By Joel Gasson

Head coach Corey Chamblin taking a different approach in 2013

Jun 4, 2013 | 5:00 PM

In his second year as head coach, Corey Chamblin has altered his playbook a little bit.

Not just the physically playbook that the players have, and the team uses, but just how he acts on the field during practice, and his general approach to the team.

So far this year at training camp in Saskatoon, Chamblin appears to be a little more relaxed, choosing to take in most of the action and observe rather than running all over the field trying to have his hand in just about every part of the game.

“He's definitely a veteran coach now, and you can tell,” said fullback Neal Hughes.

Chamblin admitted on Monday that this year he's working the players to be more mentally prepared this year, as compared to last year when camp was pretty face paced and quite physical.

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For his part, Chamblin says it's all about the players being self motivated.

“They know where the coaches fit, but they have to their part, they have to monitor each other, they have to want to get better.”

Chamblin adds motivation and enthusiasm comes from players taking control as well.

The change in Chamblin's demeanor hasn't been missed by the some of the player either.

“(He's) more relaxed, he's obviously been through it before,” said linebacker Mike McCullough. “He's used to things a little bit better.”

While everything appears to be lovey-dovey so far, should the players push it too far, it will quickly be taken away from them.

“There's always that threat, you got to stay mentally sharp,” said McCullough. “We don't want to be running around hitting too much.”

McCullough has appreciated the change in style this year at camp.

“Last year's camp was tough, real tough, this old body almost broke down,” joked McCullough.

But he certainly understood why camp was like that year, with a whole bunch of rookies.

“This year with all the veteran guys they have, they switched directions.”

Chamblin appears to be working hard to take care of his players too, not only with less contact but he's harping the players to make sure they stay hydrated, especially when they're leaving the field after practice.

“He's smart, he knows he's got players that respect him,” said defensive back Eddie Russ. “This is how far we can go with this, this is how far we can go with that, It's a small line that we can cross.”

Even though there have been some changes in the way Chamblin is acting on the field, in the room the message remains the same.

“He wants that Grey Cup, he want that ring, he's always been a great head coach,” said Russ.

All of these changes appear to be happening with that ring in mind. We'll know in November if it pays off or not.

Training camp notes

– DE Ricky Foley, DL Jermain McElveen and Mick Williams were all absent from practice on Tuesday. Foley is day-to-day with an abdomen problem. Will Davis and Eron Riley are also day-to-day.

– Tearrius George appears to have put last year behind him. With a new group of defensive linemen, many who are seen as guys with non-stop motors, he appears to have kicked it up a gear as well. During a run drill which put the offense up against the defense, George completely blew up a play, even causing Kory Sheets to fumble. Chamblin praised George's work ethic so far.

– Defensive line coach Todd Howard is definitely telling his guys to get their hands up. At least two passes were knocked down today in team drills, a third nearly was as well. Other than Mick Williams, we didn't see many last year. We'll look into this more in the coming days.

– Offensive coordinator George Cortez is a constant teacher, he's always telling players what they can do better. This is something else that is definitely on our radar now too.

– Kierrie Johnson's speed continues to be on display, just on another level than any other receiver in camp. He's likely to fight for a job.

– Mr. Irrelevant 2007, Ramzee Robinson is far from irrelevant so far. On back-to-back plays in team drills he had an interception when he undercut Geroy Simon, and then dropped a pick the next play.

– As first reported by the Leader Posts Murray McCormick WR Yamon Figurs wasn't at practice. Chamblin didn't offer up much of an explanation.

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