O’Shea jumps to defend Jeffcoat’s hit on Riders QB

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This article was published 14/11/2018 (2488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea delivered an impassioned defence of Jackson Jeffcoat and the CFL’s much-maligned officials Wednesday.

Jeffcoat, Winnipeg’s superb defensive end, has been villainized in recent days by Saskatchewan fans for his helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Roughriders quarterback Brandon Bridge out of the final minute of the Blue Bombers’ 23-18 win in Sunday’s West Division semifinal.

Jeffcoat’s hit was not penalized but he is expected to receive at least a fine this week. B.C. Lions defensive end Odell Willis was fined the maximum amount following a high hit on Saskatchewan quarterback Zach Collaros during Week 20.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie admitted the on-field offcials blew the call on Willis. Jeffcoat was also not penalized for his hit.

“I watched at least an hour of it, back and forth, every angle,” O’Shea told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “I can see the league’s standpoint and their concern and where football is going. But I can also watch that clip and talk about it for another hour and defend Jackson.”

Jeffcoat had only a brief response to the controversy: “There was no malicous intent, (I) came in with the shoulder and that’s it,” he said.

Should it have been a penalty?

“They didn’t call it, so should it be?” O’Shea said. “I don’t know. I can see how it didn’t get called. I mean, let’s not put all the onus on the official. It’s just like the Odell Willis one. You watch it and the way the ref is aligned and the way the ump is aligned on the play, I can see how it gets missed. You can’t just keep blaming the officials. There is a set alignment that they’ve worked on for years to make sure they have the most sightlines… and on that one, you can see from the ref-cam, he’s blocked from a view of it.”

O’Shea also insisted Jeffcoat’s hit had extenuating circumstances and unavoidable consequences.

“In previous years, when you hit somebody, things move and pieces move and body parts move around,” O’Shea said. “So, you could have a great target in the shoulder or the chest and there could be an inadvertent head contact that on film instantly looks terribly bad, but it’s hard to judge intent. There’s no intent or the simple physics of the hit dictate that the head’s going to come down and make contact with the guy who’s striking the ball carrier.

“Even in the field of play, with the ball carrier running, they protect themselves by dropping… their head and shoulder. There’s a lot of contact there. I don’t know how you take some of it out of the game, I really don’t.”

O’Shea also explained why Jeffcoat’s hit wasn’t as egregious as Willis’s headshot.

“He did use his left shoulder to hit Brandon Bridge’s right shoulder,” O’Shea said. “So his head was in front of Bridge on contact and then as contact is made, bodies move, things happen, and another one of our players hit Jackson back towards the quarterback at the exact same time.

“I’m sure people don’t see it the way I see it.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14