By Rob Vanstone, Leader-PostOctober 26, 2009
REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback is not even six feet tall. Detractors, and some coaches, have been selling him short for as long as he has been playing football.
He arrives in Saskatchewan without any fanfare, partially because he does not adhere to the prototype for a Canadian Football League quarterback. That might explain why he is relegated to backup duty, behind a thirtysomething retread who was thrown into action shortly after being handed a Roughriders playbook.
He overcomes the demotion, though, and eventually becomes the team’s unquestioned starter. His cause is advanced by a miraculous comeback against the Calgary Stampeders.
He overcomes the demotion, though, and eventually becomes the team’s unquestioned starter. His cause is advanced by a miraculous comeback against the Calgary Stampeders.
His throwing arm is not the strongest. The passes are not always pretty — and they are intercepted more frequently than Roughriders fans would prefer — but the quarterback makes amends.
Ever resilient, he is noted for fourth-quarter comebacks that more than counteract any turnovers for which he is responsible. Ultimately, he is unconcerned with numbers, except for those which appear beneath the win column in the CFL standings.
Anyone you know?
It might be Ron Lancaster.
Or, it could be Darian Durant.
Granted, one ventures into dangerous territory when he dares to compare anyone to the iconic Lancaster. After all, the Little General’s legend was cemented during 16 seasons in Saskatchewan. Durant is a fourth-year Rider with a mere 20 CFL starts to his credit.
But, honestly, are there not some striking similarities?
The 5-foot-9 3/4 Lancaster landed in Regina in July of 1963, after being obtained from the Ottawa Rough Riders for the low, low price of $500. The Leader-Post’s introductory mention of Lancaster was in the ninth paragraph of a story that led with the news that the Roughriders had released Chuck Gullickson, Dave Shaw and Ken Webster.
The 5-foot-9 3/4 Lancaster landed in Regina in July of 1963, after being obtained from the Ottawa Rough Riders for the low, low price of $500. The Leader-Post’s introductory mention of Lancaster was in the ninth paragraph of a story that led with the news that the Roughriders had released Chuck Gullickson, Dave Shaw and Ken Webster.
The 5-foot-11 Durant became a Roughrider on April 12, 2006, when a deal was made with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to obtain their first pick in a dispersal draft of refugees from the defunct Ottawa Renegades. The marquee player in that scenario was quarterback Kerry Joseph, whom Saskatchewan selected first overall. As part of the trade, the Roughriders and Tiger-Cats swapped negotiation-list quarterbacks. Reggie Ball of Georgia Tech went to Hamilton in return for Durant, a North Carolina alum.
Lancaster enjoyed some success in his first few starts as a Rider, but the patience of head coach Bob Shaw wore thin. Lancaster was replaced by Lee Grosscup, and then by 35-year-old Frank Tripucka, before
reclaiming the starting job. After engineering “The Little Miracle of Taylor Field’’ during a 1963 playoff game against Calgary, Lancaster was the starter for the next 15 seasons.
The 2008 Roughriders won the first three games started by Durant, but he suffered a rib injury in the latter contest. He started one more game last season, but most of the quarterbacking was done by 32-year-old Michael Bishop. Like Tripucka, Bishop was named the starter shortly after arriving in Regina. This season, it is a different story. Durant has started all 16 games, including two visits to Calgary in which he orchestrated improbable comebacks.
Lancaster is the CFL’s all-time leader in interceptions, with 396. Durant’s 20 picks are the most in the CFL this year.
In the case of Lancaster, he could throw four interceptions and one touchdown pass in a game, but the latter throw would end up being the game’s signature play. Durant evoked images of Lancaster on Saturday, when the Roughriders outlasted the B.C. Lions 33-30 in overtime. The cause appeared to be lost when the Lions’ Barron Miles intercepted Durant and raced 42 yards to paydirt, helping the Lions assume a 30-22 lead with 3:16 remaining. Undaunted, Durant marched the Riders 85 yards in five plays, punctuating the drive with a 29-yard TD toss to Johnny Quinn. Durant then found Chris Getzlaf for a game-tying two-point convert.
Thanks in large part to Durant’s late-game heroics, the Riders enhanced their chances of finishing atop the West Division for the first time since 1976 — when Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback was, of course, Ron Lancaster.
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