Riders DB Rolan Milligan Jr.: “I’ve kind of been in my shell about it.”
If it was supposed to assuage some pain, it didn’t.
“It’s still kind of sinking in,” said Riders offensive lineman Logan Ferland. “Honestly, it is tough. It’s tough to be in a place like this and not be here, you know, on behalf of the team for the Grey Cup.”
“I felt like we didn’t tackle as well, we weren’t as physical,” said Riders defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. “I didn’t really ask everybody else how they felt about it.
“I’ve just kind of still been in my shell about it. But I’ll reach out to my guys and see what else they have to say.”
In balloting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada, Mace lost 30-26 to Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas, a former Roughriders offensive co-ordinator who led his team to the 2023 Grey Cup and a 12-5-1, first-place finish in the East this season before losing to Toronto.
“It was a whirlwind to say the least,” said Ferland. “It’s the most amount of injuries I’ve seen, the most amount of movement I’ve seen on an O-line, the most amount of bad luck I’ve seen.
“We did everything we could to stay on that field, regardless of who it was. And it was unfortunate. But you know, with things like that come an opportunity and I was happy I could stand up and be there for the guys.”
One day before the gala, Milligan admitted he had gone home to Florida and wasn’t eager to attend the ceremony. His wife rightfully convinced him that his season had been remarkable, despite the loss, because of his recovery from surgery that sidelined him for 14 games in 2023 with torn toe ligaments.
“I’m glad, I needed it, so I wasn’t just sulking a little bit,” Milligan said after receiving his trophy.
“I’m still shaking. I didn’t know it was a real moment when they called my name. The rush of emotions have still got me right now and I’m trying to come back down from it.”
While it’s always fair to quibble about the voting, Mace seemed like a shoo-in to win the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL’s top coach. He took over a team that had finished its two previous seasons on seven-game losing streaks and each time missed the playoffs.
Serving as Toronto’s defensive co-ordinator, where he had won a Grey Cup as an assistant coach after earlier winning once as a player and once as an assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders, Mace was hired a year ago by Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day to replace Craig Dickenson.
Mace arrived with a commitment to accountability and the intention of building a family-type atmosphere. His players responded by winning four straight games before suffering through a seven-game winless streak. Another four-game winning streak vaulted them into second place.
“It kind of sucks,” said Mace when asked about attending the awards banquet after a somewhat successful season. “Maybe to see the other boys (win awards) brings a smile to my face, but you just wanted everybody to be a part of this.”
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.