O’Shea stands by decision to keep playing Collaros after QB was hurt in Grey Cup

Mike O’Shea stood successful beforehand of reporters Friday and kept his chill portion answering questions astir the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 41-24 Grey Cup nonaccomplishment to the Toronto Argonauts past weekend.

The caput manager was asked if helium made a mistake keeping injured backmost Zach Collaros successful the game, wherefore prima moving backmost Brady Oliveira didn’t get the shot much and whether a flawed crippled program led to Winnipeg’s 3rd consecutive title loss.

“As an full team, we didn’t person our champion game,” O’Shea said successful his end-of-the-season property conference. “We didn’t deficiency effort. We didn’t deficiency desire.

“We didn’t person our champion crippled arsenic an full team. Three phases. Coaches — everybody. Me especially.”

O’Shea admitted helium missed calling a timeout successful the 4th fourth erstwhile determination were lone 11 Blue Bombers connected the tract alternatively of 12.

“I don’t get the number implicit the headset arsenic rapidly arsenic I astir apt request to, we can’t count. As I’m seeing a feline travel off, that’s the close clip for that timeout that I should person used,” O’Shea said.

He besides said helium should person utilized a situation emblem earlier connected a play helium didn’t identify, and checked connected his players much during the game.

But hindsight wouldn’t alteration his determination to enactment Collaros backmost successful the crippled aft the scale digit connected his throwing manus was chopped heavy erstwhile it deed a defender’s helmet.

“He perfectly deserves each accidental to pb this team,” O’Shea said. “From what I saw and from chatting with him precise briefly, I felt truly comfy with that. I didn’t deliberation it was going to beryllium easy, but I thought it’s Zach, so…”

The wounded to Collaros’s digit happened precocious successful the 3rd 4th erstwhile the Blue Bombers were trailing the Argonauts 17-10.

The seasoned near the crippled and returned with a bandaged digit that needed 5 stitches and a numbing agent. He wore a mitt connected the manus and told reporters earlier this week it was hard to grip the ball.
Collaros said helium warned receivers successful the huddle his throws mightiness not person the accustomed zip and they should beryllium prepared to travel backmost for the ball.

“(I) saw him delivering the shot connected the sidelines. Then you spot him present a mates balls retired determination and immoderate of them are beauteous damn good, right?” O’Shea said.

“The consciousness of Zach to accidental to the receivers, ‘hey, enactment a small harder for me,’ I deliberation it’s earthy and what should beryllium said. I deliberation they already cognize that.”

When Collaros re-entered the game, helium threw interceptions successful back-to-back series.

“On 1 of them helium got escaped of the shot and I thought it was a bully shot and the antiaircraft subordinate made a bully play,” O’Shea said of the picks. “One slipped close retired of his manus oregon I don’t cognize if it got tipped oregon not. You’ve got to springiness him that opportunity.”

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Oliveira was questioning his deficiency of opportunities successful the crippled erstwhile helium spoke to reporters earlier successful the week.

The CFL’s newly-minted astir outstanding subordinate and apical Canadian lone had 11 carries for 84 yards and 1 precocious touchdown.

About 17 oregon 18 tally plays were called, O’Shea said.

“One starts disconnected with a process punishment successful the archetypal and past six of those get pulled due to the fact that there’s X fig of guys successful the container oregon the work says this is not a tally play anymore, this is present a walk play,” helium said.

“You telephone that galore runs and past a heap of them get pulled due to the fact that of the operation of the defence. That’s OK with maine astatine that point.”

O’Shea said Bombers violative co-ordinator Buck Pierce has been granted support to speech to CFL teams with head-coaching occupation openings. The B.C. Lions are reportedly funny successful Pierce. The Edmonton Elks besides person a vacant caput manager spot.

If Pierce doesn’t go a caput coach, O’Shea said helium wants him to enactment successful Winnipeg. He believes Pierce had the offence “extremely well-prepared” for the Grey Cup.

“I’m ne'er going to question the play-calling, and I deliberation what’s going connected present is we’re questioning,” O’Shea said.

“We’re trying to find blasted and responsibility erstwhile that’s obscurity successful our DNA of however we built this eight, nine, 10 years ago. We’re starting to effort and find each these answers and question each these radical that were 0-4 and 2-6 and past 10-1, and we conscionable didn’t play our champion game.”

The Bombers finished 11-7 and claimed the West Division rubric that earned them a 5th consecutive travel to the Grey Cup. They won the title successful 2019 and ’21, but mislaid 28-24 to the Montreal Alouettes past twelvemonth and 24-23 to Toronto successful 2023.

“We’re the aforesaid radical that got there, that went connected a phenomenal tally aft a atrocious start, and a atrocious commencement for a batch of reasons that we overcame,” O’Shea said.

“I just, I don’t question immoderate of it. I look for answers, too. I ticker the movie implicit and implicit and implicit again. And look to already marque notes connected however we’re going to beryllium better, however we’re going to get backmost determination again.”