O’Shea doesn’t reveal roster for Friday’s game

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/10/2019 (2147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before a reporter could spit out a question on Wednesday, Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea laid down the law.

“Listen, I appreciate this is going to make your job more difficult, but, Day 3, closed practice and given the time of year and our situation, I’m not going to reveal any roster information today,” O’Shea told the media following practice.

Essentially, it was O’Shea’s way of saying, “Don’t ask me who our starting quarterback will be this week.” Current No. 1 pivot Chris Streveler missed Tuesday’s practice and it’s unknown whether he returned to the field Wednesday. On Tuesday, Zach Collaros, who the team acquired in a trade with the Toronto Argos two weeks ago, took the first-team reps. It remains to be seen who will be under centre Friday when the Blue and Gold host the Calgary Stampeders. The only piece of information O’Shea would share about his quarterback conundrum is the team still hasn’t decided who will start against Calgary.

With O’Shea making all roster moves top-secret information, it’s also unknown if wide receiver Lucky Whitehead will be in the lineup. Whitehead was a healthy scratch two weeks ago, but played in Saturday’s 37-33 road loss against Calgary, as Darvin Adams was out with an injury. Whitehead made the most of his opportunity and scored on a 25-yard carry and added four catches for 38 yards. It was Whitehead’s first offensive touchdown since Week 3, when he exploded for 155 receiving yards and two scores against the Edmonton Eskimos. Adams has returned to practice, which means there’s a strong possibility Whitehead will be a healthy scratch in favour of Rasheed Bailey. Bailey has nine catches for 96 yards in the past two games.

“I feel like I’m always a play away from breaking it or making a big play, so it’s kind of tough. But whatever they feel is best for the team,” Whitehead said.

Clearly, quarterback Matt Nichols going down for the season with a shoulder injury didn’t help Whitehead or any other receiver’s cause. The offence changed styles once Streveler took the reigns, as the team became even more focused on running the ball. Whitehead believes his numbers have stagnated because he’s had fewer opportunities.

“You’ve seen games. We (weren’t) taking as many shots,” said Whitehead, who leads all Bombers receivers in receptions (52) and targets (72) in 15 games played. “We had to kind of change the game plan with a different quarterback and, like I said, the ball wasn’t getting thrown as much. We were kind of adapting to the new quarterback and had to put in certain plays and certain game plans every week. As a unit, we had to adapt.”

O’Shea was asked what he needs to see from Whitehead for him to solidify his spot as a starter again.

“It’s really our roster. I don’t know that it’s anything Lucky Whitehead isn’t doing,” O’Shea said. “He knows his stuff. He’s fast. You know, when you get the ball in his hands, he’s very electric. We only have so many spots, and Rasheed Bailey is like that also. We said when we sort of made that change it was just so tough to keep Rasheed Bailey off the roster, too, because of what he does in practice and how hard he works.”

● ● ●

Nichols and his wife, Ali, have donated $10,000 to the Children’s Hospital Foundation. The money is going towards Cinema Vision Goggles. The goggles come with headphones and shut out MRI machine noise. They allow kids to relax and watch a DVD of their choice so they can feel more comfortable during the scan without being sedated. With the donation, the Children’s Hospital has now raised $60,781 of the $75,000 needed to purchase new goggles. The hospital has one pair of goggles and they’ve helped 850 children since 2013 and have cut sedation by 30 per cent.

“It’s so important for us as a family to give back to a community that has given us so much,” Nichols said in a media release. “We have two young daughters who are fortunate to have their health, but that’s not the case for many children. A second pair of goggles for the Children’s Hospital will go a long way in reducing recovery time for children and reducing wait lists in Manitoba.”

To learn more or to make a donation, visit goodbear.ca/campaigns/cinema-vision-goggles/.

 

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31