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Head coach Corey Chamblin address the media on Thursday after practice.

The CFL preseason wraps up on Friday night as the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic Stadium.  The game is a last shot for the players on the bubble to prove themselves before the final cuts are made on Saturday.

"I want to see how good they are on the field.  We know what they are in practice and we’ve added things to the game plan to see if they can still focus when the game plan’s a bit bigger," said head coach Corey Chamblin following the team’s walk-through on Thursday.

"We’ll probably be about at least 65, more like 70 percent in the things that we’ll do, but no where near 100 percent,” continued Chamblin.  “It’s still the preseason and our first regular season opponent will get 100 percent."

After playing just three series in the preseason opening 44-10 loss to the BC Lions, starting quarterback Darian Durant is expected to play well into the third quarter against the Stampeders, "I don’t want him thinking about (2011), I just want him to find Darian’s groove because when he’s on, he’s on and just show us that he’s taking all the coaching and he’s ready to put the pass behind him and move forward."

"They will all get some time, but Drew Willy will probably be the next up after Darian.  I can’t tell you exactly how long we’ll play them, but Drew will be up and then the other quarterbacks will rotate after that."

Chamblin added that Willy’s performance in BC earned him the right to be the number two quarterback in the second preseason game.  Willy went 7-for-13 with 64 yards passing and the Riders lone touchdown, a three-yard pass to Jason Chery.

Many positions will be under the microscope with starting spots up for grabs heading into the regular season opener in Hamilton on Friday, June 29th.  Chamblin says his eye will be watching the offensive tackles closely, "One thing I want to see is how well the tackles play. Xavier (Fulton) did some good things last week.  We have Chris Patrick in here and we want to see how he performs and Asiata and Goodspeed, so we want to be able to rate those guys and see how they fit on this team."

The Riders and Stamps will hit Taylor Field at 7:00pm on Friday night at the renovated Mosaic Stadium.

Hopson Excited About Stadium

There has been plenty of changes to Riders roster over the course of the offseason, but there might have been even more changes at Mosaic Stadium as the facility saw a $14-million face lift.

President and CEO Jim Hopson says he's excited about the changes and thinks the fans will be too, "It’s exciting, our players are excited, our coaches are excited, I think when the fans get in here tomorrow night, they’re really going to like what they see.

"I really like the boards of course, they’re so big and dominant, but the bowling of the stadium and those green seats are pretty darn nice to, so I think it’s a whole new look and I think people are going to be happy."

The SaskTel Maxtron has been replaced with an incredible 1,692 square foot video board in the North end zone and a 1,090 square foot one on the West side grandstand.  They've also added ribbon video boards to both sides of the Stadium.  Capacity has also been increase to 32,898 with addition seats added in the North and south end zones.

Hopson says there is still some work left on the stadium before this phase of renovations is completed, "The thing is the suites, and we knew that going in, they’ll be ready in August.  You can see the frame work for them and the floors and so on, when they’re done it will really complete it.  The seats are ready, all the boards are ready and we’re really looking forward to (the game)."

Hopson reiterated that the changes are remain temporary, "It’s still the old stadium.  The grandstand are still the same and the washrooms are the same, so we can’t kid anybody, this is not a new stadium, but it does improve what we have and it will get us through until we do get there."

Hopson adds that fans should get to Stadium early tonight due to the Farm Progress Show going on at neighbouring Evraz Place, "Parking will be tight, so get down early.  Gates are the same for all of our fans, except those in the south end zone and they come in the new gate here in the Southwest corner, but the north end zone gate is open and all the other gates."

Riders News & Notes

-- DB Macho Harris, SB Jock Sanders, G Chris Best and WR Dallas Baker will all miss Friday’s game with injuries. 

-- First overall pick Ben Heenan will start in place of Chris Best on the offensive line.  Defensive back Lance Frazier will start at corner back and Chamblin calls him "the team’s utility man right now."