DARIAN DURANT CLOSE TO SIGNING

By Rob Vanstone, Leader-PostDecember 18, 2008Be the first to post a comment



REGINA -- Darian Durant will soon be celebrating a noteworthy completion.
Durant and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are applying the finishing touches to a new contract. Expect the signing to be announced early in 2009.

Confirmation of the deal will provide immense relief to Roughriders fans who feared that the 26-year-old quarterback would test unrestricted free-agency upon the expiration of his current pact in mid-February.
Durant provides the best hope for stability at football’s most crucial position, given his performance during the 2008 CFL season.

The former University of North Carolina star was part of a quarterbacking carousel with the most-recent edition of the Roughriders. Durant, Marcus Crandell, Steven Jyles and Michael Bishop all received significant playing time with a team that somehow won 12 games despite playing musical quarterbacks.

Durant was the most impressive of the four signal-callers, albeit while seeing limited duty. In July, Durant threw for five touchdowns and nearly 700 yards over two games while piloting the Roughriders to victories over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.
He looked very much like the Roughriders’ quarterback of the present and future until suffering a rib injury early in a July 27 home game against the Toronto Argonauts.

By the time Durant was ready to return to active duty, Bishop had been installed as the Roughriders’ quarterback. Durant’s late-season appearances were not comparable to his showings against Hamilton and Montreal, but he was impeded by a lack of continuity and the coaches’ lack of patience.

By season’s end, the quarterback situation was muddied. Crandell, who had been released in late August after Bishop was acquired from Toronto, was long gone. Head coach Ken Miller gave Bishop a tepid endorsement as the starter heading into a home playoff game against the B.C. Lions, who won 33-12. Bishop was promptly dumped.

The departure of Bishop transmitted an emphatic message to Durant. The starter’s job is wide-open, with Durant being the leading candidate in a group of import passers that also includes Jyles, Dalton Bell and Drew Tate.

It should be noted that Durant will not be the starter by acclamation. He has to earn the position, and is more than happy to compete. But, really, is there a better choice?
Durant possesses many of the requisite attributes for a starter. He is intelligent and adept at distributing the football, which is essential in light of the Riders’ manage-the-game philosophy. He is also a stand-up guy -- a leader -- and the respect he engenders in the locker-room will also serve him well.

The only criticism pertains to Durant’s arm strength, or lack thereof. Can he make all the throws that are required on the expansive CFL field?
Keep in mind that neither Ron Lancaster nor Kent Austin was blessed with a rocket-powered throwing arm. A quarterback can thrive in Saskatchewan without being able to fire the football as far as, say, Michael Bishop.

Is Durant the answer? At this point, nobody can say that with any certainty. But it is clear that Durant deserves an opportunity and, given the success of the contract negotiations, it will be forthcoming in 2009.

So will a press release regarding the re-signing of Durant. Stay tuned.
rvanstone@leaderpost.canwest.com