Quick feet, quick mind have served Bombers’ DB coach Younger well

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This article was published 25/10/2022 (1050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jordan Younger wasn’t afforded the opportunity to sit back and learn the three-down game.

After stops in the NFL, NFL Europe, and Arena Football League, the defensive back out of the University of Connecticut came up north in 2004 and signed a practice roster contract with the Toronto Argonauts.

In the world of professional football, especially the CFL, things can quickly change.

“I signed a PR contract that morning. Then the starting boundary tore his groin that practice. So, I went from the practice roster to starting that week over the course of a day,” Younger, now the defensive backs coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, told the Free Press after Tuesday’s practice as the team prepares to host the B.C. Lions on Friday night.

“I had been there for one pre-season game and then I was starting the first regular season game. I got thrown in the fire that way.”

It was a sink or swim situation, but fortunately for Younger, the Argos had some experienced defenders that showed him how to play the right way. One of those vets was none other than Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, a linebacker in his 12th CFL season at the time.

“I’ll never forget seeing the first practice and seeing how well Mike O’Shea, Orlondo Steinauer, Michael Fletcher, Kevin Eiben, how well those guys communicated with each other. So, I immediately knew this was something different. They knew what they were doing,” said Younger, a Trenton, N.J., native.

“So, I was like, ‘Where did they get all this football wisdom from and how can I catch up as quickly as possible?’ So, coming into that situation and seeing what the standard was, it was like OK, I can’t play around with this.”

As for O’Shea’s first impression of Younger…

“Yeah, I think he was late for the first practice,” O’Shea said with a grin. “No, he was flat out fast, really smart, a sponge. I don’t know if he’d say he was a sponge right off the bat, but there was certainly something about him right off the bat that made you go, ‘Oh yeah, this guy is really good.’ As evidence, he played a bunch of different spots and he’s really, really intelligent. He played that way, too. It wasn’t just the God-given speed he had, you know, he used his head quite a bit.”

Younger went on to play nine CFL seasons, winning two Grey Cups with the Argos (2004 and 2012) and was twice named a league all-star.

That mutual respect between Younger and O’Shea lasted after their playing days came to a close. Before O’Shea could work with Younger on a staff, there were two other individuals with ties to the Argos who reached out first.

The first being Eiben, the defensive co-ordinator for the University of Toronto at the time, who asked Younger to coach the DBs at the school. One year later, Scott Milanovich — who coached Younger to a Grey Cup in 2012 — reached out and offered him the same job with the Argos. Younger, who now lives in Mississauga, Ont., with his partner and their three-year-old son, lasted two years in Toronto and left when Milanovich moved on to coach the quarterbacks for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Then in 2018, O’Shea called. Joining the Bombers would require Younger to leave Ontario, but for him, it was an easy decision.

“It was Mike O’Shea. He was one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. And what I mean by that is, we didn’t necessarily have the best off-the-field relationship. We hung out sometimes, but on the field, he was the kind of teammate that just put so much of himself on the line to do his part,” Younger said. “I was honoured that he would want me to come be a part of what he’s trying to build because I understand immediately how important this was to him.”

Their partnership has certainly benefited the Bombers. Since 2018, Younger has helped a long list of CFL newcomers — Marcus Sayles, Mike Jones, Dee Alford, Deatrick Nichols and Jamal Parker, just to name a few — and vets have success in the Bombers’ secondary.

“He’s definitely been a game changer… He’s putting us in the right positions, always keeping us on our toes, and he made me a better football player in terms of my awareness to the game and knowing where I need to be at,” said Bombers safety Brandon Alexander.

“I talk to him all the time about how he sees the game. He’s definitely been huge.”

The 44-year-old Younger loves the Xs and Os part of the game and hopes to climb the ranks and become a defensive co-ordinator and/or head coach one day. For right now, he couldn’t ask for a better situation.

“I don’t want to sound disrespectful at all, but it’s been so smooth. The level of success doesn’t necessarily match the level of stress. It’s been very low stress doing this job with this group of people because we have so much fun together and because we trust each other to do our part,” Younger said.

“It’s just been a beautiful experience.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31