CFL legend Darian Durant believes Cody Fajardo should lead the Edmonton Elks' offence after the team lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-18 in Week 8.
"I think Cody's better for this offence. It seems like they want to be a drop-back passing team and I don't know if that fits the strengths of Tre Ford. He needs more RPO, more quarterback draws, getting on the outside, sprint out roll outs, things where he can use his legs," Durant said on the SportsCage.
"When you put him in the pocket, I think you put him at a disadvantage. Moving forward, I think that if they're going to continue with this same offensive plan, Cody's the best bet."
The Green and White defence managed to get after Fajardo and sacked him eight times during the game at Mosaic Stadium.
"It's not a good feeling, I'll tell you that. He would have liked for the running backs to get more than four or five carries as well," Durant said.
"I think they became very predictable, they relied on Cody to drop back way too much. Whenever a defensive line can put their hand in the dirt and come after the passer, not have to worry about the run game, then this is what you're going to get. You want to see some more balance, especially if you want to keep guys healthy and it's not fun when you get planted that many times."
It was Fajardo's first time returning to Saskatchewan as a starter since leaving the team following the 2022 season. He had previously been the Riders quarterback from 2019 to 2022. The six-foot-one, 215-pound QB completed 26-of-33 passes for 346 yards with two touchdowns against the Green and White.
"Look, when you play for Saskatchewan, you play in front of the best fans in the league, the support is not like any other city in the CFL. So when you leave, especially when you leave on terms that are not on your own, you're fired up to come back," Durant said.
"You want to prove them wrong, so it's not easy. You have to really control your emotions, the crowd is going to be a factor. You know that you're going to have to be on a silent cadence and it is difficult. You can pencil in one or two pre-snap penalties a game and that doesn't help with field position. You're fired up to come and play, but you also know that it's one of the toughest places to play in the league."
The first time Durant returned to face the Riders was on October 27, 2017 when he was with Montreal, the Alouettes lost 37-12. Durant left the game at halftime with a knee injury and finished completing 9-of-20 passes for 126 yards and one interception.
Meanwhile, the next game for Saskatchewan has the team travelling to Montreal to take on the Alouettes on Saturday.
"It's so hot and humid there in Montreal; you also need to factor in a cross-country flight. Noel Thorpe is a great defensive coordinator who often seems to be overlooked when it comes to securing a head coaching job -- he's a hell of a coach. Being in Montreal for that one year, going against him every single day, you get an understanding. When you play against Montreal once or twice a year, it's a little bit different," Durant said.
"Thorpe may throw a look or two at you, but when you're practicing against him, you see everything that he has in his playbook, you see everything that he's going to throw at different teams across the league -- he's one of the best. You have to look at that Montreal defence and what Noel Thorpe brings to the table, that's a major factor as to why it's hard to play out there."
Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates bring you the pre-game show at 2 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 5 p.m. You can hear extensive coverage on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
