Miller time is over in Saskatchewan. Marshall law is in.
Ken (Grandpa) Miller, who had coached the Roughriders to two Grey Cup finishes in the last three years, has moved up to general manager this year. His replacement is Greg Marshall, a longtime position coach and/or co-ordinator, who has finally received his chance to become a head coach.
"I think part of the deal why I'm here is that I do share a lot of the same attributes that Ken has," Marshall said. "A lot of it is how you treat your players, what the expectations are, the accountability factor, and just the way you conduct yourself, whether it's in the locker room, on the field, or in public."
Miller said he has tremendous respect for Marshall having coached against him in the CFL.
"He was always prepared and his players always played hard and played with a lot of enthusiasm," Miller said. "During the time he has been here, he has demonstrated his enthusiasm, his ability to organize, so we're just looking forward now to getting out on the field and having him demonstrate his leadership out there. We feel that Greg is going to be tremendous in the locker room. He has a reputation for being a players' coach, being fair, being calm, so we're looking forward to those attributes. I would like to think that I had some of those attributes, but I think Greg will bring a higher level of enthusiasm to those attributes. One of the things I promised Greg is that I wasn't going to micromanage."
Miller had final say on all football operation matters last year, but now doesn't have to focus on coaching and can assist Marshall in other ways.
Marshall built a coaching staff with some familiar faces, notably Richie Hall, who returns as defensive co-ordinator after two seasons as head coach in Edmonton. Marshall worked under Hall several years ago when he co-ordinated the Rider defence. Doug Berry has been retained as the team's offensive co-ordinator. Craig Dickenson, who has bounced around the league as a special teams co-ordinator, has been hired in that role.
"Obviously anything that happens with this football team is my responsibility," Marshall said. "I'm going to be involved. I'm going to let people do their jobs. I'm very confident in the men that I've hired to be part of this staff otherwise I wouldn't have asked them to be part of this staff. I'm going to let them do their things. You hire people for a reason and you let them do your job."
The team has a variety of core veterans, notably quarterback Darian Durant, whom Marshall is excited to see take another step forward.
"I don't know if you can put a ceiling on it," he said. "Darian's goal, like this team's goal, is to do whatever it takes to win championships. Whether that means he has to run around the ballpark more or make better throws or throw more touchdowns -- whatever it is -- I think that's what he's striving to do, just like the organization is. He has great athletic ability. He hasn't been a starter for that many years, compared to some of the other guys around the league. That's why I feel that with the limited time he's had compared to some of the other top-notch quarterbacks in this league, I think there's a lot more there for Darian."
Durant will miss his favourite targer, Andy Fantuz, who signed with the Chicago Bears in the off-season. Veteran Jason Clermont, who became a backup last year, will be asked to step up into a starting role again.
Rob Bagg, one of the Riders' young Canadian receivers, re-injured a knee in the off-season and is out indefinitely. Obed Cetoute, who has yet to hit his stride in the CFL because of injuries, will receive a chance to claim a starting role. Jordan Sisco has speed and might factor in because of that. Import Cary Koch came in last year and was impressive. That said, the revamped receiving corps could become an issue. Veterans Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf will be asked to shoulder an even bigger load.
The team signed offensive tackle Alexandre Gauthier from Hamilton to give them flexibility in the import/non-import ratio.
Veteran centre Jeremy O'Day retired and has taken a job with the team learning football operations. George Hudson, a free agent from Hamilton, can play the position. Marc Parenteau and Dan Clark are also in the mix.
Versatile lineman Gene Makowsky could step into that spot if needed, although he'll likely be stationed at guard.
Defensively, Marshall touted sophomore rush end Brent Hawkins, who showed some talented spurts when healthy as a rookie. He had off-season surgery on his right shoulder and has been bothered in training camp by a left shoulder injury. Tearrius George, acquired as a free agent from Calgary, has a chance to claim an end spot. The Riders used an import and a Canadian as their ends last year, so if George and Hawkins are on the field together it means the ratio has changed.
Tackle Chunkie Adams has gone to Edmonton, replaced by Dario Romero, who have moved over from the Eskimos in what could best be described as Trading Places. Rod Wright, a veteran NFLer, should factor into the competition.
Field-goal kicker Luca Congi will be hobbled by a knee injury suffered last season, so initially punter Eddie Johnson will be asked to handle all the kicking duties. He did that for a brief period with Toronto.
ROUGHRIDERS KEY FACTS
RECORD LAST YEAR: 10-8 (Second in West)
PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in Grey Cup to Montreal
GENERAL MANAGER: Ken Miller
HEAD COACH: Greg Marshall
PROJECTED STARTING QUARTERBACK: Darian Durant
KEY PLAYERS OFFENCE: Durant, RB Wes Cates, SB Weston Dressler, SB Chris Getzlaf, T Alexandre Gauthier, T Dan Goodspeed, G Gene Makowsky
KEY PLAYERS DEFENCE: S James Patrick, DT Keith Shologan, LB Barrin Simpson, DE Shomari Williams, DB Lance Frazier, DB Tad Kornegay, LB Sean Lucas, DE Luc Mullinder, DT Dario Romero
KEY PLAYERS SPECIAL TEAMS: K Luca Congi, P Eddie Johnson, PR/KR Tristan Jackson
NEW TO THE TEAM: Jackson, Gauthier, Goodspeed, Romero, G George Hudson, DL Tearrius George, QB Chris Leak
GONE FROM THE TEAM: CB Donovan Alexander, SB Andy Fantuz, C Jeremy O'Day, DB Omarr Morgan, DT Marcus Adams, FB Chris Szarka
WHAT THE COACH SAYS: "I think it's difficult to get to the Grey Cup every year regardless of where you're at. It's not an easy process."
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