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The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be hoping that the fifth time is the charm on Sunday afternoon.
The Riders will once again try for their first win of the season as they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.
Despite the winless record through four games, a positive attitude continues to flow in the locker room and on the field.
“As football players, in this sport, we have enough pressure as it is,” said quarterback Kevin Glenn.
“I think we’ve done a good job staying positive. That’s the culture (head coach Corey Chamblin) has presented this year. He wants us to stay positive. Not to worry about the past and move forward.”
Glenn is a self-described positive thinker. He believes if someone goes around thinking negative thoughts, negative things will happen.
That’s why the Riders have remained positive through this stretch to open the regular season.
From his vantage point, the coach has been pretty happy with how level headed his team has remained.
“You’ve been around teams where you know it’s not going to go well, it’s not going to end well. You can sense that. This is not one of those teams,” said Chamblin.
That doesn’t mean the team is satisfied with where they are. They need a win. Not only do they need a win to keep up in the standings – especially after Ottawa did the West Division a favour by beating the Calgary Stampeders – they just need to know these positive thoughts are working and ultimately worth it in the long run.
“(A win) will just give us that winning feeling. We need to experience that win as a team, so everyone can understand what that feels like,” said Glenn.
Special Teams Test
In order to get that first win of the season, the Riders special teams will have to be on their best behaviour.
Rarely does the opponent offer up one player that must be stopped in order to be successful. The Ti-Cats have one of those players in kick returner Brandon Banks.
“Lots of lateral quickness for him. Good speed as well,” said defensive lineman and special teamer Dylan Ainsworth.
The good news for the Riders is their special teams coverage has taken a big step forward after giving up six touchdowns last season.
We’ll see just how far they’ve come along during this game against Banks.
“That will tell me what type of team we have and what type of players we have to see how they react when they put a play maker on,” said Chamblin.
Roster Check
The Riders roster this week shaped up basically as expected.
Receiver Taj Smith, who won’t play again this year, was officially placed on the team’s six-game injured list where he remain for the rest of the year.
Defensive back Tristan Jackson has been placed on the team’s one-game injured list.
Added to the 46-man roster this week:
- Receiver Ryan Smith
- Receiver Alex Carroll
- Defensive back Alex Suber
- Linebacker Telvion Clark.
Removed from the 46-man roster this week:
- Receiver Taj Smith
- Receiver Seydou Junior Hadaira
- Defensive back Tristan Jackson
- Linebacker Akwasi Antwi
The Green Zone 10-Hour Game Day begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday with Game Day with Wray. The Green Zone Pre-Game show follows at 3 p.m.
During the game, stay up-to-date and entertained with the Fan Zone with Scotty and the King.
After the game, it’s your turn to be the star by calling the Green Zone Post-Game Show at 1-877-300-7275.
JGasson@rawlco.com
Follow on Twitter: @JGasson_21
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