Has the CFL's mad scientist hung up his lab coat? Are the crazy days of fake punts and expecting the unexpected from Argos' special teams coordinator Mike O'Shea over?

If you're a fan of football trickery, you'd have to hope not. Variety is the spice of life and it also makes football a little tastier, too.

The man who's become known for wrinkling up the kicking game as well as, on occasion, the return game, was playing coy when asked what manner of  gridiron surprise he may have concocted during the off-season.

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"I'm going to do whatever the team needs us to do, special teams-wise," O'Shea said with just a trace of a grin through his training camp stubble.

"We're going to coach up what we've been doing the last couple years, that's for sure. But, the game situation always dictates what you do and probably what you need to do. It remains to be seen what's going to happen with special teams this year."

With that last statement came a full on smirk. Beautiful. Means the lab  has not been shut down, right?

But then, an observation that might well indicate that the days of punt  formations featuring direct snaps or passes from kicker Noel Prefontaine  may well be scarce this season, if not fully extinct:

"I've been watching training camp and I haven't seen an offence like this for a long, long time in Argoland," O'Shea gushed. "This offence and this defence might change how we play special teams."

In other words, if quarterback Ricky Ray's attack is routinely successful  in marching up and down the field, and if a retooled defence shows it's capable of snuffing out the opposition's offence, there won't be as  pronounced a need to gamble as there was in the previous two seasons.

Did the Argos' struggles on offence (particularly) and defence the last two seasons mean the team had to gamble more often?

"Necessity is the mother of all invention," was O'Shea's response.

With an offence that sputtered and a defence that spent too much time on the field wearing down, it was often left to special teams to ignite the  scoring either with a big return or continuing a drive with a fake punt.

If all of that goes away?

"I'm sure it's still going to be exciting for the fans anytime we get out there on the return. When our returners have an opportunity, our blockers are going to give them the best opportunity to get yards and it'll be exciting in that aspect."

Yes, but what about the sizzle, Mike? Surely the mad scientist can't resist the urge to, you know, blow some people's minds. Remember, this is a man who had a punter fake a safety, of all things, and hand off for a first down a couple of seasons back in Regina.

"In terms of wild, crazy plays, game in and game out, it depends on what the other team's going to give me. That's how I plan. I don't go in with a set plan that I'm going to force down an opponent's throat."

With a returner like Chad Owens fielding kicks, all that's needed are a few good blocks. That's where O'Shea has his troops concentrating on the basics, and execution.

"I think you can expect the same sort of deal from our return game and then we'll see how the game situation presents itself as to what Coach Milanovich wants to do with (punt) teams."

Then, a flicker of hope for fans of skullduggery. The lab coat DID get some use over the winter.

"I sort of have some things brewing in the back of my mind from the off-season that I'd like to try and get accomplished. If they come to fruition they do and if they don't...." He shrugged.

"That means we're winning."