Head coach Mace looks to change culture as Riders move on from disappointing seasons

REGINA — The 2024 CFL campaign will be a season of change for the Saskatchewan Roughriders with new head coach Corey Mace at the helm.

Mace signed a three-year contract with the Riders in November to replace Craig Dickenson, who served as Saskatchewan’s head coach for the previous four seasons.

The Riders compiled a 34-34 record under Dickenson but struggled in his last two seasons with 6-12 marks in both 2022 and 2023. Saskatchewan ended both those seasons with seven-game losing streaks.

Dickenson’s coaching style included low-key practices and a laid-back attitude when it came to undisciplined play from his charges. The 38-year-old Mace is a more forceful coach who expects complete commitment from his players.

Since taking over as the 48th head coach of the Riders, Mace has been working on establishing a new culture that he believes will enable Saskatchewan to succeed.

His plan goes beyond football.

“I think the first thing was having these guys understand that, yes, football is important, but building a family relationship is also important," he said. "That's the atmosphere that we want here, and I think once those guys understand that we care for more than just what they do for us on the field, the product will be better.

"It will also be better for them, the atmosphere for them to come to work every day will be top-notch. It's been great to be establishing the culture."

Dickenson’s disciplinary style was to treat the players as professionals with the expectation that they could control any negative issues themselves. But it didn't seem to reduce number of penalties and mental mistakes.

Mace’s style is more authoritative, with a focus on penalty-free football played with physicality. He has high expectations for his players, and he watches them closely to ensure they follow his directions.

He quickly addressed negative situations in training camp, whether it was a player late getting on the field, missing an assignment or throwing a punch during a drill.

Mace see his actions as holding players accountable rather than discipline.

Mace joined the Riders after five seasons as the defensive line coach for the Calgary Stampeders and most recently two seasons as the defensive co-ordinator of the Toronto Argonauts.

He spent six seasons as a player with the Stampeders and helped them win a Grey Cup in 2014 Grey Cup winner. He won two additional Grey Cup titles as a coach, in 2018 with Calgary and in 2022 with Toronto.

Setting a new standard for the players was especially important for Mace, given the high turnover of the Riders roster from 2023. The Riders were active in free agency with the group of newcomers including offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), running back AJ Ouellette (Argonauts), linebacker Jameer Thurman (Stampeders) and defensive end Malik Carney (Hamilton Tiger-Cats).

Mace asked some of the newcomers, including Hardrick and Ouellette, to be vocal leaders. Ouellette, who joined the Riders after four seasons with the Argos, was initially apprehensive of taking visible leadership role with a new team.

“It's tough coming into a new environment. You want to earn the respect, not just show up and it be given so at first, it was just about how can I show how things should be done the first two, three weeks of camp," Ouellette said.

"Now it's been a little bit more vocal and telling the guys what we're expecting . . . to try to build the culture that we're looking for."

Another leader is veteran quarterback Trevor Harris who is returning from a serious injury. The 38-year-old Harris suffered a tibial plateau fracture of his right knee in a 33-31 loss to the Stampeders in Week 6 of the 2023 campaign and missed the rest of the season.

Despite the severity of the injury, Harris never had any doubt he would return for the 2024 season.

“I knew I'd be back to 100 per cent, going back to February," said Harris. "There were good days and bad days and there were tough times, but I never let those tough moments take over.

Harris played two series in Saskatchewan’s pre-season opener on May 20 against the Blue Bombers

"I just tried to stay in a positive mindset . . . I never really knew how it was going to respond until I got out here," he said. "The first few days, it felt good enough, but to be truthful, it's been better and better every single day and I feel like I'm really at 100 per cent.”

The Riders, who beat the Bombers 25-12 in the pre-season opener, didn’t dress Harris in their second pre-season game, a 28-27 victory over the Edmonton Elks on May 25. Saskatchewan used that game to focus on the other quarterbacks on the roster.

On Saturday, the Riders released quarterbacks Mason Fine and Antonio Pipkin. Fine, who signed a two-year contract extension in January, was entering his fourth season with the Riders while Pipkin was heading into his second season with Saskatchewan.

Shea Patterson, in his second year with the Riders, won the backup spot while rookie Jack Coan will serve as Saskatchewan’s third quarterback.

The Riders open the regular season on June 8 in Edmonton.

2023 record: 6-12, fourth, West Division

Did you know?: Hardrick’s nickname is Yoshi. The six-foot-five, 317-pound offensive got the nickname in the fifth grade after the name of a dinosaur in the "Super Mario World" video game.

Key additions: RB Ouellette (Toronto), OL Hardrick (Winnipeg), DE Carney (Hamilton), LB Thurman (Calgary).

Key losses: RB Jamal Morrow (unsigned), QB Jake Dolegala (B.C. Lions), DL Pete Robertson (B.C.), LB Derrick Moncrief (unsigned), LB Larry Dean (retired).

Players to watch: Harris, Ouellette, WR Shawn Bane Jr., Thurman.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2024.