COORDINATING THE RIDERS

For an update on the progress of the 2014 Saskatchewan Roughriders, we spoke with the team’s three coordinators on Wednesday as the club prepares to host Edmonton in its second and final preseason game of the year Friday evening at Mosaic Stadium.

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR GEORGE CORTEZ

ON THE QB PLAY VS OTTAWA

GC:  I thought it was adequate.  When Darian went in we went down the field and scored a touchdown the first time.  We had a chance on another one.  We did some good things.  We were inconsistent in the first quarter coming up short like 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-1 1/2 twice and on both of them we probably should’ve made the first down.  We had a blocking error on one and stepped back a yard on the other or would’ve had it.  There were some good things and hopefully we’ll build on that.

ON BACK-UP QBs SETH DOEGE AND ADAM WEBER

GC:  They both did a nice job.  They both produced four first downs.  Obviously we scored a touchdown while Adam was in the game and Seth moved around pretty well.  He actually ran better than I knew he could run.  He did the helicopter!  I was surprised but he got the first down.

ON THE FINAL CUTDOWN ON SUNDAY

GC:  Usually the decisions take care of themselves.  That’s just usually the way it happens.  If it comes down to a tie, there are very few of those.  There will be some tough decisions but that’s a good problem.  There’s no such thing as having too many good players.

ON THE RUNNING BACK SITUATION

GC:  We ran the ball 29 times which was an enormous amount in the preseason but it was mainly trying to get them all touches so we can see what they can do in a game.  I suspect we’ll do the same thing in this game because the more we see, the more we know about what they can do in live action.

HOW ABOUT THE BACK-UPS ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE

GC:  I thought the line played well.  The protection was good with both groups and we were pleased.  We gave up two sacks but I’m not sure how.  On one of them a guy whiffed on a guy but the other one I don’t remember.  I looked on the play-by-play and it says we gained a yard.

ON THIS YEAR’S OFFENSE

GC:  We’ve installed some new concepts.  Some of them we’ve practiced more than others.  Some we just introduced at camp knowing they’d be game plan things so at least we’d know what it is when we come back to them.

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DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR RICHIE HALL

ON THE PERFORMANCE VS OTTAWA

RH:  There were a lot of good things.  We played a lot of players and a lot of them graded out real well.  Again, I’m really happy because there were a lot of players in uniform but we got a real good chance to evaluate them under the lights.  Practice is one thing but games are another.  Some players were so-so during practice but they turned it up a notch in the game.

ANYBODY IN PARTICULAR?

RH:  One guy is DL Trevor Guyton.  He lit it up.  He was doing okay during camp but all of a sudden when the lights came on, he was making plays, being a disturbance and playing at a really high level.  That’s what we need.

HOW DID SUBSTITUTIONS GO?

RH:  They were real good and real focused.  We always had 12 guys on the field and they were real keen on that.  It looked like a college team with all those players but for us to come out the way we did, that’s a credit to the players and to the coaches for being ready.

ON THIS YEAR’S DEFENSIVE PLANS

RH:  We’re still moving but every year you’re going to lose a lot of players.  It’s all about adjusting.  We lost half the defense before last year and had a good defense.  We lost half coming into this year but we’ll have a good defense.  It’s just a matter of adjusting to the personnel we have and finding places where they can excel.

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SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR BOBBY DYCE

BD:  I’m excited.  Always excited going into every season.  We’ve had some new acquisitions and after having a few weeks to work with them, you can tell they’re true pros.  Brendan, Jeremy and those guys brought in some talented players and now it’s time to see where they all fit.

PUNTER JOSH BARTEL

BD:  Ricky Schmitt was a blessing but having worked with Josh, he can do some different kicks that Ricky didn’t do and we can add a couple of things to our repertoire with Josh back there.  Very happy to have Josh here and having a national player gives us an additional international cover player.

LONG-SNAPPER LEVI STEINHAUER

BD:  Levi worked extremely hard in the off-season with U of S coach Brian Guebert who was a long-snapper when I coached in Winnipeg.  He’s really perfected his craft.  He’s a veteran and Grey Cup-proven.  He takes it serious.  He’s itching for some defensive line reps and he’s a very valuable part.  It’s a true benefit having a player like Levi.

ON RETURNERS

BD:  We had a couple guys shine last week.  Marshay took one to the house, Troy Stoudemire did a real nice job.  We averaged over 20-yards per return and this week we’re excited to see Ryan Smith, Isaiah Sweeney and Dan DePalma.   We have a lot of talented guys but there’s only so many quarters in preseason play.