CHAMBLIN EXTENDED THROUGH 2017
REGINA (CP) – Two years ago, GM Brendan Taman went outside the box to find a new head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
On Thursday, he rewarded Corey Chamblin with a contract extension through the 2017 season after leading the Riders to just the fourth Grey Cup title in franchise history.
“I went with my heart and some people may viewed it outside the box but I knew we had the right guy,” Taman told reporters at a news conference. “Corey brings is a lot of things to the table I was looking for when we were hiring a head coach for this organization.
“He’s knowledgeable, he’s very confident, he can deal with people which is very important as a head coach, he’s got a very very good ability to put a very good coaching staff together. The last two years we’ve been able to do that and we’re going to have another one this year and I think that’s a huge credit to Corey.”
Taman hired Chamblin, then Hamilton’s defensive co-ordinator, following the 2012 season after Saskatchewan posted a league-worst 5-13 record. The Riders finished third in the West Division with an 8-10 record in Chamblin’s first season, losing 36-30 to Calgary in the conference semifinal.
Last year, Saskatchewan won eight of its first nine games before suffering four straight losses. The Riders finished the regular season with an 11-7 record – second only to Calgary (league-best 14-4 mark).
After dispatching B.C. 29-25 in the West semifinal, the Riders upset Calgary 35-13 to advance to the Grey Cup game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Before a rabid Mosaic Stadium gathering of 44,910, the Riders capped their season by downing Hamilton 45-23 for their first CFL title ever on home soil.
“It was great for Brendan to think outside the box,” Chamblin said of Taman. “He talks about making that decision from the heart, well, I coach from the heart and I thought that was a good match for us.”
The country’s sports editors and broadcasters rewarded the Riders for their accomplishment by voting them The Canadian Press Team of the Year for 2013. And in February, Chamblin was also named the CFL’s coach of the year.
And now, Chamblin has a deal that gives him the long-term security often sought by a pro football head coach.
But Chamblin isn’t about to rest on his laurels.
“It’s not something for us to sit back and say, ‘Yeah, hey, this is what we’ve done,”’ he said. “I think the biggest thing it does is it gives us a chance to work together to continue something.
“We don’t want to be one and done. There’s a lot of things that I think we still have left on the table that we have not accomplished.”
Chamblin heads into his third season having amassed a 19-17 regular-season record. He’s also 3-1 in the playoffs, including the Grey Cup victory.
But he’ll have a much different team to coach in ’14.
Running back Kory Sheets – the Grey Cup MVP – and veteran slotback Weston Dressler both signed NFL deals with Oakland and Kansas City, respectively. Among the other players no longer with the Riders are defensive tackle Keith Shologan (Ottawa, CFL expansion draft), defensive back Craig Butler (Hamilton, free agent), running back Jock Sanders (Calgary, free agent), receiver Kierrie Johnson (Ottawa, free agent), linebacker Abraham Kromah (Hamilton, free agent) and punter Ricky Schmitt (B.C., free agent).
However, Taman said one of Chamblin’s biggest strengths is his ability to communicate with players.
“One of the main things we wanted was to have a head coach who was able to walk into this locker room and get the message across to the players,” he said. “Corey does a very good job of that, obviously.
“Whether the message is good or bad or indifferent, he gets it across. He also brings a definite passion to win, he’s driven to win on a daily basis. He wakes up every day with ideas and knowledge to try and improve this team.”
This is good news.
Timmys is still offering any Stinks fans free turnovers.
Very Good News – Corey and Family are in a good situation here, and appreciate it very much.
Can someone tell Corey to drop the Ridertie and jacket look. Its not 1925.
Great to hear he's here for a while.
This is awesome. CC and DD together could be one of those runs where we win 2 or more before it's said and done. I like the sounds of that.
Personally I like the Rider tie and jacket. Proves to me that he is proud to be a part of the organization.
This is great news. As an aside, who cares what tie and jacket the man is wearing. Why does there always have to be some ass that feels the need to nitpick.
The way he's going, he can wear anything he darnwell pleases. Great to hear he's in the long term plans. Hope he's compensated accordingly.
What the last anon said. He's earned the right to do what he wants. Since you're so smart, if he told you to drop and give him fifty you damn well better do it!
I miss Danny Barrett.
Danny Barrett??????????????????
I SUPPOSE YOU WOULD LIKE THE IDIOT Shivers too.
The person your calling a Idiot, the competent respected football.maven Mr. Roy Shivers solely responsible for rebuilding the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club from ground zero when that organization was in dire need with no direction.
Hmmm, you sound familier. Could it be? Mr. Multiple personalities. It must get awful crowded in that noggin of yours.
Now that he is signed long term, fire him. It shows the riders mean business and are not complacent.
You just won the dufous award.
Man, it's really not fair how easy it is for some of you to get the mutants riled up!
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A RIDER TIE LOL.
DANG THOSE THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE!
Good move. Haven't tried that kind of thing around here before. Good to see some consistency.
The idiot complaining about the tie and jacket I think it is great that he does that it makes our organization looks like its proud and I hope he continues this to all formal press conferences like this. While we are at it maybe the non dressed players during the game could be more dressed in reflecting the team colors that would be great. Just my opinion.
Ron
Re Jacket and tie complaint. Most stupid thing I have ever heard on this board. It's called respect. I bet he even takes off his hat when he eats. Do you?
Roy Shivers is like the man who built a road in a city with cobble stones. He was hired to do the job, he did it, and the road can not be denied. But, at the end of the day, the man is remembered for getting caught with several goats. Shivers may have been a pretty good recruiter of talent, but as a human being he was a sensationalistic idiot who wanted to paint the province in a way and encouraged his players and coach to do the same. The true victim was DB who was changed as a person… Read more »
He's an elite leader.
He's beat 8 other HC's to win a Grey Cup.
Why wouldn't you lock up a winner?
Watching Jim Hopson systematically dismantling Shivers' power base and then forcing him out of control was like watching a cat F*** with a mouse for pure shits and giggles. Hopson reduced Shivers to a wounded bear. By the end, he was like that scene in Dancing with Wolves where the ousted captain says "Im going to piss myself," because he was just done. Hopson went to the line of scrimmage, told Shivers what route he would run, and then proceeded to run about 7 or 8 – 110 yard fly patterns right over his ass. It was like watching Jerry… Read more »
Dany Barrett was a very good man, who could not be expected to fight off the over the shoulder negativity of Shivers. I hope he is doing well. Even talking about Shivers makes me feel like I need a shower with scrub brushes like that scene from the movie Silkwood. What a bad era for the Riders off the field.