The Saskatchewan Roughriders have rid themselves of Darian Durant and the reaction I’m seeing on social media is that the fans agree now is the time to chase the best quarterback this franchise has ever seen out the door. The rationale being that he can’t stay healthy, is old, and doesn’t deserve a classy thank you and a handshake.
Of course, I’m not going to be of this same narrow minded opinion. Durant played in 15 of 18 games last season, which is an acceptable number given the frequency of injuries in the CFL at the quarterback position leaguewide. His numbers were, essentially, on par with his 2012 season and just shade lower than the 2013 career year when his team was stacked and they won the Grey Cup. Pundits like to point out Durant missed a lot of time over the last three years. I prefer to look at his track record since becoming the starter in 2009. He has played 15 or more games in six of the eight seasons and I believe he was held out, needlessly, in one game for sure this past year. Durant has never been treated fairly by this fan base. Imagine New England fans kicking Tom Brady to the curb. Green Bay doing that to Aaron Rodgers. Denver to John Elway. The examples of how to handle an exit with class are abundant, yet the Riders have never excelled at this. From Weston Dressler to John Chick to Darian Durant to Kerry Joseph to Henry Burris to Kent Austin to Bobby Jurasin and on and on and on and on it goes. Now, don’t get me wrong. If your philosophy is that you really feel Durant can’t help you win, then you owe it to Durant to shake his hand and say thanks for the memories. Instead, they staged a nasty salary dispute and Chris Jones, essentially, blamed Durant for the team’s 5 win season because he was hurt three times. The incoming quarterback, whoever that may be, should pay attention as that’s the kind of loyalty he can expect.
Here’s are the facts when it comes to the Riders: They were founded in 1910 and have won, exactly, 4 Grey Cups in 107 years. Now, that’s okay if there are 30 teams in the league. But, there are only 8-9 in each given year. Which means you should win, approximately, 7-8 championships just by accident. An average team should have won 10-12. The Riders have four. Durant quarterbacked one of those four and if someone other than Durant could count, he’d be the only quarterback in franchise history to have two Grey Cups. He’s led his team to three championship games in his eight years behind centre (actually six because he was hurt for two years). Which brings me to the injuries. Durant suffered 2 serious injuries. He wasn’t nicked up with various things that indicate his body is breaking down. The injuries he incurred could have happened to anyone at any age. He got healthy from both of the injuries and played as many games last year as any other starting CFL quarterback.
Let’s pretend Durant wants $400,000 a year for the next 2-3 years, which I don’t think he did. But, isn’t paying him that money better than paying quality talent (in the form of players and draft picks) AND money to get a back up quarterback from another team who you think may be good down the road? And, who’s to say whoever they get can stay healthy and on the field? Mike Reilly, in Edmonton, has missed his fair share of games and he’s not old. Zac Collaros hasn’t stayed on the field in Hamilton. Drew Willy was banged up in Winnipeg to the point he may never be able to recapture his pre-injury form. All three are much younger than Durant and all three carry much greater injury risks and concerns than Durant, yet it’s the Riders who are scared out of their boots to commit to their veteran who has bled green for the last ten years. And, it’s the Rider fans who are saying ‘don’t let the door hit you on the way out’. By the way, Durant ran for 6 touchdowns last year, a indicator the achilles injury wasn’t an issue. That’s more than he ran in 2011, 2012, and 2013 combined (4).
The other thing fans don’t understand is that you don’t sign 5-6 year contracts in the CFL. Your best players can be gone after 1-2 years, so there just isn’t time to spend 3-4 years on a foundation to build a team long term. You have to do it quickly and, continuously, replace talent to ensure the team is competitive year after year. The CFL has a long list of quarterbacks who have been very good well into their late 30s. Durant, at 34, may have as many as four more real productive years left in him. Henry Burris just won a Grey Cup and he’s 41.
Space won’t allow me to elaborate on the other dumb thing the Riders have done here, which is let your starting quarterback get away without having the heir apparent waiting; but I’ll leave that for another day. Most of you think Brandon Bridge is the answer anyway, and beyond praying there is no evidence to suggest he is. Nevertheless, this wouldn’t be the Riders if we didn’t take a legend and kick him to the curb like yesterday’s news.
