Quarterback Jake Maier excited to join Riders, reunite with coaches
18h ago
"When I found out this opportunity was possible, it was a very easy decision for me."
The Riders coaching staff will be staying as is for the time being.
On Saturday, a report from TSN’s Gary Lawless suggested that vice-president and general manager Brendan Taman was going to seek permission from president Craig Reynolds and the board of directors to fire head coach Corey Chamblin.
After a day-and-a-half of silence, Taman met with the media on Monday and said that everyone supports Chamblin.
“He’s going to be our coach going forward,” said Taman.
“Craig and the board and myself fully support that.”
For now, Chamblin will remain in charge of the players on a day-to-day basis on the field. Taman went as far to say he foresees Chamblin remaining the team’s head coach for the rest of the season.
“He’s earned the right to turn this ship around. He’s going to do everything can to do that. He’s the same guy I hired a few years ago and I totally believe in him,” said Taman.
According to Taman, he and Chamblin didn’t discuss the report much.
“We’re all grown men. We know what we’re dealing with. When you’re 0-6, you’re not going to get compliments, you know that. There’s going to be jobs rumoured. I’m in the same boat, you deal with it,” said Taman.
That doesn’t mean that changes won’t be coming to this team. Taman suggested that he and Chamblin will be going over the roster later on Monday and see what can be done to make the team better.
One change that doesn’t appear to becoming is to the defensive coaching staff. The suggestion has been made by some that Chamblin needs to focus on being the head coach by taking a step back and letting someone else run the defence.
“He has a plan. He’s got a defensive philosophy in place that he’s working with right now. As we go through this process, Greg Quick is still involved quite heavily,” said Taman.
“Corey knows we’re paying him to (be) the head coach, not the defensive coordinator.”
Despite the struggles on the field, Taman feels his relationship with Chamblin hasn’t changed since the two started working together.
No matter what happens the rest of the season, Taman is ready to take responsibility for his team.
“I’m the guy responsibility for everything in this whole building,” he said.
“Totally, at the end of the day, it’s all on me. That’s why I’m respecting and trusting in our head coach to do what he does. At the end of the day, it’s my head.”
News and Notes
Taman confirmed that former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims was set to join the team. He arrived in Regina on Monday and will likely be placed on the practice roster.
The news on the injury front isn’t getting much better. Taman suspects that linebacker Shea Emry will be out for a while still. Quarterback Kevin Glenn is also still quite sore.
The Riders return to practice at Mosaic Stadium at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday.
JGasson@rawlco.com
Follow on Twitter: @JGasson_21
Follow on Twitter: @homeofthefans