Older, wiser Goossen steps in for ailing Picard

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This article was published 14/10/2015 (3738 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

That he can actually say the words this early in his CFL career is probably a good indication that Matthias Goossen is getting somewhere.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive lineman will find himself the centre of some attention this week when the team travels to Ottawa to meet the Redblacks Friday for the next in a line of critical games of the season.

Goossen will be in for injured starting centre Dominic Picard and said after Wednesday’s practice at Investors Group Field that having a command of your own assignments is one thing but being the centre and co-ordinating others’ duties is quite another step.

“Being a centre, you have to be a bit bossy but that’s how the game works,” the native of Richmond, B.C., said Wednesday, his 23rd birthday. “I think as a centre you have to be very clear about what calls you make. That’s the mark of a great centre, somebody who knows and makes the calls and they may be right or wrong but when everybody’s on the same page, you’re generally pretty right.

“It’s having the trust of the guys — and I think the guys trust me — and knowing that when you make the call and you live with it.”

Goossen, the team’s 2014 first-round draft pick, has played some guard and some centre since breaking in with the Bombers last season.

He went into Picard’s spot last Saturday in B.C., when the veteran couldn’t complete the game due to injury.

Picard, by the way, is ruled out for this week’s contest in Ottawa.

Earlier this week, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea tried to make it clear there is increasing faith in Goossen in that centre spot.

He said that Goossen is clearly more assertive than he’s been.

“He’s matured quite a bit,” O’Shea said. “This season, we’ve seen him taking on that centre leadership role that’s expected from that spot.

“He knows his stuff and he knows why he’s calling it and he’s pretty comfortable.”

Goossen has never strayed away from the belief that his development is and has been a process.

“Every game and every play you play in a real scenario is the best experience,” he said. “You can practise all you want, watch film, but when it comes down to it, I think the game is truest way to become better and get that real experience.

“When it becomes easier, it’s just second nature to you.”

Having had a bigger role in last Saturday’s game, where the Bombers rallied to win the game 29-26 on the night’s final play, he was asked about the team’s attitude and enthusiasm, having grabbed a victory that way.

“Every game you go into to get a win and when you win games, it (the attitude) is just that much better,” Goossen said. “But you have to forget about it and move on, so we’re focusing on Ottawa right now.”

Goossen wasn’t about to simply rest on the fact that the Bombers were overdue for a break last weekend, given the way they had lost the two previous games in particular.

“Breaks, it’s hard to say about that because a lot of them are self-inflicted,” Goossen said. “There are things that are unfortunate but we’re trying to clean that up, eliminate those unfortunate mistakes.

“I don’t know if I believe in breaks or not. What it comes down to is winning the game. The game never comes down to one play. If you want to win the game, you’ve got to win it before that one play.”

And he said that above all things, he’s got winning on his mind again this week.

“The score matters but all that matters is the win,” he said. “The yards don’t matter, the turnovers. It’s all about the win. You have to win clean or you have to win dirty but you have to win.”

NOTES: O’Shea said Wednesday that Picard will see doctors today to give a better assessment of his injury. O’Shea said he was still hopeful Picard would play the rematch against Ottawa here a week from Saturday…The team made no moves at Wednesday’s CFL trading deadline.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca