Riders offensive line looking to improve
SASKATOON — Doug Malone doesn’t have the easiest job among the assistant coaches with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It just looks that way.
Malone is the coach of an offensive line that features depth and experience heading into the 2014 CFL season. Malone has an opportunity to coach essentially the same group of men who helped the Riders win the 2013 Grey Cup game. Those are good things, but he still wants more from his players.
“We’re nowhere close to being where we want to be,” Malone said after Thursday’s morning session at the Riders’ training camp.
“It’s good that they know the system and that we’re all back together. We know how to communicate with each other and that’s a positive thing. You can never achieve perfection and we’re still trying to get better. We need to get better in certain places.”
The Riders can count on continuity across the line while improving. Tackles Ben Heenan and Xavier Fulton, guards Chris Best and Brandon LaBatte and centre Dominic Picard are the same five who started in Saskatchewan’s 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2013 Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium.
“We’re a tight-knit group,” Best said. “We all hang out in Regina during the off-season and we see each other all year. We have a really good group and we’re committed to working hard this year.”
The Riders also have backups Dan Clark, Corey Watman and Devin Tyler returning from 2013. The injury woes the Riders dealt with in 2013 underscored the importance of depth along the offensive line.
“You’re only going to be as good as some of your backups because everybody isn’t going to play all 18 games,” Malone said. “We have to get other guys ready to play.”
Malone does that by stressing fundamentals, self-improvement among each lineman and trying to freshen up some of the drills during training camp.
“We want to be as good as we can be and that’s the epitome of most offensive linemen,” Malone said. “They aren’t going to get a lot of credit and that kind of stuff. They take great joy in being good themselves and seeing themselves improve at what they know they need to get better at. That’s what our guys are working at every day — to get better every day.”
Malone challenges the offensive linemen to improve on a specific aspect of their game each day. LaBatte has taken Malone’s advice to heart.
“I have a bunch of fundamentals that I have to continue to work on,” LaBatte said. “It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been around or what you’ve done in the past, you had better be looking to improve on your game or the next guy will be past you.”
There has been some recognition of the line across the league. LaBatte was named the CFL’s most outstanding lineman prior to the Grey Cup game. On the field, running back Kory Sheets was second in the CFL in rushing yards and then rushed for a record 197 yards in the Grey Cup game.
The offensive line is proud of those accomplishments, but has turned its attention towards a new season.
“(Former head coach Ken Miller) always said that ‘Good is the enemy of great,’ “Best said.
“If you start resting on your laurels, that’s not good enough. The rest of the league saw what we did last year and they want to stop us cold. We have to keep working harder and do even better than last year, if we can.”