REGINA – One week from today the Riders will going through their paces at training camp in Saskatoon. There is so much excitement surrounding the team this season and fans can’t wait to see how the Riders look.
They are hosting the Grey Cup this year and while the Riders have downplayed that there is no question they have loaded up in the hopes they can be the third straight team to win the mug on home turf. Can you just imagine what the atmosphere would be like in this province if that were to happen? However that is putting the cart before the horse and there is a lot of work ahead in order for the Riders to reach their goal. Remember the other teams in the West have improved as well and they too want to be here for the CFL’s showcase event.
I am most interested to see just how this team comes together in training camp. They have added star players such as Geroy Simon, Dwight Anderson, Weldon Brown and Ricky Foley but I will be looking to see if can they check their egos at the door and buy into the team culture which the Riders have been trying to establish. Head Coach Corey Chamblin says if you saw them at the mini camp in Florida you would see that should not be a problem. These players all came here to win and he believes they will do whatever it takes for the team to do that.
With so much talent in camp, competition for roster spots will be intense. On defence there will be much scrutiny on the defensive line, the Riders need a pass rush since the departure of John Chick and the Riders believe they have brought in the players who can do that. A strong pass rush makes everyone better and that includes the secondary. They now have shut down DB’s like Anderson and Brown but their job becomes easier and more effective if the Riders can exert more pressure on the quarterback this season. The linebacker corps is also intact and they should be better with a season together under their belt.
Offensively the Riders will go as Darian Durant goes and it will be fun to watch if he can take it to the next level now that George Cortez is running the offence. Cortez is an offensive genius, he has worked with and developed some of the best QB’s in the game including Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson. If Cortez can work the same kind of magic with Durant then perhaps the coach could well be the most valuable off season signing in 2013, he has an impressive array of receivers to work with and he has already started to work with Kory Sheets to improve his route running which tells you he wants to keep opposing defences off balance all season long.
This year’s camp promises to be the most entertaining ever and with so much attention on the Green and White this year interest is high and large crowds are expected at Griffiths Stadium. Our man Derek Meyers will be there and he will file reports as well as feature interviews for both the Evening News at News Hour Final. If you can’t make it to Toontown we’re confident Duke’s reports will give you the flavour of camp and keep you well up to date with what’s going on..We can’t wait to get started.
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