CONTRACT EXTENSION FOR DURANT IS A NECESSITY
Robservations ...
Darian Durant simply willed his team to Sunday’s 26-23 overtime victory over the visiting Edmonton Eskimos. Even though the Roughriders’ receiving corps and offensive line are depleted by injuries, Durant made enough plays — most notably his gamewinning touchdown run — to help his team post its second victory of the CFL season. Anyone who questions why Durant deserves a contract extension simply is not paying attention.
What is it about the Banjo Bowl and impactful injuries to Roughriders players? See: Matt Dominguez (2007), Rey Williams (2013), Durant (2014) and Naaman Roosevelt (2016).
An unspecified injury suffered by Roosevelt will almost certainly derail his pursuit of the Roughriders’ single-season records for catches (123, set by Don Narcisse in 1995) and receiving yards (1,715; Joey Walters, 1981). Roosevelt’s presence in the lineup would have been something to celebrate during a generally dismal Roughriders season.
Saskatchewan’s two victories have been in the team’s first game without a marquee player. On July 22, the Roughriders downed the visiting Ottawa Redblacks 30-29, with Mitchell Gale handling the quarterbacking for the victors in place of Durant (sprained ankle). On Sunday, the Roughriders were able to prevail in the absence of Roosevelt.
The reverberative pain induced by the injury to Roosevelt was eased by the return to the lineup of tailback Curtis Steele. Roughriders offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo prefers a ball-control-oriented scheme. It is difficult to execute such an offence without a legitimate tailback such as Steele, who hits the holes with authority and carries tacklers for additional yards.
The Montreal Alouettes are a smouldering mess, but one positive note can be extracted from their sorry season. It was nice to see Jacques Chapdelaine named the team’s interim head coach. He is a smart, capable football man who is conversant in both official languages — an asset in a French-speaking market. Chapdelaine did a laudable job as the Roughriders’ offensive co-ordinator last season, despite injuries to Durant and his backup, Kevin Glenn. The Chapdelaine-led offence was creative and would have been great fun to watch with the consistent presence of a veteran quarterback.
Fighting in hockey is pointless, Part 2,378,119: Jayce Hawryluk suffered a broken hand in a fight during a rookie game with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. If not for hockey’s backwards culture, the 19-year-old Hawryluk — who had 106 points, including 47 goals, in 58 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings last season — would have more opportunities to use his hands to impress the Panthers’ brass with his abundant offensive skills.
Who says that nobody gets hurt in a hockey fight?
Just a bad idea: Thunderstix. Real sports fans generate energy, excitement and noise without having to resort to props.
CFL officials deserve some props. The crew that handled Sunday’s game between the Roughriders and Eskimos did a superb job. There was only one coaches’ challenge and the call on the field was upheld after a video review that did not last until November.
For the record, the aforementioned magnificent seven consisted of Tom Vallesi (referee), Justin McInnes (head linesman), Blair Brown (side judge), Murray Clarke (field judge), Fred Cooper (umpire), Chris Shapka (line judge) and Dave Gatza (back judge).
Smaller-market concession fare is the best. The double hamburger and fries combination at Yorkton’s Farrell Agencies Arena is highly recommended.
The 97th diet of the year is not going well.
Returning to Regina after Tuesday’s SJHL game between the Yorkton Terriers and Battlefords North Stars, it became painfully obvious that the lines on the highway between Balcarres and Fort Qu’Appelle are in desperate need of repainting.
Nice people who deserve a plug: Shadia Ismail, Jordan Ahmad, Jacques Chapdelaine, Barry Crowley, Jim Fallows, Barb Ryan, Tim Iannone, Jadon Donais, Roxanne Anderson, Shirley Prokop, Jake Elmer, Stefanie Davis, Garry Gaudet and everyone in Aaron Anderson’s Period 3 English 9 class at Campbell Collegiate.