TAMAN EXTENDED THROUGH 2017
REGINA – Brendan Taman and Corey Chamblin are now tied at the hip.
Taman, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager, signed an extension on Wednesday that keeps him under contract with the CFL club through the 2017 season. Last month, Taman re-signed Chamblin as the club’s head coach for the next four seasons.
“Corey Chamblin is a big part of making me look good,” Taman told reporters Wednesday. “I had a lot of faith in him when we hired him and he continues to show that.”
However, Taman also received a promotion, adding the title of vice-president of football operations to his job description.
“I’m excited about this,” said Jim Hopson, the Riders’ president and chief executive officer. “I think we have a good team, a good organization and we’ve got some people who are very important to making us a good organization and Brendan is one of them.
“We need continuity so with Brendan and Corey under contract through 2017. I feel really good as I look to the future.”
Chamblin guided the Riders to a Grey Cup title last year, just his second with the CFL club. Taman certainly did his part, not only hiring Chamblin as head coach in 2012 but strengthening Saskatchewan’s ’13 roster by acquiring slotback Geroy Simon – the league’s all-time leading receiver – from the B.C. Lions, hiring George Cortez as offensive co-ordinator and dipping into free agency to add such proven veterans as defensive linemen Ricky Foley and John Chick and defensive back Dwight Anderson.
Saskatchewan finished second in the West Division with an 11-7 record – Calgary was first with a league-best 14-4 record – before downing B.C. 29-26 in the conference semifinal. That set up a showdown with the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium that the Riders won 35-13.
Saskatchewan capped its season to remember by beating Hamilton 45-23 before a rabid Mosaic Stadium gathering of 44,710. It was the Riders’ fourth Grey Cup title but first one on home soil as well as being Taman’s first CFL championship.
“Last year was obviously a pretty special year, that’s not a secret for anybody,” Taman said. “I was in the boardroom (Tuesday) and looked at our Grey Cups on the wall and I went from ’66 to ’89 to ’07 to ’13.
“There’s 23-year gap from the first (to second), then there’s 18 years and then there’s six years. My goal this year is to make that less than six and ideally that would be one if we can do it.
“Everyone has the notion that we went all-in last year and were very aggressive and that’s very true. But this year is no different. We’re driven to win in this business and this organization has been very successful over the last while and we’re going to continue to strive to do that.”
Taman, a Saskatoon product, has been the Riders’ general manager since 2010 and his previous deal was set to expire following the 2015 campaign.
“Obviously it’s a real special day for me to do this,” Taman said. “I wanted to be here for a while and in this business that’s not always the easiest thing to do.
“Any good organization has sound, consistent relationships at the top. Jim is a great leader, we have a really good relationship, we have an open dialogue all the time. He’s a huge part of our success in this whole organization.”
Taman also praised the work of player-personnel director Craig Smith, football research and development co-ordinator Terry Baskier and assistant GM Jeremy O’Day. Taman went so far as to say O’Day – a former Riders offensive lineman – will be a CFL general manager one day.
“I’m so fortunate to work with him,” Taman said. “He’s such a bright guy.
“He brings a lot to the table and puts me in a good light because of how good he is.”
This is good news and well deserved. He was key in delivering the number one priority and expectation: A Grey Cup at home. Anything on top of that is just gravy.
He deserves it. At the end of 2011 we were in a really dark place and had just come off a season reminiscent of the horrible years of the 80's and 90's. Hopson gave Taman full control and two years later we have a championship football team. What I like about Taman and Chamblin is that they have no sense of complacency at all. Both of them during the mini-camp talked about moving on from last year and focusing on winning the Cup in 2014. Too many fans out there are talking about how anything after the '13 Cup win… Read more »
Rider news is great today
Taman extension
and
Bombers pride and joy (new stadium) has water damage in the locker rooms.
Why is no one going on about the new title and org structure? Seems to me that many people were all over hopson for making miller the vp operations…..and now taman holds the title that miller did. Why should people not complain about it? Cause as i said at the time there was nothing wrong with the org structure when miller was here because it is the same that wally and hufnagel hold. In fact both of them were or are head coach too. Yet no one ever says their org structure is goofy. Back then miller was vp operations… Read more »
i think woz just had an arguement with himself…. or I think he did…. actually I have no idea what the old bugger is talking about.
T
If you can't figure out what he was talking about I suggest you seek professional help.
U
Woz just doesn’t get it, but likes to see his name pop up with a comment that he, and only he thinks is intelligent. The issue with Miller holding the VP operations was that he was loyal to “his men” and didn’t allow the GM and coaching staff to bring in coaches and players that fit some of the things they wanted to do. So you had Miller interfering with what Taman, Marshall et al were wanting to do. Taman and Chamblin are on the same page, so Woz this is a completely different circumstance than what you are trying… Read more »
I understand what Woz is saying. But the big difference here is the GM and VP of football ops are one and the same. Miller can and did overrule Taman as GM in 2011, the most notable example being Marshall hired as head coach instead of Chamblin. Soon nobody knew who was doing what role and the season turned into a complete gongshow. Perhaps the day will come when O'Day moves into the GM spot and Taman stays as VP but there must be clearly defined roles for each. No undercutting, no stealing ones thunder. Or else perhaps Taman will… Read more »
I agree that miller did meddle. That is a different issue. But at the time i remember the media and others blaming that on the org structure. There was a problem with millers approach not the structure itself. We have the same structure again and it is used successfully in other teams as well.
Ken Miller is a fine man and a great coach. But it was obvious that he'd bitten off more than he could chew with the VP role. Things were not going right, starting in 2010. If this team was going to move forward he needed to step aside which, to his credit, he recognized and he did.
Taman and Chamblin are full of piss and vinegar and want to win it all again. They don't give a damn about winning the Cup in 2013, they want to win the 2014 Grey Cup out at BC Place!
Dubya
Woz – couldn't be more wrong!! One guy currently holds both titles whereas before it was two people holding one title each that both wanted to make the decision. It doesn't work!
Clue in!
Congratulations Mr. Taman. Obviously, you've earned this vote of confidence. This year may be your stiffest test yet.
Must be close to football season. Woz awoke from hibernation to spew his drivel in order to cause a ruckus in Riderville. No matter it makes no sense. Mission accomplished.
Clarkenstein, I don't think this year will be as tough as the last two off seasons were. I know a lot of fans think we've lost a tonne of players but really, we've lost 2 offensive starters and 4 on defense. Not unheard of from year to year. Yes, Sheets and Dressler are big holes to fill. The rest of the guys that left did create a void in depth but nothing too extreme and some have been addressed with the additions of non-imports DL David Lee, LB Shomari Williams, DB Hugo Lopez, REC Jade Etienne, P Josh Bartel and… Read more »
Miller was overmatched trying to find/judge new talent. The writers that wrote about 'org structure dysfunctionality' as the issue (see LP) had no guts to call a spade a spade. If you cut Thigpen (3 yrs with Dolphins) for Dorsey and trade Chris Williams rights for Prechae Rodriguez you are clueless. Whatever your title is.
You need to clue in. You are caught up too much in titles. The responsibilities are the same now as then just the titles are different. Taman did not authority for the final decision under Miller. Now ODay doesn't have the authority for the final decision under Taman. That has always been the problem….people thought that because Taman had the title of GM back then that it came with all the authority of a normal GM. But reality is that was just a title and he was in fact nothing more than a Director of Player personnel/Assistant GM. Miller had… Read more »
Exactly. It's going to be an exciting year and I fully expect our team to be in the hunt for the Cup in November. Boy would that be awesome to win er on the Lions home turf. I can see Carm now, yelling into the mic "Take that, Wally!"
The Woz, Are you saying that Taman is just a president and O'Day is essentially the GM now? And that there will be a problem due to this? O'Day is still just the ASSISTANT GM dude. Major difference compared to the situation of 2011. Taman could rightly expect to have the buck stop with him on personnel as GM under Miller. I don't think O'Day as ass't GM is walking around thinking he has the final say on players. Reallllllllly think you need to dream up something else to be concerned about. Odds are we'll lose O'Day at some point… Read more »
I tried to make my point on titles of jobs meaning nothing. But some are not getting my point. So I will let it rest. As the old saying goes if yiu have to tell a story or joke several times to get it across then it is pointless continuing to try. I am not concerned about anything. I liked taman from the get go even though i sometimes was the lone voice in the wilderness. Glad he has proven himself to everyone now…. But all it will take is a couple of losses and some people will turn faster… Read more »
Fire Taman, the man responsible for 2013 Grey Cup championship, Mr Jim Hopson.
Bye bye Mr Jeremy O'Day, you deserve the GM title, somewhere.