RIDER CAMP UNDERWAY IN SASKATOON

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added the following players to their training camp roster:

Non-Import DL Dylan Ainsworth

Import DL Carlton Powell

Import WR DeMarco Sampson

Import OL Ryan Tillman

Import DL Derek Walker

The following players have been transferred to the suspended list:

Import WR Devin Aromashodu

Non-Import LB Tristan Black

Import WR Eron Riley

Import WR Geroy Simon

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The Roughriders opened 2014 Training Camp presented by Groundforce Drilling Sunday morning under gray skies and cool temperatures at Griffith’s Stadium in Saskatoon.   I will provide a detailed report after the afternoon workout.   Here’s what head coach Corey Chamblin had to say after the first practice:


ON THE FIRST WORKOUT

CC: I think it’s like any other Day 1 of camp.  The guys in there are excited.  They’re excited right now, that’s the biggest thing.  It’s almost like we didn’t leave.  The guys are just picking things right back up.  The Wolf Pack (defensive secondary group) is going and they’re picking the energy up.  I think at this point it’s just Day 1 and we’re gonna learn how to focus for this year.

ON ADDRESSING THE LABOUR SITUATION:

CC:  I addressed that last night and told those guys to control what they can control.  That’s the biggest thing.  We can’t worry about it each and every day.  We’ve got to practice and when those in power make those decisions, we just have to abide by it.

ON GEROY SIMON’S REPORTED RETIREMENT

CC:  I’ve spoken with Geroy and I know that’s one of the things we spoke about.  The final answer can’t come from me, that’ll have to come from Brendan Taman and Geroy.  At the end of the day, Geroy’s Geroy and once he makes that decision it’s only right that he’s the first to say it.

ON #81 REC CHAZ SCHILENS

CC:  Chaz is a big body guy and he’s very aggressive.  He has a long ways to go like all the rookies do and all the guys that are new to our systems.  But at the end of the day he’s a competitor, he’s a very professional young man and I’m excited to see where he lands this year.

ON CLOSING THE BOOK ON 2013

CC:  I used that.  That was part of the first message that we talked about; what our vision was in 2013 when we came to camp and we had the vision, the dream, and we had it manifest because of some of the things that we did.  The one thing I’m not gonna do is tear this team down and tear down their spirits and enthusiasm to say ‘hey we won it last year and that was last year’.  Hey we knew it was last year and they just have to move on.  I think there’s lessons to learn from last year but you can’t win a Grey Cup based off what you did last year.”

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RIDER GM BRENDAN TAMAN QUOTES

ON GEROY SIMON

BT:  We’ve talked for last couple of months and we agreed at some point last week that he wouldn’t be back with us so we’re gonna take the next couple of days.  We’re working through some things on how we’re going to transition him outside of football.  We haven’t finalized that but his career is finished.

WAS IT MUTUAL?

BT:  I want to make sure I get this clearly stated — we had a lot of talks for a long period of time and we probably talked money maybe 5% of the time.  It really wasn’t about money.  A lot of it was just where he was at with the career and where we saw him going forward.  I’m not gonna speak for him, and you’ll hear from him at some point, but he’s pretty content with how it worked out for him.  He loved it in Saskatchewan and he’s really trying to set up some future plans including us, still.  It was a mutual parting of the ways.

COULD HE JOIN THE RIDERS AS COACH?

BT:  That’s what we’re trying to sort through.  I don’t think he’ll be involved too much on the football side of things but he might be an ambassador kind of thing.  Jim Hopson and I have to set down and go through that.