REGINA -- The mood was subdued Tuesday as the Saskatchewan Roughriders cleaned out their lockers and prepared to go their separate ways after a year of ups and downs ended with another Grey Cup disappointment.
Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Montreal Alouettes was still raw for the players, who entered the CFL playoffs in a slump, having lost four of their final five regular-season contests.
They rebounded to beat the B.C. Lions in the West Division semifinal Nov. 14 and upset the Calgary Stampeders in the West final before falling short of the championship.
All that behind them now, players slowly began shifting their focus to the off-season pursuits that will occupy them until the 2011 season rolls around.
Veteran linebacker Barrin Simpson, an ordained minister, plans to finish his degree in fitness management and do ministry studies.
"It's physical, spiritual in every aspect of life. That's pretty much what I do in the off-season," said Simpson.
A few feet away, offensive lineman Dan Goodspeed cleaned out a locker stuffed full of shoes -- he goes through a pair every three games.
"I go through a lot of shoes during a season," laughed Goodspeed. "As an offensive lineman, you want to feel the ground all the time and sometimes when the shoes break in too much, your feet kind of roll over a little bit and I don't like that feeling so I have a lot of shoes."
Goodspeed, who signed a free agent deal with the Riders in March, plans to go home to the United States for the off-season. But he's already looking ahead.
"I'm from Florida so I'll try to thaw out my bones a little bit and then just start working, get ready for next year," said Goodspeed. "I've gotten to where I let my body tell me when I'm ready to workout again because if you start too soon then you burn yourself out and if you start too late then you're not ready for next season."
Receiver Weston Dressler tossed old shoes and gloves into a bag. They'll be good to have on hand to play catch during the off-season, he said.
Like Simpson, Dressler said it will be a time for physical and mental recovery.
"I think the start of the off-season is more just resting and letting your body physically heal itself and then you get into the physical training mode. But a lot of it is mental too. You can study the game and study things about yourself to make yourself a better player that way," said Dressler.
The players know that not everyone in the locker-room will be back. Changes to the roster are inevitable.
Riders coach Ken Miller, who is weighing his own future too, said the club should be able to bring back many key players and make another Grey Cup run.
"Our free agent situation, although I don't know numbers right as we stand here this moment, I know it's a lot better than it was a year ago. And so the important people, the core people on this team, we'll have them back," said Miller.
"(Monday), Lance Frazier spoke and he's one of the up-and-coming young leaders on the team. James Patrick, another up-and-coming young leader on the team. Darian Durant, up-and-coming young leader on the team. So we really have young players in our organization who will form the nucleus of our veterans as we move forward.
"So I really think that we do have a bright future."
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