By Justin Blackwell

Saskatchewan Roughrider coaches excited to get the 2011 CFL season underway

Feb 19, 2011 | 8:50 AM

It was meet and greet day Friday for Rider coaches and the media.

And all the faces, new and old, are excited to get the 2011 season underway.

Head coach Greg Marshall says there won't be a huge change in coaching philosophies compared to a Ken Miller coaching staff.

“A lot of the things Ken believes in are the things I believe in,” said Marshall. “I think that has a lot to do with why I'm here. I look for those same qualities in the guys I selected and asked to be a part of this coaching staff. A lot of the qualities the Riders have been built over the last few years are goig to be continued.”

One of the new faces that was added in the off season of course was Richie Hall taking over the defensive co-ordinator position from Gary Etcheverry.

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Hall says they're both on the same page.

“We both understand the situation, but at the same time we're both here,” said Hall. “We have the same goal and that's winning and winning a championship. To me it's not about being a co-ordinator. It's about us coming together, working together, learning from each other, and doing what we can to give the players the best success to be successful on the field.”

Etcheverry says it was a little bit of a tough pill to swallow losing his position, but he did appreciate the thought process in bringing him back to the Riders.

“They offered me an opportunity to be a part of the staff and I'm enthused about it,” said Etcheverry. It is what it is, as they say in certain quarters in this league, and we move forward.”

Reading between the lines, Etcheverry commented on the defensive co-ordinator positions that became available around the league and how he was passed over for all of them, possibly because of his, so called, complicated and different schemes.

“It'll be interesting a year from now if there are changes made, if anyone will bring up the fact this individual was available at that time and nobody acted on it,” said Etcheverry. “That will be interesting. My experience tells me that story will never be written or never be told accidentally on purpose as I like to say.”

The Riders open the season July 3. against the Edmonton Eskimos.

The Grey Cup re-match against the Montreal Alouettes is the next weekend, July 9.

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