THE O’SHEAS: Officially, Michael O’Shea is listed as #76 — one of fresh-faced receivers who was busy running routes and pulling in passes on the first day of Blue Bombers training camp.
Except Michael O’Shea, who goes by ‘Michael’ or ‘Mike’, is the son of the head coach, Mike O’Shea.
“It’s crazy to be back in Winnipeg for awhile,” said O’Shea, junior, after playing the last two seasons with the Okanagan Sun where was an All-Canadian receiver and kick returner. “It’s definitely cool.
“Everyone takes a different path to the league sometimes and mine was all over. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to play in the CFL. Obviously, there’s something special there (trying out for a team coached by his father), but for right now I’m just focussing on trying to make the team and not worrying about that part.
“I’m exactly like every other player right now. He’s ‘Coach’, not ‘Dad.'”
O’Shea wasn’t selected in the recent CFL Draft, but was added due to his credentials with the Sun, which included helping the team to a CJFL championship last year.
Asked what it was like to see his son out there, the head coach offered this:
“There’s two ways to think. One, as a dad, is it’s cool to see him. I’ve always liked seeing my kids, all my kids, compete. I don’t spend a lot of time staring at him. I stick to my normal routine of wandering around looking at all the groups. Nothing’s going to change about that.”
O’Shea said he spoke to some of the current Blue Bombers and coaches — especially receivers coach Kevin Bourgoin — about the idea of bringing his son to camp and the potential awkward situation that might create. And “to a man they were all, ‘He’s a good player, bring him in.'”
One more from Coach O’Shea, when asked what it was like to see his son so passionate about something he himself has been so passionate about for most of his adult life.
“If he would have been passionate about something else I would have been just as excited for him,” he said. “If your kids find something they are passionate about then I think as a parent you just enjoy watching that unfold, whatever it is… as long as it’s legal.”
LET THE KICKING GAMES BEGIN: Veteran incumbent kicker Marc Liegghio and Sergio Castillo, signed last week after his surprising release from Edmonton, won’t be on the field until the opening of main training camp on Sunday.
That said, there were still five kickers working on Wednesday in placekickers Chandler Staton and Marc Orozco and punters Chris MacLean, Karl Schmitz and Devin Anctil.
O’Shea outlined the best way for the kickers to stand out during camp.
“The consistency over time, doing what we ask them to do over a couple week period — thats what it’s going to take,” he said. “Somebody’s going to have to continue to execute each kick the way we ask them to execute it and do it at an extremely high level, because there’s a pretty high standard here. We’ll see. Everybody is excited to compete. Nothing is being handed to anybody.”
O’Shea said he spoke with Liegghio at the end of the season about what would unfold heading into this camp.
“He knew there would be competition,” he said. “The message is the same as it is everybody. We want to win football games and we want to be the best at every phase we can be and nobody should be afraid of that.
“They’re pro football players. Nobody should be afraid of that. They want to compete, they want to win the job.”
THE AGELESS ONE: Schmitz, selected by the Blue Bombers in the recent Global Draft, is the 36-year-old Bermuda product still chasing his pro football dream.
“I think over the course of time you guys have asked me age questions before,” O’Shea said. “I don’t ever think like that and how many miles does a guy have on his football body. It’s different for kickers than it is for linemen or linebackers — guys who played defence and special teams. Those guys add a pile of games on to their career very quickly just by the number of games they are playing if they’re playing on special teams and defence. There’s a lot of evidence to say kickers go into their 40s quite easily so I don’t know if age has anything to do with it. I mean, we’re in a profession where you’ve got to win and so if a guy can help you, he can help you. What are you worried about how old he is?
“Plus, he’s in great shape He’s just in fantastic shape. I certainly didn’t look like that at 36.”
FYI: The Blue Bombers added Canadian LB Robbie Lowes to the retired list on Wednesday. He was attempting a comeback with the club after suffering an Achilles injury in training camp last year. The University of Regina product played two games with the Blue Bombers in 2021 after being selected in the fourth round, 34th overall, in the 2021 CFL Draft.
The club made three other transactions on the first day of rookie camp, adding OL Desmond Bessent (6-7, 305, University of Buffalo), WR Dominick Fiscelli (5-9, 180 Northern State University) and running back Vance Barnes (5-8, 190, Northern State University), while releasing receiver Otis Lanier.
