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Q: Does it compare to winning the 2007 Grey Cup?

A It’s big, but it’s not bigger than the Grey Cup. That moment helped us to win in the Grey Cup. Going into Toronto, we knew as a team that it was our game to win. When you look at the province of Saskatchewan being moved to Toronto and to the SkyDome, that’s what it felt like and that’s what it looked like. We knew we were going to win that game regardless of what happened. So that game, (along) with the Labour Day Classic, were the two big moments from 2007.

Q: Your career with the Riders ended with you throwing five interceptions in an 18-10 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2014 West Division semifinal. How have you dealt with what was your final CFL game?

A: I’m able to share that moment now with people that I coach. It’s getting the young men that I coach to understand that sometimes things are not going to go your way in life and in the game of football. You can use that adverse time to catapult you to bigger and greater things.

Q: That 2007 season and Grey Cup game may be among the reasons why the Riders are now in a new stadium. Do you think you had a role to play in where the Riders are now?

A: You’re not going to put me on that pedestal (laughs). You hear that 2007 was a pivotal point in the franchise. With the new stadium being built now, I’ll just say that I’m glad to have a small piece of it. When you look at the roster, you look at the great Rider players that have come before me and have come after me, and everybody has a piece of that new stadium. I believe that the 2007 season and getting that third Grey Cup (in franchise history) started the process. I do feel that when I walk into the stadium that I had a piece in the history of this stadium being built. That is special when your legacy is something that’s going to be left behind.

Q: How do you rate Austin’s impact on you as the Riders’ head coach in 2007?

A: On a scale of one to 10, I’m going to put him at 10 because of the mindset of football and the offensive mindset that he brought to our team. It’s also what he taught me as a quarterback and how to grow with the game of football. Today I still utilize that in my teaching and in my coaching. He’s had a big impact on my life and he knows that.

mmccormick@postmedia.com

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