Riders-July14-Chamblin

Head coach Corey Chamblin on the Riders sideline at Mosaic Stadium.

The Labour Day Classic is coming up this weekend, but Rider Nation is still focused on the past five weeks, which have all been loses for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  The team has been trying to calm things down in-house after their most recent loss, a 17-10 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Stampeders this past Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.

Head coach Corey Chamblin has remained positive throughout the losing streak and says they've done some things well, but just haven't been able to do them all at once, "There's one, or two, little things that we may be doing wrong and that's the difference in us being 3-5 and 5-3.  The one thing you talk to them about is it's just making sure that they get disciplined in more areas and they have to make plays.

"We're talking about being a championship team and winning more games, and it's going to take us doing the right things more than not.  We don't have a team full of play makers, we're not a veteran team, so everybody has to be disciplined and do the things right to give us a chance to win."

The lack of play makers has been evident for the Riders in recent weeks as they've struggled to break a big play in scoring just 15 points over the last two weeks.  Their biggest play over that time came last week when quarterback Darian Durant hooked up with Chris Getzlaf for a 30-yard catch and run that set up a Kory Sheets touchdown.

Chamblin says the players need to rise to the occasion this week, "Quarterback, end, I don't care who leads the charge, buy it's not just one guy. I'm not a believer that one guy makes a difference, I'm a believer that team and unity is how you make a difference."

Chamblin says the coaches can game plan all they want, but the players need to start executing in all areas if they want to break out of this funk.

"Guys have to understand that it's about them and they have to make the decision and they have to make the difference," stated Chamblin.  "It's not a divide between the coaches and the players, and it's not that the player have to do it, but it's simply they have to find a way to come together.  Coaches can preach it and teach it, but at the end of the day, they need to find a way to come together."

The Riders are at Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday for practice as they start getting ready to host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in the Labour Day Classic.

Rider Notes...  

-- There's been no official word from the team, but Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback Efrem Hill announced on his Twitter feed on Tuesday afternoon that he had been released by the team. Hill had just 13 catches for 141 yards in eight games this season.  The Riders have been looking to add linebacker Joe Lobendahn and this move could be made to clear room.