INTERVIEW WITH DARIAN DURANT

Rob Vanstone Fri, Aug 28 2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

I spoke with Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant about staying in Regina during the bye week. Here is a complete transcript of our conversation:

What made you decide to stay in Regina for the bye week? “The main thing I wanted to do was stay focused, keep working out, and make sure I’m in the film room so I could correct some of the things that have been going wrong early in the season. I knew that if I improved my reads and my play, it will help the football team out tremendously.’’

When did you decide to stay? “It was about two weeks ago. I was thinking about getting my flight and whatnot. I just decided it would be better for me and for the team for me to just stay up here. I knew everybody else was going home, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the thing I wanted to do is just continue to focus on this season.’’

What kind of things were you contemplating doing before you decided to stay here? “I was just going to go home and see the family for a little bit and just relax. I was going to go to a couple of my brother’s practices. It was just things like that. Nothing major.’’

How many hours a day are you in the film room or what kind of exciting life are you leading this week? “I try to get in at 10 every morning and get a good lift in and good cardio. Then I watch film for about two hours. I’ve been doing that since Monday. I’m pretty caught up on Winnipeg and how to attack those guys. Hopefully what I’ve been looking at matches the coaches’ game plan.’’

Are you evaluating yourself as well or are you just looking ahead at your next opponent? “I’ve definitely been evaluating myself. I’ve watched our past three games just to see what’s been going on and see what I can improve on and try to make sure I don’t continue to make the mistakes that I’ve been making.’’

How do you like what you see? Are you generally pleased? “Overall, I’m pleased with the way I’ve progressed. I’m pleased with a lot of the things that I’ve been doing. I feel like if you take back four or five throws this season, it changes our record and it changes the way I critique myself. If I can limit the mistakes and don’t try to force it too much, a sack is always better than an interception. Those are the little things that I have to get better at. This week is helping me just focus in on those things and make sure I make a conscious effort to do that.’’

As productive as it is to do what you’re doing during the bye week, did you consider that a mental break might be helpful? Everywhere you go in this city, people are going to know who you are. Is there a price to be paid for staying here because you can’t get yourself away from the pressure-cooker? “A little bit, but I like to sit at home a lot and do things at home, so I’m not getting around much. I’m definitely using the week to relax. It’s OK. This is my job. This is what I’ve chosen to do. I just have to deal with the, quote unquote, pressure-cooker. It’s no big deal. People are passionate about the game and there’s going to be criticism along the way.’’

Is it tough to have a bye week after a game you didn’t win? You’ve got 16 days before your next game. “Of course, you always want to go into a bye on a good note with a win, but we played a good game out there in Montreal. We have a lot to build on. We just have to take the positives from that game and just try to get better. There were a lot of things that went well for us in the Montreal game. Let’s build on those and continue to get better.’’

Can you see the real crucial part of the season now that the second half of the season is about to begin? “Oh yeah. It’s here. I feel like it has already passed. We needed a couple of those games and we let them slip. The thing is to learn from it and not make the same mistakes or do the same things that got you to the point where you are. We’ve got a tough schedule coming up but we know the type of team we are. If we play to our abilities, then it’ll be tough for anybody in the league to beat us.’’