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John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace has taken the Roughriders from also-rans to Grey Cup finalists in two seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor him to do that in that moment, it just calls guys to relax, to just chill out and let guys know that we got this and the sky isn\u2019t falling. That was a big moment for me because I don\u2019t think anybody expected that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2023, the Riders were a mess under Craig Dickenson and missed the playoffs at 6-12. After hiring Mace in 2024, they got back to playing winning football and went 9-8-1 en route to losing the West Final 38-22 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.<\/p>\n
Despite coming up short against their Prairie rival, it was obvious the organization found the right man for the job. This season, they\u2019ve taken the next step by owning the West at 12-6 and making it to Sunday\u2019s Grey Cup in Winnipeg against the Montreal Alouettes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter being in the building, it didn\u2019t take long to realize that he\u2019s the man,\u201d said right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, who signed with the Riders as a free agent in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst couple days I was like \u2018Wow, I can\u2019t believe this is his first time being a head coach.\u2019 I actually went and said to him \u2018This is your first time?\u2019 He\u2019s so easy to follow, he\u2019s the same every day, and he\u2019s a worker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hardrick suited up for the Bombers from 2016-23 and loved his time in Winnipeg. Then the Riders swooped in and made a substantial financial offer. He ultimately felt comfortable signing with the Green and White after talking to Mace \u2014 who had just been hired two months earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just the look in his eyes. It was a FaceTime, we stared at each other and I saw it, I saw it in his eyes,\u201d said Hardrick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know this was going to happen, but I just saw the vision and the type of football he wanted to play. It was right up my alley\u2026 Now, here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second-year Riders defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr., was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played under Mike Tomlin in 2020.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever seen one of Tomlin\u2019s press conferences, you don\u2019t need to be told that he\u2019s intense.<\/p>\n
Real intense.<\/p>\n
Mace, on the other hand, is calm, cool, and collected according to Brooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach Mace doesn\u2019t yell. He\u2019s a very calm dude, so it\u2019s like working with my big brother, but I don\u2019t see him as my big brother cause he\u2019s my head coach. He\u2019s just one of a kind,\u201d said Brooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, for me, I loved Mike Tomlin, too, but Mike T\u2019s a little aggressive, and Corey Mace is not. When you got a calm coach that\u2019s like \u2018Hey, come on man, you know you can do better than that.\u2019 Shoot, you\u2019re gonna go back out there and do way better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veteran kicker Brett Lauther referred to Mace as the best coach and person he\u2019s ever been around in his career. The 35-year-old has been the worst kicker in the CFL this season at 72.2 per cent, but his confidence remains high thanks to the treatment he\u2019s received from his boss.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here for a reason and the main reason is because he became the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He\u2019ll never admit that, but everything he does behind the scenes, him playing football before, understanding what we\u2019re going through before, being honest when we need it, pulling back when we need it, he\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m even still playing in this football game,\u201d said Lauther.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people, maybe rightfully so, would have given up a lot earlier, and I\u2019ve had a lot longer leash than a lot of other people get, or maybe even I deserve, but that\u2019s the reason why I get a chance to go out Sunday. Maybe, right a lot of wrongs that I had this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Riders haven\u2019t won a championship since 2013. They\u2019ve only won four in their entire history, which is something Mace, 39, made clear he was determined to change when he was hired.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone in this room and across the country who follows the sport understands the importance of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the fan base. That flag flies worldwide, man,\u201d said Mace.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t \u201cIt was something that was heavy and on my heart that the team only has four to celebrate. We\u2019re here and we have an opportunity to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n As badly as he wants it for Riderville, his players want it just as badly for him.<\/p>\n \u201cHow big would it be? Probably as big as Canada. That\u2019s how I feel,\u201d said Brooks.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach Mace does a lot for us, and a lot for the province.\u201d<\/p>\n taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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