LETTING BYGONES BE BYGONES

The Roughriders practiced on Tuesday for the first time since Saturday’s 29-25 loss in Calgary.  Everyone’s still talking about the sideline blow-up between Rider tailback Kory Sheets and offensive coordinator Geroge Cortez and both were asked about it after Tuesday’s workout.

“It’s not the first time and I’m sure it probably won’t be the last,” Cortez said when asked how many times he’s had public disagreements with players.  “You know, hey, you have to like people who want the ball.  It’s like the receivers – you want people who want the ball on every play.  The trouble is you won’t get it on every play. 

“Sometimes you won’t get it as much as you want to and there’s nothing wrong with being passionate about it.  We visited and there’s no animosity between us.  It’s kind of like Vegas; what happens on the sidelines stays on the sidelines.”

Sheets was upset he never got the ball when the team was 1st-and-goal from the Calgary five-yard line in the first half and Cortez was made well aware of that.

“I understood what his point was,” Cortez explained.  “He wanted the ball more.  If we don’t win, we didn’t do the right things whether it’s the throwing game or running game.  When you don’t win you question everything you did.”

Cortez was asked if, in hindsight, he should have attempted more running plays with Sheets Saturday night.

“There’s a good chance we’re gonna play Calgary again,” George cautioned.  “I’m not going to get into talking about how we’re going to play Calgary.”

As far as Sheets is concerned, the matter has been dealt with.

“We talked about it.  It’s handled,” Sheets said.  “The situation was done and over with after it was said and done.  On the field, we talked about it.  It’s over with.”

Sheets said in the end, both parties want the same thing.

“We want to win.  We both said the same thing,” Sheets continued.  “He said ‘you was just yelling because you want to score the points and help the team out’.  And that’s all it really was.  It made it look selfish, but that’s not where it was coming from.”

“If a quarterback does that, it’s viewed as he’s leading the team.  When a running back does it, it’s viewed as selfish.  I’m not a selfish person and everybody knows that.  I buy the whole team lunch every time I rush for 100 yards so if anybody wants to call me selfish, you need to look again.”

Meanwhile Rider head coach Corey Chamblin has ruled slotback Chris Getzlaf out for Saturday’s home game against Edmonton due to a knee injury.  Quarterback Darian Durant did not practice on Tuesday but Chamblin said no decision has made whether Durant will play against the Eskimos.