Calgary Herald

STAMPEDERS BRACE FOR ROUGH RIDE

TEAM MOUNTS DEFENCE AGAINST SASKATCHEW­AN QB DURANT

- RITA MINGO

When Darian Durant tucked the ball in and took off downfield, turning the CFL Western semifinal around, Rick Campbell didn’t have to wonder where he’d seen this flick before.

“Whenever we’ve played Saskatchew­an this year, we’ve always made it a point to put emphasis on him running, even though he hasn’t run as much,” explained the Calgary Stampeders’ defensive co-ordinator. “Over the years, he’s always been a good runner, so I wasn’t really surprised by that. We need to do a good job in our pass rush lanes and make sure we keep him in the pocket.”

Durant is the unquestion­ed general in the Saskatchew­an Roughrider­s’ attack and will be marshallin­g his troops against the Stamps on Sunday at McMahon Stadium in the Western Final, much like he did in his team’s 29-25 triumph over B.C. last Sunday.

He was named CFL offensive player of the semis with a 19-of-23 and two touchdowns passing performanc­e, but where he really stuck a dagger into the Lions was with his feet, running six times for 97 yards, many of those late in the game.

It’s guys like that who give a defensive co-ordinator headaches.

“It always does,” agreed Campbell. “Any quarterbac­k that can run and make plays. Some plays are designed like that and others break down and he’s able to improvise and run for a first down, and that can be demoralizi­ng for the defence. That’s the time you should have got off the field and it keeps the drive going.

“He really is a pocket passer that can run. There’s some guys that are just running quarterbac­ks, but he’s not that. He’s a pocket passer and being able to run is another dimension for him.”

Last weekend was just one more example of Durant’s abilities, according to Juwan Simpson, but in no way was it a revelation.

“The thing that people have to realize is it’s always been in the game plan to watch Darian Durant,” the three-time allstar middle linebacker pointed out. “Not just ’cause he had that great game. He’s always been a great player with a lot of great skills. When you keep an eye on him, you’ve got Kory Sheets. When you keep an eye on Kory Sheets, you’ve got Dressler. You keep your eye on Dressler, you’ve got Taj Smith. So what they’ve been doing is a team effort, just like what we’ve been doing is a team effort, and we understand that.

“We just have to hold them to no big plays. You give up big plays and penalties — that’s when you shoot yourself in the foot. We feel it’s all about us anyway. If we go out and perform, we’ll come out the better team.”

From a defensive standpoint, Durant is just another prong in a multi-layered attack, all of which must get the same attention.

“You can’t worry just about him, scrambling or whatever he’s doing,” insisted Simpson. “It has to be 12 guys on the same page. We’ve been successful this year doing that, playing together as a team. We have to understand that they’re going to make their plays, as well. We all get paid; we’re all playing a profession­al sport. We’re going to have some adversity, but fight through it.”

The Stamps have the upper hand, having defeated the ’Riders in two of three meetings this season. But as the veteran Simpson pointed out, that is slotted in the memory banks under “old news.”

“The past is the past,” he philosophi­zed. “We can’t bring those games into the postseason. There’s a difference between Week 2 and Week 14 as opposed to playoff time. We know we’re going to get their best and we’re going to give them our best.

“This game is exciting for one reason and one reason only: It’s the West final. But it’s just another football game; we’ve been in these games before. It’s another day at the office.”

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 ?? Liam Richards/the Canadian Press ?? Saskatchew­an Roughrider­s quarterbac­k Darian Durant “really is a pocket passer that can run,” Stampeders defensive co-ordinator Rick Campbell says.
Liam Richards/the Canadian Press Saskatchew­an Roughrider­s quarterbac­k Darian Durant “really is a pocket passer that can run,” Stampeders defensive co-ordinator Rick Campbell says.

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