Oh no! The worst possible thing that could happen has happened to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Their offensive leader and the obvious heart of the team, Darian Durant, was injured at the hands of those evil doers from just east, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In case you didn't see it, or are living under a rock (or bale, as it may be in Saskatchewan) Riders quarterback Darian Durant was crushed by Blue Bombers defensive lineman Bryant Turner during the second half of Saskatchewan's 30-24 Banjo Bowl victory on Sunday during a play that, officially, didn't happen because of a penalty.
But just try telling Durant, his teammates and fans that the play didn't happen.
It most certainly did happen and Durant has the extremely terrible memory of writhing on the field in obvious pain with an elbow/arm injury for what seemed like an eternity, but was really just long enough for the TSN announcers to declare that the Riders season might (might) be in jeopardy, or worse, over.
But fear not, Rider faithful. The season is not over. Nor is it in jeopardy. And that's because, with Durant down and out for now (he'll miss at least one game with the possibility of more) the season is in Tino Sunseri's inexperienced hands.
And believe me, those hands, although inexperienced, are more than capable of leading the Riders to victory.
See, the loss of Durant has many Rider fans sad, overlooking the fact that they have a very capable backup.
Yes, losing Durant hurts.
But honestly, Sunseri might just prove to be a better quarterback through the air than Durant.
Especially when he gets regular reps with the starting offence in practice the entire week before a game, something he has not had in his entire CFL career.
Sunseri can also run the ball when in trouble. Sure, he's no Durant when it comes to scampering, but he's a very solid second option and someone that can get the job done with his legs, although his arm is his main weapon. After all, in his final year at Pitt Sunseri threw for 3288 yards and 21 touchdowns while being intercepted just three times.
Yes, college football is a completely different animal when compared to the CFL.
American college/university football is more similar to the NFL.
And yes, former NCAA standout quarterbacks have failed mightily (hey Troy Smith, having fun?) in the Canadian Football League.
But Sunseri will not. Because he can adapt to situations.
He can grow with the game.
And more importantly, he can air the ball out with great accuracy when asked to, although chances are all he'll have to do is hand the ball off to Messam, Allen or Ford.
But with the plethora of quality receivers the Riders have, Sunseri might just break out of Durant's shadow and open the eyes of Rider fans and haters alike should he be asked to fire the ball to his receivers.
