They called it training camp for the players but when it came to his near-daily question-and-answer sessions with the gathered media, Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace was already in mid-season form.
Here are some of the best quips, jokes, anecdotes and insights Mace shared during the 2026 preseason.
On defensive lineman Jaylen Pate — “He's a horrible dancer. He was doing some Michael Jackson last night. It was bad. It was bad."
On the importance of keeping penalties down — “The undisciplined teams usually tend not to be the good ones.”
On defensive lineman Caleb Sanders’ absence from that day’s practice — "He's just an ugly guy. We didn't feel like dealing with him. Love Caleb. Sorry Caleb. But you know you're ugly."
On a training camp matchup between quarterback Trevor Harris and halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. — "Trevor's gonna carve him up every time."
On diminutive rookie receiver/returner James Letcher Jr. — "He's the only guy at camp with a king-size bed."
On his own introduction to the CFL as a player, while discussing the Riders’ newly-signed players acclimating to their first time in Canada — “True story, I'm a horrible Canadian. I hate to admit it but I did not know when I came up into Calgary that there was a city. Honestly, I thought it was just gonna be kind of prairie farm and then we flew in and I saw all the buildings, the mountains and I was like ‘wow!’ So that's embarrassing. Being from Vancouver I should have known that.”
MAY 16
On his players’ chances of transitioning to pro basketball after an impromptu pickup game before an indoor practice in Saskatoon — “Absolutely not. Not one person. We are really bad at basketball. At least we can’t shoot. I assume we could foul, maybe play a little defence. But other than that, pass the ball.”
MAY 18
On what’s going to help distinguish the players who ultimately make the team — “Limited mental errors, playing like your hair's on fire, and ultimately making plays that come to you, and the great ones find ways to make them sometimes when it's not supposed to be their play. It’s the greatest job interview ever.”
On qualities he looks for in prospective defensive linemen — “I don't care how big you are, you gotta put them track spikes on.”
On the fan atmosphere he expected for the Riders’ May 23 preseason game in Saskatoon — “One thing I do know is you could put a field anywhere in this province and people are gonna show up in green and white.”
