Durant comfortable in Green and White
No ‘what-if’ moments for quarterback as team prepares to host Tiger-Cats
With Darian Durant’s contract set to expire after the 2016 CFL season, many are wondering if the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterback will be wearing a different uniform in 2017.
In reality, had then- GM Roy Shivers not acquired Durant’s rights in a trade in 2006, the pivot could very well have been in Hamilton TigerCats colours for Saturday’s game against Saskatchewan at Mosaic Stadium (7:30 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
Has Durant ever had a “what-if ” moment?
“I never got into that really, just because I never set foot in (Hamilton’s) locker-room,” the 34-yearold replied. “Technically, I was never with them so I never thought about the what-ifs.”
Durant admits that, because he was on the Tiger-Cats’ negotiation list in 2005, he regularly went online to follow their progress. The former University of North Carolina Tar Heels QB may not have signed with Hamilton, but he certainly was on the team’s radar.
“Craig Smith was over there at the time (as director of player personnel) and he told me they were thinking about bringing me in,” Durant recalled. “It was when I got released by the (NFL’s Baltimore) Ravens, but I wanted to take the rest of the ’05 season off and rest my body a little bit.”
Durant’s CFL prospects changed on April 12, 2006, when Shivers sent tailback-returner Corey Holmes and the rights to quarterback Reggie Ball to Hamilton for the first pick in the Ottawa Renegades dispersal draft (which Saskatchewan used on quarterback Kerry Joseph) and the rights to Durant.
Durant signed with Saskatchewan a month later and won a job at training camp as the third-string quarterback. He completed his only pass attempt for 14 yards and rushed once for 20 yards while dressing for eight games that season.
He dressed for 18 games in 2007, but didn’t record any statistics. Even so, he impressed his head coach at the time.
“The thing I remember about coaching Darian is how quickly he picked things up, understood things conceptually (and) paid attention to detail,” Kent Austin, who now guides the Tiger-Cats, said earlier this season. “He wanted to learn. Even when he wasn’t playing, he was still studying.
“You could see he was physically talented. But as a quarterback, you’ve got to be a great decisionmaker more than anything else and I saw that very early in coaching Darian.”
Durant started four games for Saskatchewan in 2008, replacing an injured Marcus Crandell and an ineffectual Steven Jyles. When the 2009 season rolled around, thenhead coach Ken Miller installed Durant as the undisputed starter — and the quarterback hasn’t looked back.
Durant enters Saturday’s game ranked second on the Roughriders’ all-time list in pass attempts (3,427), completions (2,126) and yards (27,318). He has passed Austin in all three categories this season.
“Kent has definitely been a huge influence on my career,” Durant said. “I learned so much from him, (former Roughriders offensive coordinator) Tommy Condell and the veteran quarterbacks I worked with in the past.
“But at this point in time, it’s about this team and making sure I do the best that I can to put this team in a situation to win.”
However, Saskatchewan is just 2-10-0 this season and Durant missed most of the past two campaigns with injuries. Those factors, along with his expiring contract, have led to speculation about his future.
Head coach- GM Chris Jones said Thursday the Roughriders have made it clear to Durant they want him back and have been in touch with his representatives about a contract extension.
Jones reiterated that sentiment Friday, calling Durant “a staple in this organization” and adding the team would be happy if a deal can get done before the end of the season.
Durant confirmed his agent had received some communication from the Roughriders, but the QB said he was focusing more on the Tiger-Cats than on his contract status.
That said, he noted once again he wants to remain in Saskatchewan and has never imagined himself in another team’s jersey.
“This is all I know,” Durant said. “I just haven’t had a chance to really wrap my brain around being somewhere else.
“Of course, that time is approaching and we’ll see how it goes, but right now, I’m just trying to focus on football. If I play well and do what I’m supposed to do, then everything will work itself out.”