O'Shea Granted permission to speak with Argos - and is staying with the Bombers

[Tecno]

My biggest concern is that we will stick with status quo on the coaching staff now.

MOS, Walters and Miller have an opportunity to address the main issue we had last year, namely not having a proven OC.

A lesson from F1: Honda returned to F1 as an engine supplier to McLaren in 2015.  Both Honda & McLaren sucked for those 3 years.  McLaren then ditched Honda in 2018 and continued sucking.  Redbull picked up the Honda engine, and immediately started getting podiums and winning races -- eventually starting to win championships in '21.  McLaren languished until '24, changing engines every few years.

The point is McLaren had all the pain of developing the Honda engine, but bailed right before the payoff -- thinking that the engine was the problem.  Redbull picked up the scraps (probably cheaply) and has been great ever since.

In my parable, Hogan is the Honda engine.  '25 WPG may be the '15-'17 McLaren years.  This may be the teething pain.  Ditch Hogan and maybe he goes elsewhere to let another team reap the reward of his dev time here.

Or he just sucks total rocks.  That's the tricky part... Is Hogan a Honda?  Or a Cogsworth?

My money is on them keeping him for '26.  And as I always say: there's no money for a "real" OC anyhow.  ESPECIALLY after they just re-upped MOS with probably a juicy-woocy $$ bump.

[Tecno]

Jackson or Burris  QB coach
Orlando            OC
Harris              RB/assist OC
Brian Dobie        anywhere for his experience

All well and good, but there is $0 left in coaches cap.  In fact probably negative $250k.

The AH ship has sailed, bridges are burnt, and Brady doesn't want to work under him.  Too bad, as it was a natural choice, and effective as Ouellette says AH is the reason he gets so hyped up.  AH will never be returning.

I mentioned AH33 last year and most thought it wasn't a good idea. I think the only way AH leaves the Riders is if he gets a OC spot.

I love AH to death, and will forever.  But OC?  AH is as thick as a ton of bricks.  If I ever have to hear AH say how he is "calm, cool and collective" again I think I'll go postal.  He is what he is, and he's second to none at it.  A genius OC: he is not.

[Tecno]

Curmudgeon.

Perfect!  P.S. There's a dude who sits in my section sometimes with Curmudgeon on his jersey.  I always LOL

[Tecno]

Did we get out-coached in those 3 losses? I think there could be an argument there.

To be fair to MOS, watch his last 2-3 pressers.  He's getting real introspective about what he should have maybe done during the season regarding poking his head in more doors (read: Hogan's) and inject himself a bit more.  He usually says this right before he quips about being horrible at X's and O's.

This is new.  He's never talked this way before.

I think he is still growing and learning.  I think he sees what more he needs to do to ensure a high-caliber team.  I think he's directly speaking to the Hogan issue and giving us a blueprint on how he'll tackle the same problem in '26.  I bet all of Mafia is working on this.

MOS probably misses the day he had a "real" OC like Lapo, who was always the smartest O guy in the room everywhere he went.  But such is the life of the stifling coaches cap.

I'm optimistic we'll see '25 problems addressed in '26 -- even with no change to coaches.

[Tecno]

I also agree with you 100% about Hogan and his apparent inability to make halftime adjustments.

Except in ESF's       

We put up more points in that 3rd Q than I think we did in every 3rd Q all season combined!  Now that's some adjusting!

[Tecno]

I'm happy to have the continuity but after getting completely embarrassed by Nick Arbuckle a year ago

The farther that '24 GC games gets in the past, the more I become convinced we win that game if Zach doesn't get his thumb sliced off by that Freddy Krueger DL.

[Jesse]

The farther that '24 GC games gets in the past, the more I become convinced we win that game if Zach doesn't get his thumb sliced off by that Freddy Krueger DL.

That's the one of the three losses that I have zero regrets about. We never seemed to be in that game.

The '22 and '23 games should have been ours though.

[blue_gold_84]

sorry to have to ask but who is Howard Berger???

He's a former radio guy from Toronto who claimed it was a done deal O'Shea was going to Toronto to be the HC there.

I hope he's been choking on bitter crow all weekend.

[J5V]

Except in ESF's       

We put up more points in that 3rd Q than I think we did in every 3rd Q all season combined!  Now that's some adjusting!

Als came out flat in the third having crushed us 17-0 after one and 25-6 at the half. I don't put much stock in our 3rd quarter adjustments. Lipstick on a pig.

[Sway]

If they don't fire Hogan I give up all hope in Oshea.

[Blue72]

If they have no money for a good OC than get rid of Jackson, Hall and Hogan, that should free up some cash. If our DC is so good why do we need Hall same goes for our OC.

[blue_or_die]

That's the one of the three losses that I have zero regrets about. We never seemed to be in that game.

The '22 and '23 games should have been ours though.

Most people seem to have this take and I don't understand it at all. The second Kelly went down everyone had the game in the bag for us. We were instantly the better team and all we had to do was play decently well and we fell flat on our faces. The other two games were horrible losses but last year's shouldn't have even been a question if we were "in" the game. Complete and utter failure.

[Jesse]

Most people seem to have this take and I don't understand it at all. The second Kelly went down everyone had the game in the bag for us. We were instantly the better team and all we had to do was play decently well and we fell flat on our faces. The other two games were horrible losses but last year's shouldn't have even been a question if we were "in" the game. Complete and utter failure.

I completely mean in retrospect. Of course going into the game I felt that way, but Arbuckle did shred us and our offence wasnt lighting it up before Zach got hurt. We were never in control of that game. And it was our weakest team of the run that whole season.

But during the games of '22 and '23, we were in the lead late in both games and just had to finish. But gave both games away.

[blue_gold_84]

Just saw on Twitter that both Walters and O'Shea have signed new contracts through the 2028 season.

I imagine an official announcement will be made shortly.

[Blue In BC]

Just saw on Twitter that both Walters and O'Shea have signed new contracts through the 2028 season.

I imagine an official announcement will be made shortly.

Yeah it was just made. Pretty typical contract length. I don't imagine there was any significant increase to salaries at this point.

Now they just have to right the ship and I think scouting is the biggest problem as an observation from the outside.

That said, O'Shea must get past keeping older highly paid under performers. It's time to move on from a few and spend the SMS elsewhere.