Riders fire head coach Corey Chamblin and GM Brendan Taman after 0-9 start

Former Saskatchewan Roughriders coach Corey Chamblin (right) and former vice president of football operations and general manager Brendan Taman
(Photo from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ official Facebook page)

TORONTO – The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Monday they have fired head coach Corey Chamblin, and vice president of football operations and general manager Brendan Taman.

The Roughriders are coming off a 35-13 loss to Ottawa on Sunday that dropped their record to 0-9. They are the only winless club in the CFL this season and sit in the West Division basement – six points behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who are 3-6.

“We are not meeting our expectations or our standards on the field and these changes were necessary to move us forward,” said Riders president and CEO Craig Reynolds.

“Brendan and Corey worked tirelessly for this organization and I thank them for all that they have done for our team.

But we are in a results oriented business and the current position of our team is unacceptable and this decision was necessary for us to build this team towards sustained success.”

Both vacated positions will be filled on an interim basis with a full search being conducted at seasons end. Jeremy O’Day has been named interim VP of football operations and general manager, while Bob Dyce has been named interim head coach.

Chamblin led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup in 2013, but this season was a struggle right from Week 1 when starting quarterback Darian Durant went down with a season-ending injury. Veteran back-up Kevin Glenn followed Durant with an injury, leaving rookie Brett Smith at pivot.

Chamblin joined the Riders in 2012 and went 29-34.