"Mace is great": Saluting the West Division's Coach of the Year

11/14/2024 12:50 PM

Rolan Milligan Jr. is an unlikely source for an expansive quote.

The soft-spoken Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive halfback is typically inclined to allow his actions on the field do the talking.

That approach helped him become the West Division's 2024 finalist for Most Outstanding Defensive Player honours.

But ask him about another potential CFL award recipient — Head Coach Corey Mace — and the economy of phrasing disappears.

"From the jump, he just earned everybody's respect and trust," Milligan Jr. said.

"He has won before, so he knows how seasons go, with the ups and downs and things like the winless streak."

Despite a seven-game slump in which the Roughriders registered only one point in the standings, they finished second in the West and earned a home playoff game that ultimately ended in victory.

Mace's even-keeled approach was a major reason why Saskatchewan was able to respond to an 0-6-1 stretch with four consecutive late-season wins.

"He was telling us to believe in what we were doing and that things would get better," Milligan Jr. said. "You can't just give up and quit. It's a long season.

"A lot of times when teams get down, they give in and they don't keep fighting. He makes you want to run through a wall for him.

"He's one of those coaches who makes you want to play for him — no matter where you're playing, what time you're playing, who you're playing.

"He's that type of guy. I think that's important to have in a coach. I trust him. I can talk to him about anything."

Those sentiments are echoed by Jermarcus Hardrick.

"Mace is great," the veteran offensive tackle said. "You would never have thought he's a rookie head coach.

"He's just positive. You know what you're getting every day. He has a high standard.

"I could talk about Mace all day. All the coaches — everyone, from the top down."

That includes Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O'Day, who set the table for the Roughriders' return to the playoffs by hiring Mace nearly a year ago.

"There's accountability and not just from the top," said Logan Ferland, the West's finalist for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. "It trickles down to the rest of us and you can see it."

Mace, who doubles as the Roughriders' defensive co-ordinator, has always been quick to hold himself accountable.

On Saturday, for example, he questioned his own defensive blueprint early in a media conference that followed a 38-22 loss to the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.

If there are stern messages to deliver to players, that will typically be done privately instead of in front of fans and reporters.

Sometimes, there is a hybrid.

With the Roughriders near the end of the aforementioned winless streak, Mace stopped practice on Sept. 17 and voiced his displeasure with how the session was proceeding.

When the practice resumed and the players still did not respond in a satisfactory manner, Mace halted proceedings once again.

The players were ordered back to the dressing room, where the head coach delivered an honest, behind-closed-doors message that proved to be a catalyst for an on-field reversal of form.

"I like to treat these guys like human beings," Mace said. "I know everybody wants to do well, but sometimes you've got to fight the monotony. We've set standards.

"They've set the standards for themselves. As coaches, I just feel like it's our job to make sure that they are accountable to who they expect to be. And when they're not, something has to be done.

"It's not hard feelings. It's just that I want what's best for them and what they want for themselves. It's ultimately what we want for us."

In some ways, parenthood has been beneficial.

The proud father of Maleena and Micah Mace has applied a family-oriented mindset to the players.

"Maybe how I speak it might be a little bit different in some situations, but with these guys and the time that we spend as a team together, I treat them with the same respect that I treat my loved ones in my own house," Petra Mace's husband said.

"The reality is that the sacrifices that they make for themselves — sacrificing their bodies physically and some sacrificing time with their actual blood by being here — provides for my family. My family understands that.

"My family loves these guys. I love these guys and they treat my family with the same respect as I would when their family comes here."

Now the priority is to win a championship in collaboration with the extended family.

"Seeing the guys celebrate together, there's nothing that makes me smile more when it comes to this job — whether it's staff, players, anybody in the organization, fans," Mace said. "That's the most rewarding thing ever.

"Everybody understands the work that everybody puts in. Seeing everybody else's success brings an incredible smile to my face."