Walters, O’Shea are made men

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/12/2019 (1595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Mafia isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Friday morning, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced three-year contract extensions for general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea.

Walters had one year left on his deal but is now signed through 2023. O’Shea’s contract expired after the team’s Grey Cup run and he’s now on board through 2022.

With all the head coaching vacancies in the league having been filled this week, it was only a matter of time before it became official O’Shea would be back.

There were some rumours O’Shea may have some interest in returning to the Toronto Argonauts to coach the team he spent the majority of his Hall of Fame playing career with, especially with former teammate Michael “Pinball” Clemons as the team’s new general manager.

But at Friday’s news conference at IG Field, O’Shea made it clear that was something he never considered. He didn’t have an issue coaching on an expiring contract this year and he was confident a deal would get done when it was the right time to negotiate.

“There was lots of speculation and reports that were false throughout the season and it’s unfortunate that you have to deal with some of those,” said O’Shea, with Bombers president/CEO Wade Miller and Walters sitting next to him.

“But once I said let’s get down to negotiations, it happened fairly quickly. It was a fairly easy process. It’s just one of those things. I just don’t want to do that during the season. I’m not wired that way.”

O’Shea was named the organization’s 30th coach in franchise history prior to the 2014 season. Walters shed the interim tag and was officially named the general manager that off-season as well.

They started off with two losing seasons, but since then have created a team-first culture players want to be a part of and it’s translated into wins on the gridiron. The Bombers have a 44-28 record over the past four seasons and qualified for the post-season in each of them.

Now that he’s taken this team from rags to riches, capped off with last month’s Grey Cup victory, O’Shea was asked why he wasn’t interested in taking on a new challenge with a different team.

“We’ve got lots of work to do here still. What we talked about to our fan base, to the organization, was something sustainable. I don’t know if (six) years says that just yet. We got to keep going,” said O’Shea, the CFL’s longest-tenured head coach.

Miller and the rest of Bomberland had to be patient, but clearly this season made it worth the wait. Miller said Walters and O’Shea are “at the top of their game of what they do” and it’s something the club believed they had in them when they were hired.

“So glad that we are able to continue this. Back in late 2013, the three of us talked about the kind of organization we want to build and what we wanted to do and we saw the results of it this year and the over the last number of seasons. So, to continue this on, I’m very proud to be able to do this with both gentlemen,” Miller said.

O’Shea wouldn’t provide details on what the rest of the coaching staff will look like next season. He wouldn’t confirm if quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce is a strong candidate to fill the offensive co-ordinator position Paul LaPolice left behind this week when he signed on as head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks. Nor would O’Shea say if defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall is under contract for the 2020 campaign.

However, the club did reveal it will have their entire football operations scouting staff back. Director of U.S. scouting Danny McManus, director of college scouting Ryan Rigmaiden and assistant general manager Ted Goveia will all remain with the team.

Both McManus and Rigmaiden had interviews with the Montreal Alouettes for their vacant general manager position this week. Rigmaiden was offered the job but turned it down.

Continuity was foremost on Walters’ mind when he met with Miller.

“Wade and I sat down and I said ‘The most important thing to me is staying in this community and continuing to build on what we had and trying to keep our group together,’” Walters said. “And as Wade mentioned, with Mike back, Danny, Ted and Ryan back, the most important thing to me is keeping this group together and continuing to grow.”

It’s not lost on Miller, Walters and O’Shea they share a special bond. They’re a trio of Canadians who used to play against one another in the CFL and now they’re working together to give a football-crazed city and province a successful franchise. In fact, the Canadian Mafia nickname is something they get a kick out of. O’Shea was asked how much pride he takes in that moniker.

“A lot. Everybody knows I’m a very proud Canadian, absolutely,” O’Shea said.

 

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31