CFL
When Darian Durant says he’s 50/50 to play five days from game time, there’s obviously a chance.
But when you add in four hours of travel on the road to and from Montreal plus a short week following to get ready for a divisional game against Calgary, that chance decreases. Add to the mix back-up Drew Willy just pulled off a comeback win the week before and you can see the Roughriders feeling the pressure of a very important decision behind centre.
Durant is the number one quarterback but at what price do you play him with a hip flexor injury?
When there are seven games following Sunday’s contest in Montreal and a playoff run to be made, why risk further injury to Durant and with it, decrease your chances down the stretch?
Head Coach Corey Chamblin is going to have to weigh the pros and cons in the few days remaining until kickoff.
“I’m going to protect each and every player, that’s my job. But it is football and sometimes you have to play through some things. If (Durant) is able to play through it and the medical staff feels like he can than we’ll go that route. But if it’s something that they think, or he thinks, will become worse than of course I won’t do that.”
There is no doubt Durant’s running ability is one of the biggest intangibles that has made him successful. He averages over 10-yards a carry, the highest among anybody in the league with over 10 carries this season.
If Durant can’t do that, he’s a completely different quarterback. A quarterback that risks further injury if he can’t get away from on coming defenders.
Durant admits that aspect of the game is the biggest thing being hampered by his hip.
“I can sit back there and throw all day, but when it’s time to break a tackle or get outside the pocket that’s when the trouble comes.”
While there are still a few days of practice remaining, it seems like a long shot that Durant will improve enough to feel comfortable he can do all the things he needs to to be successful and avoid the hits.
So, we come to Drew Willy. A first year player who after a few trips through NFL camps lands in Saskatchewan.
Coming in, the expectations weren’t high. He was in a fight to make the roster but quickly showed that he was the best of the four quarterbacks brought into training camp to back-up Durant.
His pre-season performance impressed and now he’s already mastered one of the most improbable comebacks of the season.
Willy is definitely up for it.
The University of Buffalo grad, who was tutored by former Roughrider Head Coach and CFL quarterback Danny Barrett, is one of the most mild mannered and calm individuals around.
And as he points out, the learning curve of running an offence in hostile territory is nothing for a former Division I NCAA quarterback. He did play in front of crowds of over 70,000 and was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation after all.
The small amount of experience he’s gained over the last two weeks filling in for an injured Durant should pay off.
The con. The more film for the Montreal Alouettes to get ready if #5 is called upon to play for a banged up Durant.
During Durant’s time in Saskatchewan there haven’t been many opportunities for the back-up quarterback. He’s been one of the most durable in the league, but now may just be the time to give the team’s franchise quarterback an extra weeks rest.
There will be no secrets around what Willy is capable of for the opposition. The only secret is which quarterback the Als will see on Sunday.
