Matt Cauz
CFL.ca
Sports are one of the ultimate equalizers.
By this I mean once a game begins a well informed fan often has the same chance of predicting what’s going to happen as someone like me whose job it is to cover sports. Analysts and experts are wrong all the time; we really don’t know what the outcome of the game is going to be once kickoff occurs. Oh sure we have a good idea through study, hard work and research but sports often levels the best expert to that of a casual fan.
I mention this because I love the fact that I have no idea what to make of Darian Durant, and I’m guessing neither do you. I have given up trying to predict what he’s going to do from game to game. Once again Saskatchewan provided us with high entertainment, this one in the form of an OT thrilling win over Calgary.
I like to think of him as a VH1 Behind the Music Special. Durant follows up his dynamic debut season by torching Montreal for five touchdowns (cue dramatic music) but beyond his fantastic start storm clouds were looming for the man nicknamed “Bounce Back” by his teammates.
(Cue Narrator)
“The high of Saskatchewan’s win over the Alouettes would soon be muted by inconsistent play; as the team would not live up to their pre-season expectations. Durant and the team hit rock bottom after scoring just two points in an embarrassing 31-2 loss to Winnipeg. With a short week ahead and the mighty Calgary Stampeders on the horizon all looked lost for the Green and White. On that cold September night a coronation of Calgary seemed all the more inevitable as Milt Collins picked off Durant’s league leading 15th interception and streaked to the end zone for an early 7-0 Stampeder lead.”
Yes it was very early but at this point I think most fans and experts were on the same page, Calgary behind Burris and the league’s most devastating blitz packages was going to win this game.
That’s why I love sports and why I love watching the Roughriders, I have no idea what’s going to happen.
It wasn’t just his gaudy statistics (569 yards of total offence and two touchdowns) it was his unbelievable accuracy.
So many throws keep flashing back to me:
(1) Dropping back into the end zone Durant finds Andy Fantuz for 23 yards on a deep out, the ball must have traveled 50 yards in the air.
(2) The 77-yard touchdown pass to Weston Dressler. Durant’s throw forced Brandon Smith to gamble for an interception, that was a mistake.
(3) Hitting Fantuz in stride for a picture perfect 60-yard touchdown throw. This time it was Milt Collins who gambled and lost.
(4) The 27 yarder to Dressler late in the forth quarter that helped set up the game tying field goal. Dressler was well covered yet Durant put the ball exactly where it had to be. Any quarterback can look good when his wide receivers have created several yards of separation; it’s another thing to get the ball in a tiny window while dealing with Malik Jackson and the Stampeder pass rush.
Of course the game was marked by a lot of over throws and some questionable decisions by Durant. That’s what makes Darian so fascinating. His highs are better than any QB in the CFL but his lows are maddening considering his talent and the talent around him. I have no clue what to expect from Durant, again I love not knowing. Every week could be a masterpiece or the entire offence could come to pieces.
Now this is not exactly what you want to hear if you’re a Roughrider fan. You want to know what you’re going to get from your quarterback. You want your signal caller to avoid such lows, in a perfect world you’re guy is crazy consistent/productive like Anthony Calvillo.
But really that’s just so predictable … where’s the fun in that?
