Bombers so bad he almost quit

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This article was published 06/11/2022 (1265 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Patrick Neufeld was devastated when his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders traded him to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in October of 2013.

Two months later, the offensive lineman from Regina watched the team he grew up cheering for win the Grey Cup at home without him. It was an even tougher pill to swallow considering the Bombers finished dead last with a dismal 3-15 record.

Neufeld, now 33 and in his 11th season, admits he contemplated moving on from football at that point.

“That was tough. It was kind of a fork in the road kind of moment. I could’ve gone another way, but I decided to persevere and stick it through,” said Neufeld after Sunday morning’s practice at IG Field.

“Our organization in totality has done a great job of building continuously since those years, since 2013-2014, and I’m super proud of what we’ve accomplished. But, as soon as you start resting on your laurels, that’s when you’re going to get beat. Our mentality that we preach all the time, and it sounds so cliche, but it’s that 1-0 mentality.”

That mentality, which was instilled when the Bombers hired Mike O’Shea to be the team’s new head coach in 2014, is what has helped the Bombers go from 3-15 to where they are today — 15-3 and and hosting the West final on Sunday.

“The organization at the end of 2013 was not good. You can talk to anyone that was around at that time. (Defensive tackle) Jake Thomas and I are the only two guys that have been around since then. It was tough,” said Neufeld.

“It was an organization in transition. The locker room wasn’t in great shape from a character perspective. That’s the best part of what Osh has done, he’s brought in character guys. He has always said that he wants to win with good people, and he’s done a good job of leading that and taking charge of that.”

From laughingstock to back-to-back championships is quite the story. You’d think it would make all the success feel even more rewarding, but Neufeld said they don’t spend much time thinking about it.

“That’s kind of tough. The last couple of years, we’ve been able to reflect on that after the season. But right now, we don’t have any time to think like that,” said Neufeld, who was named a West Division all-star last week.

“We’re really focused on our process and if it’s going to be Calgary or B.C. It just doesn’t serve us to think like that. We’re so dialled in on the moment.”

Neufeld does, however, make sure the younger players on the team know that things weren’t always this way.

“Not in a serious situation, but in a casual conversation we’ll bring up kind of old stories of what happened and how things were happening and what the team was like back then. It’s funny you bring that up. I remember in 2019 when after we won our first Grey Cup. Our rookie left guard Drew Desjarlais was ecstatic and was super pumped for me. And I remember him saying how awesome this was and I was like ‘Man, this took seven or eight years of my career to finally get to this,’” said Neufeld.

“Being in a nine-team league, you’d think it’d happen much quicker, but it doesn’t. Nothing is ever guaranteed. Statistics don’t mean a thing. But yeah. it’s fun to talk about in passing. I think it lets guys know how far we’ve come.”

O’Shea believes it’s important to have those walking talking reminders.

“You need those guys around so they can relate the experience of what things were like before. I think as a staff, we’re very grateful to have those players here,” said O’Shea.

“They’re a great reminder every time you see them of why you do this and how important it is.”

Now with a chance to potentially win a third straight Grey Cup, Neufeld considers the trade one of the best things to happen to him. And with a win on Sunday, Neufeld’s story has a chance to come full circle as this year’s Grey Cup is back in Regina.

“It’s been the best part of my life so far. It’s been fantastic. The organization has been incredible to me and my family. I have the best teammates in the world, guys that I love and call my brothers. Guys who I’ll have relationships with for the rest of my life,” said Neufeld.

“Being able to win championships, especially in a province and in a city like this that cares so much is fantastic. The support we get from our fans and community is second to none and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31