Pundits have been quick to lampoon the Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager for how quickly the nucleus of the 2007 Grey Cup winning team has eroded under his watch.

First there was the departure of last year’s coach of the year Kent Austin to his alma mater Ole Miss - a move Tillman was in a difficult position to do anything about.

Then there was the trade that sent last year’s most outstanding player, quarterback Kerry Joseph, to Toronto after he tried to put the screws to the Roughriders for more money.

Mix in the trade of standout defensive end Fred Perry to a division rival and the free-agent departure of veteran linebacker Reggie Hunt and you’ve got the recipe for an all-out critic feeding frenzy.

Tillman’s seen all the bluster and responds with some bluster of his own.

“I spend about as much time worrying about that as I do what colour shoes Imelda Marcos bought today,” Tillman says. “It’s more agitating, that’s what it is, because, candidly, it’s a lack of respect.”

With Austin gone, the job of shepherding the Roughriders flock this year falls to former offensive co-ordinator Ken Miller. Miller has never held a head coaching job at the CFL level, but neither had Austin when he took over the Roughriders a year ago.

The 66-year-old is already good at answering Austin-related queries.

“Who?” Miller says, his folksy charm preventing him from getting mad at the question. “By my calculation he’s been gone a long time now, so I really don’t compare what I do to what he did.”

With Joseph gone, the job of leading the offence will fall to Marcus Crandell. Crandell, a Grey Cup MVP with the Calgary Stampeders in 2001, has always battled for the starting job in Saskatchewan since joining the team in 2005.

Like Miller, Crandell does not pay much mind to questions about the size of the shoes he has to fill.

“There is always going to be some negativity - always - but there’s a lot of positives too,” he says. “A lot of people don’t think that we are still going to be as good, but I try to not listen to those things.”

Crandell is more of a pocket passer than the fleet-of-foot Joseph was. Helping him will be a solid core of receivers.

Andy Fantuz, who had 56 receptions for 978 yards and seven touchdowns last season and was named most valuable Canadian in the Grey Cup, is back. So is D.J. Flick, who had 70 receptions for 1,020 yards and 10 touchdowns. Matt Dominguez and Mike Washington are both recovering from season-ending knee surgeries and will likely start the season on the disabled list, but can come back whenever they’re ready.

Depth at the quarterback position could be a concern. Backing up Crandell are Darian Durant and Steven Jyles, both unproven commodities.

On the defensive side of the ball, Richie Hall, who was a candidate for the head coaching job but was passed over in the end, remains with the team as defensive co-ordinator.

The absence of last year’s sack leader Perry - who was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos in exchange for Jyles and a draft choice - means sophomore John Chick will move to rush end. Chick started 13 games for the Roughriders last year and had five sacks.

The defensive backfield is bolstered by the return of veteran defensive back Omarr Morgan, who spent last season with the Eskimos.

“You lose a little continuity, but that always breeds competition, which forces the guys to sharpen their instruments and, from that, guys grow closer,” says defensive lineman Scott Schultz, who is in his eighth year with the team.

“It’s just a continual cycle of turnover and ‘who can we assimilate to our style of play?”’

Tillman says all the change this year is a result of the league’s $4.1-million salary cap. It made it impossible to pay players, such as Joseph, more and still have enough money to buy quality at other positions.

“This is a new league now,” he says. “We are paid to take emotion out of the equation.”

Tillman is quick to note that all of the static about the changes the team has undergone is coming mostly from outside of Saskatchewan.

The fans in the province seem to be giving him the benefit of the doubt, a byproduct, no doubt, of Tillman having put together the team that won only the third Grey Cup in franchise history last year.

The franchise enters the season with 22,000 season-ticket holders - an all-time high. The only home pre-season game sold out and so has the Labour Day game against Winnipeg.

Tillman knows all will depend on how this re-shaped team performs on the field, but he’s not worried about the capital he has at stake.

“Do I look scared?” he says matter-of-fact, the fat Grey Cup ring on his right hand glinting in the sunlight.

“I keep getting the Kerry and Kent questions and I keep answering them the same way. We believe we are better on both sides of the ball. I don’t know how much clearer I can make it.”

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A look at the 2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders:

Coach: Ken Miller, first season.

Stadium: Mosaic Stadium, capacity 28,800.

Last year: The Roughriders finished second in the West with a 12-6 record; beat Calgary in the division semi final; beat B.C. in the western final; beat Winnipeg in the Grey Cup.

Notable additions: Defensive back Omarr Morgan; defensive lineman Ronald Flemons; offensive lineman Glenn January; quarterback Steven Jyles; wide receiver Adarius Bowman.

Notable departures: Head coach Kent Austin; quarterback Kerry Jospeh; defensive lineman Fred Perry; linebacker Reggie Hunt; running back Corey Holmes.

The skinny: Can this team still be competitive with so many key departures in the off-season?