He played in 271 regular season games and 18 playoff games, winning three Grey Cups. He finished second in CFL history with 1,151 tackles and was named Most Outstanding Canadian back in 1999. These are the accomplishment of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers new head coach, and 30th in team history, Mike OShea. Pretty impressive, but does all that on-field success translate to a person ready to be a great head coach? Not really. Being a football coach and being a football player are in some ways polar opposites, both in terms of skill and ability. One is a performer and producer, the other is a teacher, organizer and motivater. But, what is tangible is transferring the experience of football success and failure as a player to your coaching career. Mike OShea has 20 years experience in this game and this style of game; 16 as a player and four as a special teams coach. It would take some serious biographical research to list all the players, head coaches, coordinators, positional coaches, and management types he has been around, observed, and in the end, learned from. Often but not always, we are products of our environment. If you put a person around enough good people, they learn what to do and, of even greater importance, what not to do. That is Mike OSheas greatest asset. Through experience, he knows what works and what doesnt because he has seen it all over the last 20 years. In many ways, this job was made for him. Sometimes people achieve positions of authority or success through nepotism or attrition; we have all had those moments of sublime internal conversation, asking "how the heck did he or she get that job?" But with OShea, the time is now and the timing is perfect . There have been enough moments of "been there, done that" in his experience that its now time to try something that he hasnt done yet. That is the nice and fluffy news; hear is the hard reality and truth: Winnipeg has a long way to go. Last year there were only two aspects of football they excelled in: surprisingly they finished last year third in red zone offence and second in red zone defence. But that was about it. On offence, they scored the fewest points in the league, just 20 per game. And on defence, they allowed the most, 32 per game. On offence, out of the top eight relevant statistical categories of success, the Bombers were eighth in seven of them and seventh in the other one. On defence, they faired a little better but seventh in net yards allowed and seventh in passing yards allowed rescinds any other positive aspect of defensive play. The single and most logical issue is ball security. Winnipeg gave the ball away 64 times last year, thats more than three times a game. Because of that, their critical giveaway/takeaway ratio was -27, eighth again in the CFL. A lot will depend on OShea and quarterback Drew Willy, but the pressure is also on General Manager Kyle Walters. Right now the Bombers do not have enough good players to compete for the Grey Cup. It is up to Walters to find those diamonds, or talents that others dont appreciate or want. Now not all is dome and gloom. The new stadium, the teams excellent fan base (second only to Saskatchewan), and a new direction headed by a new vision. And of course, the 2015 Grey Cup is in Winnipeg. Those are all environmental factors to build on. Still, ask anyone who has dedicated their profession to football and without good players, history, fan base, and facility mean little. So how will OShea do? A complete mystery is about to unfold. And it will be fascinating to watch because football is not an instantaneous success sport; quite the opposite. Its much more methodical and incremental. So time is a price to be paid and an element to be used. After the third season you, me and all that follow will see a pattern of success or frustration. It has been a long time since the city of Winnipeg has hoisted a Grey Cup, and it may take a little longer, especially with the Bombers back in the West (Thank you football Gods). Yet the first few bricks of building a winner have been put down and they are important ones, because the next ones to follow may be easier to find and develop based on the experiences of the main piece: Mike OShea. Malik Beasley Jersey .L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. Allen Iverson Nuggets Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. 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Lack replaced an injured Roberto Luongo late in the first period then watched defenceman Chris Tanev score the winning goal midway through the third as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Jets 2-1 in a tight NHL game.The NHL Play of the Year showdowns second round resumes today with a battle of determination and finish. Todays Round of 16 match-up features Ottawa Senators forward Kyle Turris taking on Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux. Turris shows a tremendous individual effort, faking out nearly an entire team. He victimizes the Caps going straight to the net. He barrels over the blue line freezing Mike Green, who earns a delayed penalty. He then shakes off some harassment from John Erskine before reaching for some open net with a ridiculous drag that leaves Philipp Grubauer with no chance of stopping the puck. Turris took out perennial contender Sidney Crosby in the opening round, garnering nearly 55 per cent of the vote. Giroux doesnt quite have as far to go on the ice, but given thee circumstances unleashes a beauty of a shot.dddddddddddd Picking a wild point shot rebound off the end boards, Giroux picks up the disc and gets sent to the ice by David Savard. While falling, though, he unleashes one heck of a shot. Falling, he lifts a backhander behind his back towards the net... and roofs it. Its not even like Curtis McElhinney doesnt expect the shot, Giroux just beats him high glove without even looking. Giroux took out one of his Pennsylvania rivals in the opening round, capturing 54-plus per cent from the Penguins Evgeni Malkin. You can watch the highlights and make your decision here . Every vote counts, so watch all the plays and take part in the TSN.ca Play of the Year Showdown. Let us know who you voted for via Twitter by using the hashtag #tsnklondikepoy. ' ' '