Winnipeg's O'Shea stands behind 61-yard field-goal attempt

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' season is over after falling to the BC Lions in Sunday's first round playoff matchup, and the end of the game will leave one glaring question in the mind of Bombers fans for the entire offseason.

Why would Mike O'Shea trust the fate of his team's season on a 61-yard field-goal attempt?

With 36 seconds left in the game and the Bombers looking at a third-and-4 scenario, the third-year Bombers head coach elected to go with kicker Justin Medlock and ask him to nail a 61-yard field goal to take a two point lead.

Medlock's kick fell short, and subsequently, so did Winnipeg's Grey Cup hopes.

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When asked about his thoughts behind the late-game play call, O'Shea did not shy away from addressing the decision that ultimately led to the end of his team's season.

"It gives us an opportunity," O'Shea explained to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun. "The kick gets off, it's got a chance, right?

"He's hit from 58 before," O'Shea added. "And we've all seen him in practice hit long field goals. It's one of those decisions as a head coach you're going to have to make. And it won't be the last tough decision I'm faced with."

O'Shea's confidence in Medlock is admirable, but a 61-yard field goal in the playoffs, regardless of hitting long field goals in practice, is a tall order for any professional kicker.

In the history of the CFL, only one other kicker has ever hit a field goal from 61 yards or greater, and he happened to be on the opposing sidelines for Medlock's miss. Lions kicker Paul McCallum, who retired in March, but returned to the team on Nov. 1, holds the record with a 62-yard field goal he made 15 years ago.

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols defended O'Shea's decision to go with Medlock rather than let his offense go for a fresh set of downs.

"We have all the trust in the world in Coach O'Shea to make decisions," Nichols said. "It is what it is. It wasn't one thing that lost us this game."