DAY 4 RIDER TRAINING CAMP PHOTO GALLERY & CHAMBLIN QUOTES

The Roughriders held an hour-long walk-through at Griffith’s Stadium in their morning session on Day 4 of 2014 Training Camp in Saskatoon.  The players were helmetless which provided a good opportunity for some photos.  This way you can put some faces to the names you’re hearing…

Receiver Chaz Schilens has yet to drop a pass.  The 28-year old from Lancaster, CA spent six years in the NFL with Oakland, NY Jets and Detroit.  He was also a draft choice of MLB’s Detroit Tigers in the 2003 Draft.  He’s 6’4″, 200 lbs.

Like the Florida minicamp, 29-year old receiver Brett Swain started slowly but has come on strong making himself quite noticeable.  He spent five years in the NFL with Green Bay, San Francisco and Seattle.   The Ashville, NC product is 6’0″, 200 lbs.

Running back Keith Toston spent three years in the NFL with Jacksonville and St. Louis and describes himself as a “violent runner”.  The Angleton, TX product played his college ball at Oklahoma State and stands 5’11”, 214 lbs.

Receiver #2 Ryan Smith from NDSU is the one I tabbed the “Next Weston Dressler” coming out of the Florida minicamp.  He’s working himself to the pro level and has spent time with the #1 group of receivers.  This is his first pro opportunity…

Second-string quarterback Tino Sunseri…

Linebacker #27 Brian Peters signs autographs after the Wednesday morning session…

The home for the Riders’ 2014 Training Camp, Griffith’s Stadium, home of the U of S Huskies.

Rider head coach Corey Chamblin’s Wednesday comments:


ON THE PLAY OF THE 2014 DRAFT CLASS

CC:  I’ve seen a steady progression.  When I talk to those guys I always ask what the difference is and they say the speed of the game and just the way the coaches are on you.  At a lower level you can lag off a bit but those guys have been pushing themselves pretty hard and I’ve seen a progression on the mental side also, plus some of their techniques.  I don’t see a step back there.

There’s some things that, of course, there will be mistakes but effort is the first thing we look for every time we turn the film on.  Every time we walk out at practice, I want to see full speed in everything that they do and I will say those young guys in that group, they are full speed and they are trying their best to find a spot on this team.

ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE SPOTS BEING LOCKED UP

CC:  The good thing is they are intact.  The bad thing is they can’t get complacent so we’ve discussed some things to light a fire under those guys to get them going.  They can’t sit back and say what they did last year or that they’ve played together.  They need to go to another level because D-lines will be studying them and will be ready to get after them.

The back-ups are doing a good job (of pushing them).  They’re gonna have to do some things a little bit better to put a scare under them as if they’d take their positions but the young guys are doing a good job of pushing them.  They just need to spend a little more time on the mental side.

DT RICHARD SUMLIN STARTING IN HIS SECOND YEAR

CC:  That all weighs on how much he’s learned and how much he applies in this camp.  I think he’s done a good job of applying what he learned last year to this year’s camp.  He doesn’t look out of place, he’s holding his own and he’s started a couple of days.  Right now he’s in the starting rotation.

HOW MANY RECEIVER SPOTS ARE OPEN?

CC:  Right now if you look at it, there’s a void from where Geroy was and from where Weston was.  There’s at least two spots there.  It’s a little bit open there.

ON RB KEITH TOSTON

CC:  He’s gonna move the line of scrimmage.  Once he gets the ball, he’s gonna move the line of scrimmage.  He is a bigger back.  He has to make sure he runs behind his pads if he’s gonna make those smacks when guys meet him in the hole.  He has to make sure if he gets into the second level, he needs to turn it on.

ON THE RELEASE OF FORMER TITAN RB JOVAN RINGER

CC:  He had a good resume but with him, he had some previous injuries that didn’t react the way he wanted them to.  If he’d have had a couple more days it might have come around but we don’t have that much time.  That’s one of those spots where we have to find somebody right now.