the far corner of the room sat Drew Morris. The youngest of the three scouts, he is a walking encyclopedia of football knowledge. Looking over his spreadsheets on two different computer screens, if you have a question about a backup linebacker at a Division III school, try getting his last name out before Drew knows not only who you are talking about, but everything – both positive and negative – about the player. It’s honestly remarkable. With these three working hand in hand with Kyle, I truly believe we are in great hands and the future of the Bombers will continue to grow stronger and be bright.
The five men carried out intense conversations for hours, touching aspects even further down the line such as the CFL Draft, to be held in May. The organization and diligent preparation by these men in everything they do is very evident.
Said Walters, “Our focus as an organization still remains to build through the CFL draft, specifically offensive linemen, and add in free agency when deemed viable. Every year, we want to draft some offensive linemen, almost always one early on, and begin to develop that player within our organization. Having Canadian offensive lineman constantly in the hopper is invaluable. I really don’t believe in building your team through free agency. Adding a piece here and there is great, but you build a strong football team through the CFL Draft first, and young American talent that your scouting department finds you.”
Hope everyone has a great holiday season, and all the best from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers!
Darren
