Cortez sets course for Saskatchewan

George Cortez didn't spend much time on the unemployment rolls, the recently dispatched head coach of the Hamilton Tiger Cats will be heading west, set to take on assistant's duties with Cory Chamblin's Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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 Cortez was announced as the Riders new offensive coordinator this week and said all the right things about making the shift to Regina, a place where we gather the traffic is a little less daunting than what he had to deal with in the Hammer.

He of course comes about his knowledge of Regina's traffic flow honestly, having previously been the teams Offensive Coordinator back in 2006. Though we imagine that things have picked up a tad in the traffic department in the last seven years.

As for the football aspect of things, Cortez would appear to be a good fit for the Riders, he has a comfort zone there and appears to be firmly on the same page as his boss, in fact it was Chamblin who first brought the name to the table for Rider management to consider.

It's a wise head coach that doesn't feel threatened, that he isn't afraid to find the right peg for the right hole and with the arrival of Cortez in Saskatchewan, the Rider offence which has always been a high octane kind of thing, will be finding new ways to make use of their many options.

And the Riders will find that the vast knowledge of the CFL that Cortez brings with him (he's been a fixture on CFL coaching staffs since1984) will make the Riders a most formidable foe in this upcoming season.

The only downside to the signing, is that a rising star in the coaching ranks will have to shuffle sideways to make room (if he wishes to) as Bob Dyce surrenders the offensive coordinator role.

While there is no doubt disappointment at how things turned out in Hamilton, a team that really should have done much better in 2012 than their record provided for, still you have to think that perhaps more than one season would have been required to get a feeling for what the Ti Cats had to offer.

With Saskatchewan he joins a team that seems poised to once again become a major factor in the highly competitive CFL West. A team, which is hosting the Grey Cup this season and would like nothing better than to be the main attraction for that last weekend of November.

There are still a few months to go before the Riders head to camp, a bit more time for Cortez and the family to sort out the best driving routes around Regina, Rider fans are surely hoping that he's driving to Mosaic Field right up until Grey Cup Sunday.

Regina Leader Post--  Taman pleased with addition of Cortez
Regina Leader Post-- Cortez hiring is a coup for the Riders
Regina Leader Post-- Torn between two columns
Canoe-- George Cortez joins Roughriders
TSN-- Roughriders agree to Terms with Cortez as new OC
CBC-- Ex Tiger Cat coach heading to Riderville

Correction: As a sharp eye reader has discovered, we in error placed Cortez in the position of offensive co-ordinator in 2006, in fact he was the Offensive line coach, many thanks for the proof reading!