THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where or what caused the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to go off the rails, to lose six games in a row and eight of nine. Was it the three last-minute losses to Saskatchewan during that stretch? Or the devastating 16-11 setback at home against Hamilton three weeks ago, in which the Bombers failed to get the ball into the end zone on first and goal from the three-yard line at game’s end?
How about that stunning 42-20 loss in Ottawa October 3rd? Take your pick. Whatever theory you subscribe to (and they abound), a team that was 5-1 at one point has suffered one of the great collapses in Winnipeg Football Club history.
| The goal is simple |
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As Mike O’Shea points out, the Bombers’ path to the playoffs isn’t complicated. If they win the last three games, they’ll have a decent chance to be in the post-season. |
More questions — Were they that far over their heads at 5-1? Are they really that short on talent? Are the coaching philosophies flawed? When you look like a legitimate playoff contender for half a season, hitting the midway mark at 6-3, how is it you can so completely fall apart?
From this chair, the Blue Bombers’ fall from grace has been parts of all of the above. And while the losing streak has put the Bombers’ playoff hopes on life support, it has not altered the ultra-positive outlook of their first year head coach Mike O’Shea.
O’Shea is an unapologetic member of the “glass half full” club. Never was that more apparent than on his weekly radio show on 680-CJOB Tuesday night, a day after the Bombers had followed up their 42-20 shellacking in Ottawa with an equally demoralizing 41-9 beat down in Edmonton.
“The players came to work today and they are committed to doing better,” said O’Shea. “We have to keep coaching them, we have to put a better product on the field and we have to win. Nobody likes losing and I don’t like the fact that we have lost a number of games in a row.”
“I refuse to be in a bad mood about it, it’s not going to get you any better,” he added. “You need to buck up and you need to figure out some solutions rather than just talk about the problems.”
And O’Shea told a caller to the show when queried about the status of his offensive and defensive co-ordinators, “the player roster, the coaching roster is always under review. I’m sure I’m under review also.”
“All those things are left for the off-season. Right now we are focused on beating Calgary because if we win three in a row, we’re in the playoffs.”
Don’t get the impression that O’Shea is delusional. Far from it. He is very aware that his team has some shortcomings. But he also remembers all the good football it has played this season. That’s what keeps him going and what keeps him believing that all things are possible in the world of sport (and especially in the CFL), where a team’s fortunes can turn on a dime.
Don’t try to tell O’Shea that a visit by the 12-2 Jon Cornish-led Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night is a ‘daunting task’. For him, it’s just another ‘opportunity’ for the Bombers to get their season back on track.
