The countdown continues until another season of Saskatchewan Roughriders football kicks off.

Rookie camp starts May 30 with main camp beginning June 3.

And it'll be a rookie camp of sorts for Corey Chamblin, as it's been just over five months since he took over as head coach.

"I'm extremely excited," said Chamblin.

"I'm even more excited thinking about the fresh blood coming in and watching this team take shape."

Last season was an off year for the green and white posting an embarrassing 5-13 record in 2011.

So what's the mood of the player's as they prepare to right the ship and get back to their winning ways?

"The one thing about a football player is you move on," said Chamblin. "The one thing about the Saskatchewan Roughriders organization is over the last couple of years they're not used to losing. We're bringing that winning mentality back."

"The guys have that fire. They believe in the coaching staff and we believe in them. It's about bringing that core together, the guys that were part of the Grey Cup teams in '09 and '10, and bringing in the new blood to help us get back to where we want to be."

A lot of focus will be on the fight to see who the back-up to quarterback Darian Durant will be -- Colt Brennan, Levi Brown, J.T. O'Sullivan and Drew Willy are all fighting for that job.

That's just one of the spots to fill. As for the other ones, Chamblin believes they've filled all the holes personnel wise with the only one left being between the ears.

"I think the biggest hole that we have to fill is the mentality that we can win and we will win," said Chamblin.

"Last year was last year. There's always a bump in the road and it's one we have to recover from. It's a new staff, new set of player's coming in with a new mind set and we just want to go in with a winning attitude this year."

As for what he expects from his club after missing last year's playoffs, Chamblin said everything is a progression, so the focus is getting back to a winning record.

As for a number of wins he would like to see, he wouldn't give an exact number but did say, with a smile, that a 12 plus win season would do just fine.