Winnipeg Blue Bombers C Matthias Goossen tries to block Toronto Argonauts LB Jamie Robinson during fourth-quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Thurs., June 26, 2014. (CFL PHOTO - Jason Halstead)
May 31, 2016
Veteran Winnipeg sportscaster Joe Pascucci, inducted into the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame last fall, writes weekly on the Bombers past and present.
In 2014, then-rookie General Manager Kyle Walters knew that his rebuild of the Blue Bombers would begin with the CFL Draft. And the position he knew he particularly needed to beef up over all others was the offensive line. With the second overall pick, Walters figured he’d be selecting a player that would start right away, but that wasn’t to be the case for Matthias Goossen.
The brick wall out of Simon Fraser had been a Great Northwest Athletic Conference First Team selection for three consecutive seasons. At SFU, he played every position along the O-line, but being in the middle of it all was his preference in high school and in his final year with the Clan.
“I think centre is what I’m accustom to and built for,” said the 6-4, 304 pound native of Richmond, BC.
In his first year with the Bombers, Goossen was not an immediate starter, as he had hoped for. He didn’t get that chance until his sophomore season, when veteran centre Dominic Picard (signed as a free agent to bring in much needed experience, leadership and some nastiness), was injured.
Goossen filled in and never looked back.
“You can only get truly better by actually playing,” Goossen said. “Offensive line is usually an underrated position. People who don’t know football don’t realize how much important it is.
“We don’t get to score a touchdown, but we do keep the quarterback safe, keep the quarterback throwing touchdowns, and we take a lot of pride in that.”
Matthias Goossen
Like Drew Willy, the 23-year-old Goossen is kin to a QB on offence, joking that the centre has his hands on the ball every single play. After Willy calls the play in the huddle, Goossen shouts out the blocking assignments to the rest of the O-line before snapping the ball.
It’s a position of leadership, and one you can only excel at confidently and comfortably by getting in the game. “I mean you can watch film all you want, which is important, but at some point you have to be out there making the calls in real time.
“When you’re watching film from a birds eye view sitting in your recliner, its pretty easy to make the right call. But it’s a different story when you have a 300 pound guy facing you down and you have to make certain calls.”
For Goossen, the experience he gained in the 10 games he started last season is making the game move noticeably slower in front of him.
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“You see certain things and you see it happening by seeing one thing. ‘Ok, this guy’s moving here, this is what’s going to happen now.’ I guess slowing down is one way to look at it,” Goossen said, snapping his fingers. “But it’s snappier if you know what I mean.”
In the past, the Bombers’ offensive line was criticized for not being nasty enough; that’s why Picard was signed. But Picard is now with the Montreal Alouettes, and Goossen has no problem taking over the mean guy role.
“I just try and finish the play and make sure the other guy doesn’t want to play against me. At the end of the game, he should definitely not like you.”
One thing Goossen has learned from watching game film is that you play to the whistle. “No matter if I’m five yards or 20 yards downfield, I just try and finish the block. You want to see yourself on film going till the whistle stops.”
This off-season, Walters made a huge splash with a number of major free agent signings. But it will be the offensive line that will determine any success the Bombers will have in 2016.
“Offensive line sets the tone,” said Goossen. “You’ve got big [play] guys on the field (like Willy, Weston Dressler and Andrew Harris) and you’ve got to make sure those guys feel protected. You can’t let other guys mess with them.
“You’ve got to make sure when you’re out there, you’re doing your part to make sure nothing cheap happens; make sure nothing behind the play happens. Because when it comes down to it, we’re the big guys on the field and we’ve got to make sure those guys feel safe and protected.”
