MORE ON DURANT EXTENSION

By MURRAY McCORMICK, Leader-

REGINA — It could be a sign of how far the Saskatchewan Roughriders have progressed under the leadership of quarterback Darian Durant.

It was announced Wednesday that Durant, who was heading into his option year in 2010, had signed a contract extension with the CFL team. Durant and Riders head coach Ken Miller both answered questions during a media conference in the Riders' Mosaic Stadium locker room about the extension and what it means to the future of the football team.

"To have Darian extended really provides us with some security in our offence,'' said Miller. "We look forward to seeing him continue to develop and become one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.''

But the focus wasn't entirely on Durant, who is headed into his fifth season with the Riders. Some of the questions dealt with the Riders' depth at the quarterback position. The Riders ended the 2009 season with five pivots on the roster — Durant, Steven Jyles, Dalton Bell, Cole Bergquist and Graham Harrell.

They are now down to three with Jyles leaving for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers via free agency and Bell being traded Tuesday to the Toronto Argonauts for a fifth-round selection in the 2010 CFL draft on May 2.

"We've developed a quarterback here and we're confident that we can do that again,'' Miller said when asked about the lack of CFL game experience for Harrell and Bergquist. "We certainly have young men in Harrell and Bergquist who have the athletic ability and the knowledge. In practice they have shown the skills to be able to get the job done. I'm looking forward to having them in camp and being able to evaluate them in our pre-season games.''
The emergence of Durant as a starter allows the Riders the luxury of developing another group of young quarterbacks. Harrell and Bergquist both joined the Riders during the 2009 season. Harrell starred with the Texas Tech Red Raiders before joining the Riders in 2009. He is signed for another season and an option. Bergquist, a product of the Montana Grizzlies, remains on the team's negotiation list but the Riders are believed to be close to re-signing him.

"Our goal would be to develop a really excellent No. 2 quarterback,'' said Miller. "Then we will work on an excellent No. 3 quarterback.''

There are some veteran quarterbacks available. The Argonauts released former Riders quarterback Kerry Joseph on Feb. 21 and the B.C. Lions cut Buck Pierce on Tuesday. Miller didn't rule out adding another quarterback or two to the roster before training camp.
"We will consider what our options are,'' said Miller. "Right now, we don't have a specific one in mind.''

There have been other changes to the Riders' offence during the off-season. Offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice left to become the head coach of the Blue Bombers. LaPolice later added Jamie Barresi, the Riders' quarterbacks coach, as his offensive co-ordinator.
The Riders replaced LaPolice with Doug Berry. Berry is a former Blue Bombers head coach and spent seven seasons as the offensive co-ordinator with the Montreal Alouettes.

"I can't say enough about the gift and tutelage that Coach Barresi and Lapo have given me,'' said Durant. "They have done a great job in my development and for this organization.

"Going forward we have a guy in Doug Berry who is known to be a great offensive co-ordinator. He worked with Anthony Calvillo for years and you know that I have looked up to him for years. He turned Anthony into a 5,000-yard-plus quarterback and all-star. I'm hoping he can do the same thing with me.''
mmccormick@leaderpost.canwest.com