JIM HOPSON ON ROD PEDERSEN'S TALK SHOW

Rider President Jim Hopson was on 620 CKRM's Sportsline last night updating us on the search for a new General Manager. Here are some of the key notes from the interview:ON A

TIMETABLE FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT:I'd say somewhere within one to three weeks. Having said that I know people will be saying 'hey it's been three weeks'. But I don't want to wait too long. February 15 is the start of the free agency period and we need to get ready for the Canadian Draft although I know Brendan Taman and Joe Womack have been taking care of that. I don't want to take too long but I do have a high degree of comfort with where we're at right now (with Taman, Womack and Miller looking after football operations.ON WHOSE

DECISION IT ULTIMATELY WILL BE:As quickly as the best candidate emerges, I will take my recommendation to the board and they will offer their support and advice and we will be ready to move on.

ON THE TALENTS VARIED TALENTS OF WOMACK AND TAMAN:I think that if we're going to be the franchise we aspire to, we need to have have a strong bench. We need to have those connections. It's a mistake to put all your apples in one basket. You have to have a diversity of talents. Eric Tillman was unique in being the player personnel guy. He did it all himself but most GMs want to be fed information by those around them and use a group process.Joe has great NFL connections and has worked in both leagues a lot. But Brendan has connections too and doesn't get enough credit for the players he brought into the league like Tom Canada and Geroy Simon. Clearly the more depth we have, it's like our coaching staff and Kenny Miller will tell you; he's a great head coach but the talents of his staff like Etcheverry, Lapolice and Wylie have made us what we are.

CAN HE KEEP THEM BOTH AROUND?Yes. As crazy as that sounds. That would be unusual because people of egos and feelings but both these guys are pro's and they love being a part of this franchise. They want to be here. If you have respect for people and what they bring, and the environment they're in is one of collaboration. You always want to be in an environment where you're valued and if either one of those two isn't the guy, I think if they feel they're contributing and appreciated I think we can keep them.On the other hand I'm hearing Brendan is a strong contender in Winnipeg and both have the ability they could go elsewhere. That's what happens when you get good people.

LASTLY A MESSAGE FROM HOPSON TO THE RIDER NATION:I gotta tell you I've been so impressed with our fanbase and I have been since day one. It's been five years for me now. They are incredibly passionate and vocal. I'm accessible so they've let me know when they're happy and they let me know when they're not.But I have to say through this Eric Tillman situation they've been very respectful of the situation. From day one when I announced Eric was on admin leave and would be supporting us from behind the scenes, they stepped back, they supported that, and supported Kenny as he did his job.Last week I heard a lot of opinion both ways. It's fair to say it was pretty divided. People were adamant he had to go and there were those that were adamant he had to stay because they felt he paid his price. And at the end, I haven't had one negative piece of feedback about the decision we made.I feel good about the organization. I'm excited. We've got over 70% of our season tickets renewed. We set a record this year in renewals both in number and dollar value so that's been great. Our sponsors are lining up and are excited about next year. Merchandise sales were through the roof.Every signal we've had has been positive. I've had to remind myself I have other issues and I spent some time this morning on the stadium project with the CIC and City of Regina, I spent time on our business plan for the year and our budget. It's business as usual. Get down here and get your tickets. We appreciate that people are on board. We're heading into free agency, and I spoke at length with John Chick.I think John's a great fit with the Colts and I spoke with Chris Polian and they're happy to have him. The season's a few months away but we're in good shape and I know this, you do too; it's all going to come down to how we play in 2010 and if we go 6-12 I'll hear the cries for my head maybe and that's the name of the game. But our intention is to be back in the Grey Cup and that's our goal. We used to say that and people thought we were dreaming but now it's seen as a very realistic goal to have.

----Colts scout Cal Murphy talked about the signing of John Chick on Sportsline:

WHAT ATTRACTED THE COLTS TO CHICK:First of all his character is impeccable as you know. But he's a tough football player who plays every play right to the end. He plays across the field, he doesn't only play at the long. He plays the long perimeter, in other words from sideline to sideline.

WILL THE COLTS KEEP HIM AT DE-END:We're looking at him at defensive end, no question about it. First of all we worked him out, and we're not the only team. Other teams tried to sign him so they saw some things as well. People say we've got Freeney, we've got Mathis, but we play more than two defensive ends. He's got speed, he can get up field and he's going to be tremendous.

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO HIM:The last time was after the season and he was making some DVDs and I saw him, and told him what to put in them.

WHAT ABOUT RECEIVER DUDLEY GUICE FROM WINNIPEG WHO YOU SIGNED:Some of our guys saw him when he was with Tennessee. We had a lead on him before he ever got to Winnipeg. I don't know a lot about him and he only played three games for them and he caught six passes. But he caught my eye. He's 6'3, 215 lbs and he runs just under 4.6 and he's got good hands.