{"id":712744,"date":"2026-06-03T17:57:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/712744\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:57:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:57:12","slug":"roughriders-new-defensive-co-ordinator-isnt-talking-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/712744\/","title":{"rendered":"Roughriders new defensive co-ordinator isn\u2019t talking $&%@ anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Heywood Yu\/Regina Leader-Post Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive coordinator Joshua Bell looks on during the first half of CFL preseason football action against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask.,, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. <\/p>\n

Darrell Davis<\/p>\n

Regina Leader-Post<\/p>\n

Joshua Bell chose Wascana Lake over the Rideau Canal, so darned right he\u2019s going to enjoy Regina\u2019s beautiful park during his upcoming break with the CFL\u2019s Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches have been running and putting work in, too,\u201d said Bell, Saskatchewan\u2019s new defensive co-ordinator, whose team will announce its final roster on Saturday then endure a weeklong respite before preparing for its June 13 regular-season opener against the visiting B.C. Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf our bodies are tired then we know the guys\u2019 bodies are tired. It might be nice just to get away for this break. We talked about it. \u2018Hey, find your happy place. Find your reset. Find your release. Go walk around Wascana Lake, just to get away from it until you can rest and come back with a different vibe.\u2019 Most definitely, I\u2019m gonna walk around the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wascana\u2019s joggers may soon cross paths with a loquacious, intelligent, energetic guy with the coolest dreads, who promised he has toned down his $&%@-talking and still drops some of the most memorable phrases.<\/p>\n

To wit: \u201cThere are two types of players we don\u2019t like: Ones that do everything we say and ones that don\u2019t do nothing we say. We\u2019ve got a lot of guys now that are right in between there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or: \u201cCoaches can always be wrong. Players can always be right. So the unity is what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n

And: \u201cThey hunt, baby. And when you\u2019re hunting you gotta choose what weapon you use out on the field, whether it\u2019s a machete or a bazooka. Use one of the tools we\u2019ve equipped ourselves with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally: \u201c(Head coach Corey) Mace is amazing. He dropped me in the hot grease early. I thought he was gonna be around like a little floaty device for me. And he wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Football teams typically don\u2019t make coaching changes following a championship season, but after winning the 2025 Grey Cup and spending two years as head coach and defensive co-ordinator, Mace has surrendered defensive play-calling duties to his longtime compatriot.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got some nuances,\u201d said Mace. \u201cBell\u2019s an outside-the-box thinker, which is awesome, so there\u2019s gonna be some new wrinkles (in Saskatchewan\u2019s defence) and ultimately how we would call the game might be different. I\u2019m excited to see how that goes.<\/p>\n

Article content<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly in the pre-season things have looked really sharp. I\u2019m just incredibly proud of the guy and obviously felt more than comfortable handing over the keys from that standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mace and Bell worked together with the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before joining the Roughriders in 2024. Bell was Saskatchewan\u2019s defensive backs coach, the position he played during his NFL and CFL career.<\/p>\n

During each of the past two off-seasons, there have been reports the Ottawa Redblacks were trying to hire Bell, who admitted he was interviewed by a CFL team interested in hiring him as its DC.<\/p>\n

Mace acknowledged that Bell would have been a target for teams needing a defensive co-ordinator, so that factored into his decision.<\/p>\n

After a recent practice at Mosaic Stadium, Bell said he was proud to be representing his family and a coaching tree that includes John Hufnagel, Dave Dickenson, Ryan Dinwiddie and Mace, who have taught him that teams are a true brotherhood.<\/p>\n

Bell vowed to continue that tradition with his current charges, staying on the sidelines to make his calls and stay in conversation with his players. They have also been adapting to his new role and are realizing he\u2019s no longer just a voice for the DBs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to remember I\u2019m the DC,\u201d said Bell. \u201cIt used to be, \u2018That\u2019s just Bell talking sh*t.\u2019 But now if I say something like that with the new guys around, they\u2019re like, \u2018That\u2019s the DC saying that.\u2019 And I have to say, \u2018No, you don\u2019t forget. Do not forget that I\u2019m the DC.\u2019<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a final one:<\/p>\n

\u201cI do the simple part, the play calling,\u201d said Bell. \u201cThat\u2019s the blessing I have, and I let Coach Mace do the personnel stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is to give them information to make informed decisions. And then after that, my job is to make the vibes vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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