QBs take trash talk in stride
CALGARY — Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn were the voices of reason among all of the noise prior to Saturday’s showdown between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders.
The veteran quarterbacks were complimentary rather than inflammatory when talking about their respective roles in what became a battle of words between the division rivals. Durant, who is in his fifth season as the Riders’ starting quarterback, appreciates all that Glenn has gone through during his 13 CFL seasons.
“Kevin is the consummate pro and you can learn from that,” Durant said Friday in advance of Saturday’s game (5 p.m., TSN, CJWW) at McMahon Stadium between the top two teams in the CFL’s West Division. “You learn that it’s not sitting around complaining. When you get your opportunity, you had better make the most of it.”
Glenn feels Durant has grown while dealing with the pressure that comes with being the Riders’ starting quarterback. Glenn knows what he’s talking, considering he spent the first three years (2001-03) of his CFL career with the Riders.
“He has been the focal point of that football team for some time now,” Glenn said.
The contributions of Durant and Glenn have been overshadowed by many of the other storylines in Saturday’s game. One is the Stampeders (13-3) being able to clinch first place in the West Division with a win or a tie. The Riders (11-5) can keep their slim hopes alive of finishing first in the West Division by beating the Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos on Nov. 2 at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders would need the B.C. Lions defeat the Stampeders on Nov. 1 to finish first.
This contest features the league’s top running backs in Calgary’s Jon Cornish and Saskatchewan’s Kory Sheets. All of that star powers has taken away some of the spotlight from the quarterbacks.
“These are the two best teams in the league and I’m not taking anything away from Toronto,” said the 31-year-old Durant.
Durant feels that some of the Tweets and comments exchanged between players like Sheets and Hughes are all part of the fun leading up to an important game for both teams.
“Guys are competitive even when we’re on the field and we’re talking trash all of the time,” Durant said.