By Ian Hamilton, Leader-Post November 24, 2010
EDMONTON — It's business before pleasure for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Ken Miller, the head coach of the CFL team, said Wednesday that he wants his charges to have fun this week as they prepare for Sunday's Grey Cup game against the Montreal Alouettes at Commonwealth Stadium.
In his mind, there are two ways to do that.
"In a football perspective, we define 'fun' as the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing a task worth doing," Miller said during the annual media conference involving the opposing head coaches. "That's a big bulk of the fun that we have.
"But in Grey Cup week, there are so many events that players and families are going to be involved in. We want our players to experience all of that and all of those feelings and all of those events and enjoy those as well."
It doesn't sound like that's going to happen for too many of the players.
Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant admitted it's easy to be distracted by all of the ancillary goings-on — whether they're gatherings held for the media's sake or events related to the Grey Cup festival — but he and his teammates aren't going to allow that to happen.
It doesn't sound like that's going to happen for too many of the players.
Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant admitted it's easy to be distracted by all of the ancillary goings-on — whether they're gatherings held for the media's sake or events related to the Grey Cup festival — but he and his teammates aren't going to allow that to happen.
"That's what last year's experience has done," said Durant, referring to the Roughriders' appearance in the 2009 Grey Cup. "It teaches you that this week is all about the game; it's not about the festivities.
"If we want to be a part of the festivities, then we should just not make the playoffs or lose out and then come out here and have fun."
"It's like the old saying: You can have one week of partying (during Grey Cup week) or six months of partying if you win it," added offensive lineman Gene Makowsky. "You have to keep that in the back of your mind."
Makowsky, whose wife and three sons are slated to arrive in Edmonton this week, has been at previous Grey Cups with the Roughriders and also without them (when he was nominated for a CFL award). If he's playing in the game, he doesn't want much to do with anything else.
"I'm not really a party guy to begin with, so that other stuff really doesn't bother me or even matter to me," Makowsky said. "I'm focused on football."
The same goes for defensive tackle Marcus Adams, whose wife, son and mother are to arrive here Friday. With the Roughriders' time taken up by practices, meetings and other scheduled events, Adams has found it difficult in other Grey Cup years to take in the festivities.
"Oh well, it's worth it," Adams said. "We're at the Grey Cup."
One potential area of distraction is the players' significant others. As per usual, the head coaches were asked at the media conference for their stance on sex before the game — and Miller deferred to his players.
"I'm going to tell them to go with what's working for them," he said with a laugh.
"I'm going to tell them to go with what's working for them," he said with a laugh.
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