TUESDAY WITH THE RIDERS, CHAMBLIN QUOTES

The Roughriders were forced onto the practice field at Griffith’s Stadium for Tuesday morning’s walk-through on Day 10 of camp.  The Saskatoon city track championships were going on next door.  Here are head coach Corey Chamblin’s Tuesday comments:

ON THE GROWING INJURY LIST:

CC:  It is normal but I’m starting to get concerned about it just because we have a game coming up.  The last couple of practices I’ve cut some things and having a walk-through today gives guys time to recover and I’ll probably cut a bit this afternoon.  Hopefully the guys will heal a bit more and come game time we’ll have enough guys to do what we need to do.

ARE YOU READY FOR A GAME?

CC:  They’re ready to go out and play.  You can go out and play a game being average.  That’s what it is and I think this is the first step in seeing where we are.  I don’t think that the first preseason game is the tell-all but it’ll show where we are in fundamentals and how much information guys have retained.  I think that’s what the first preseason game is.

THOUGHTS ON QB TINO SUNSERI:

CC:  That’s really one of those positions where you see both good and bad in practice but I think the preseason game will show the fundamentals and basics on how he handles the offense.  That’ll be a positive to see how he commands the offense and how many plays he can make.  We like Tino.  That’s why he’s here.  There will be ups and downs at each position but there’s a growth process that he’s going through in his second year and Tino has the tools to be a QB in this league.

ON SATURDAY’S GAME AUDITIONING RETURNERS:

CC:  That’s important and I hope there’s a little bit of wind so we can really judge what guys look like in the toughest of conditions.  That’s an area I really want to look at; the punt return and kick return.

ON THE LABOUR TALKS WITHIN THEIR LOCKER ROOM:

CC:  It’s just like being a dad with two little kids.  They argue about everything.  At the end of the day, guys are young and argue just to argue.  They’ll get it done.  What I’ve heard from most of those players is the bottom line is they’re ready to play football so I think that’s what it is.  There will always be differences of opinions but as a collective group, they’re ready to play football.

ON COACHING DURING THE LABOUR MESS:

CC:  It is a big distraction all the way around and you just have to do a good job of keeping your team focused.  There’s distractions and I think it puts some of the union reps in a bad position with their teammates and some of their coaches.  Now they have to step outside and can’t focus fully on football but they do have to focus on that.  At the end of the day everything will be resolved and we’ll go ahead.

ON THE STRENGTH OF THEIR TEAM:

CC:  Right now I think the strength is on defense because of the number of guys (returning).  On offense they use an encyclopaedia and on defense it’s more like a comic book.  It’s real small.  That’s the difference in offense and defense.  Guys can catch onto the defense quicker than they can offense so it will take time there.

Meanwhile veteran defensive end Ricky Foley admitted his Twitter comments about CFLPA executives needing security if they come into Saskatchewan were possibly a bit harsh.  He did say however that members of the players union are still upset over what’s gone on in the labour negotiations since the weekend.  We will air his comments on today’s SportsCage at 4 pm on 620 CKRM live from Griffith’s Stadium.

—

From the Rider PR staff:

ROSTER MOVES
NONE

INJURED                
Imp DL Robert Eddins – hamstring (day to day)
NImp DL Ricky Foley – upper body (day to day)
NImp WR Chris Getzlaf – ankle (day to day)
NImp FB Neal Hughes – foot (day to day)
Imp RB Curtis McNeal – ribs (day to day)
Imp DL Carlton Powell – hamstring (day to day)
NImp WR Jordan Sisco – shoulder (day to day)
Imp DL Derek Walker – leg (day to day)
Imp DL Markus White – illness (day to day)
NImp LB Shomari Williams – knee (day to day)    
                     
PLAYS OF THE DAY
During a very windy afternoon team period, second year pivot Tino Sunseri found first year receiver Chaz Schilens over the middle for a 14 yard touchdown reception.

QUOTE
Saskatchewan Roughriders Head Coach, Corey Chamblin on the REDBLACKS game this Saturday, “I think they are ready to go out and play, you can play a game being average. I think this is the first step on seeing where we are, I don’t think the first preseason game is the tell all, but it will show where we are in terms of fundamentals, see where we are in terms of how much we’ve implemented and how much the guys have retained. That’s what I think the first preseason game is.”

TOMORROW
Players and coaches will hit the practice for Day 11 of training camp with two practice sessions. The first practice will take place at 8:15AM over at the SaskTel Sports Centre Turf Fields (Attridge Drive). The second practice will start at approximately 3:00PM back at Griffiths Stadium.