DURANT INTERVIEW

By Rob Vanstone Mon, Aug 31 2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

How was it staying here during the bye week? “I stayed around and didn’t take the trip home. I was in the film room pretty much the whole break, basically, just trying to break down what we’ve been doing as an offence and what we need to get better at.’’

What did you see? “I see a very explosive offence. I see that we have the potential to have something special here. We just need to cut out the turnovers. They’re huge for us. I think that if we can cut down on turnovers, it’s a whole ’nother season for us.’’

When you looked at the films, did you think, ‘How could I do that?’: “Not all the time. Those guys on defence get paid, too, and they’ve made some good plays. I can control a lot of the things that have been going wrong for us as an offence. That’s my goal. There were no real head-scratcher throws, but there were a lot of them that you want back.’’

How would you grade your performance? “I would give us a C — just average. I think there’s a lot of room for improvement with all 12 guys out there. We’ll focus on that and we’ll be a whole ’nother team.’’

How would you grade yourself? “I think I’m right at average, too. I have high expectations for myself. Even though I’ve done a couple of good things out there, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I’m getting better.’’

Do you see things on tape that you don’t realize you’re doing on the field? “As far as bad things go, I don’t question why I’m doing it. I just need to do it a little quicker or maybe need to put a little more oomph on some of my throws, if ‘oomph’ is a word. It’s just little things. Every mistake is correctable and you best believe I’ll correct it.’’

How important is it to have Andy Fantuz back in there this week? “That’s huge. Andy’s a hell of a talent and to have a big talent like that on the field is great. I can’t wait to get him back out there. I love working with him. He’s my best friend on the team. I just love being around him and working with him.’’

Given the nature of that relationship, have you given any advice regarding the contract situation? “I told him to do what’s best for Andy. That’s all that he can do. It’s tough in this game. You’re one hit away from a career (ending), so you have to make the best decision possible for Andy, and that’s what I told him.’’

Why was it so important to you to stay here and keep working on the mental part of your game? “Because I know the type of potential we have as a team. I knew that a lot of the guys were going home already. There’s nothing really at home except family, and my family will be coming up for a couple of games. The thing I wanted to do was take care of my family here in Saskatchewan and that’s this football team, and make sure that I’m on my game. As long as I’m on my game, that will help everybody else out.’’

What did the coaches say about what you saw on film during the bye week? “We talked this morning. It’s just coincidental that coach LaPo (offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice) and coach (Jamie) Barresi watched every interception that I threw. They told me some of the same things that I’ve been saying. It’s not that I’m not seeing what’s going on. I just need to be more emphatic with some of the things that I do. That’s not hard to do. It’s just a matter of me making up my mind, believing in what I see, and pulling the trigger.’’

What do the other guys on the team think? “We’re definitely on the same page. We’re one of the more explosive offences in this league, so we’re definitely on the same page. We just have to cut out the mistakes.’’Do you sense that everyone came back focused and ready to go? “I think so. We had a good talk in the locker room after Montreal and everyone knows the type of potential that we have. Everyone was anxious to get back to work. You can see it in the locker room. It was like the first day of school in there, with everyone happy to see each other. We definitely realize our potential. Now it’s about getting out there on the field and executing.’’