Riders Prepare

RIDERS PRESIDENT JIM HOPSON AND HEAD COACH KEN MILLER FIELDED CALLS YESTERDAY FROM MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA...AS EXPECTED, MANY OF THE QUESTIONS PERTAINED TO THE QUARTERBACKING SITUATION IN SASKATCHEWAN...

COACH MILLER WOULDN'T COMMIT TO WHO THE STARTER COMING OUT OF CAMP WOULD BE, BUT THAT HE HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE TEAM'S PIVOTS...MANY BELIEVE THE JOB IS DARIAN DURANT'S TO LOSE AND HIS HEAD COACH TOUCHED ON HOW HE'S LOOKING TO THE INEXPERIENCED PIVOT TO TAKE CONTROL OF EVERY SITUATION AND BE MORE DEMONSTRATIVE AND TO DEMAND THE RESPECT OF THE TEAM.

ANOTHER OFFENSIVE ISSUE RAISED INVOLVED THE UNKNOWN STATUS OF MATT DOMINGUEZ...MILLER REFERRED TO IT AS A "WAIT AND SEE" SITUATION...THE VETERAN RECEIVER WILL HAVE ANOTHER PHYSICAL BEFORE TRAINING CAMP AT WHICH TIME A DECISION ON HIS FUTURE WILL BE MADE.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BALL, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LOSSES OF MAURICE LLOYD, ANTON MCKENZIE, KITWANA JONES AND COORDINATOR RICHIE HALL PROMPTED THE COACH TO DEFEND HIS 'D'...MILLER IS HIGH ON REY WILLIAMS FILLING THE MIDDLE LINEBACKER SPOT AND LOOKS TO VETERANS LIKE OMARR MORGAN AND EDDIE DAVIS TO LEAD A DEFENCE THAT HEAD COACH FEELS WILL PLAY WITH AS HE CALLED IT "POISE AND EFFORT"

AS FOR THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS...PRESIDENT HOPSON ADDRESSED THE SITUATION SURROUNDING THE TEAMS GENERAL MANAGER ERIC TILLMAN AND HIS ONGOING COURT CASE, CALLING IT AN "AWKWARD SITUATION"...BUT SAID THE TEAM IS VERY COMFORTABLE WITH KEN MILLER AND HIS LEADERSHIP AND THERE ARE NO PLANS TO FILL THE GM SPOT ON AN INTERM BASIS.

HOPSON ALSO ADDRESSED THE POSSIBILITY OF REGINA HOSTING A GREY CUP IN THE FUTURE, THE PRESIDENT SAID THE TEAM DOES SEE THEMSELVES IN THE CYCLE, BUT MENTIONED THE SERIOUS DISCUSSION AND POSITIVE TALKS ABOUT A NEW STADIUM IS WHY THE TEAM IS HOLDING OFF FOR NOW.

HEAD COACH MILLER SAYS THE COACHING STAFF IS ANXIOUS TO GET ON THE FIELD...CURRENTLY THEY ARE PUTTING THE FINAL TOUCHES ON THE PLAYBOOK, BUT ADDED THEY ARE TIRED OF MEETING AND READY TO START TAKING ACTION.