CHAMBLIN NEWS CONFERENCE NOTES

Riders head coach Corey Chamblin held his day-before news conference on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium as his team prepares to host Hamilton Sunday at 5:00.  Here are some quotes from the gathering:

– Look at all the positives we’ve had.  It depends where your focus is.  We’re not gonna focus on what hasn’t been done.  We’re focusing on what has.

– On the defensive side, I’m seeing leaps and bounds of improvement.  We’re putting in systems and, on film, I told the coaches that it looks textbook.

– I think we’ve done a good job correcting things.  It’s just making sure all the pieces are in place for 4-plus quarters.  Some of it’s youth and some of it is guys aren’t used to working together but I think we’re getting it down.

– Kent does has some runs, so they’ll run it.  It’s more like fly sweeps and laterals and their QB will run too.  Once they go empty, you know it’s not a run anymore and then you have to adjust.

– With Knox and Doughty, they’re just doing what they’re told and what they’re learning.  Coach Pettaway’s done a great job schooling those guys up and you can see their progression.  That’s what gives me hope.

– That’s always awesome.  Having playmakers like Ryan Smith come back.  This league is about scoring points.  Having Ryan Smith gives Jacques Chadelaine another option.

– The only time I weigh in on offense is 3rd-and-1.  Other than that, that’s why he’s paid.  I know exactly what he’s doing.  ‘It’s your offense, you call it’.  I have final say, so I’ll own it when things don’t go right, but this is his offense.

– I’ve had stretches of tough four weeks in the past.  This hasn’t been the toughest.  But it’s been the most unusual.  Everything I’ve seen in four years has gone down in the last month.  Whether it’s calls or bounces, it’s been most unusual.

– I think it’s good to have guys that still believe and that’s why it’s good to have Kevin Glenn.  He’s been down before and he’s come back.  He spreads positive energy.  You can sense when things aren’t going to go well, but that isn’t the sense here.

– You gotta be smart about it.  That’s what it is.  That’s what I told the guys.  We have to learn from a win just like learning from losses.  I told them to put on their hiking shoes and get ready to climb the mountain because we’ve been in the valley long enough.  I’ve been in this situation before where I’ve had more setbacks and came back to win games.  We have to make sure we keep it positive.

– Banks is always dangerous, a playmaker and a challenge.  But he makes the game exciting.  This will tell us what kind of team we have.

– The games are very entertaining.  On a couple of different fronts.  You never know which way it’s going to go.  It’s called tight and it’s made players play their best.