Jeff Krever
CFL.ca
The Ticats say they won’t go out of their way to stop Darian Durant from taking off on Sunday, because that’s just one aspect of the Roughriders’ offence.
“You’re not just facing a quarterback, you’re facing their offence,” Ticats’ linebacker Jamall Johnson said after Friday’s practice in Moose Jaw.
Durant’s arguably been the most dynamic quarterback during the playoffs, making defences pay with both his throwing arm and his legs on the way to his third appearance in a Grey Cup Championship as a starter.
But while the Ticats are wary of what the veteran pivot can do when he tucks the ball and runs, they’re not going to revolve their entire game plan around keeping him in the pocket.
“You take a guy like Durant,” started rookie defensive lineman Eric Norwood. “He can scramble, he can run, he can throw on the run. You have to play it smart, you have to respect it.”
“But at the same time it’s nothing to fear.”
The 31-year-old didn’t put up the numbers we’re used to seeing this season, as he finished 2013 with the third-fewest rushing attempts and yards of his career. Yet with 110 yards on 10 carries in just two playoff games, Durant recently showed his legs work as well as ever.
That was particularly the case against the Lions in the Western Semi-Final, when timely first-down runs helped the Riders storm back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit.
“You watch film and he’s an instinctive quarterback, he’s matured a lot in his time in this league,” said Johnson, a nine-year CFL veteran who’s seen his share of dual-threat quarterbacks. “You don’t see quarterbacks run as much as they mature in their game.”
“But when times get tough and he has to do some things with his feet, he’s capable of doing it and we’re well aware of that – whether it’s a design thing or he has to just do something on the fly to extend the play.”
That’s not all the Ticats should be wary of though. Lining up beside Durant will be the league’s second-leading rusher in Kory Sheets, who had 177 yards and a touchdown against the Stamps in the West Final and has the ability to break a game open on any given play.
And even when kept in the pocket, Durant can also beat you through the air, especially with receivers to throw to such as Weston Dressler, Taj Smith, and Chris Getzlaf.
“We just have to focus on doing the things that we’ve been coached up to a tee to do and depend on our execution, and not so much what one person can do,” Johnson said. “We have to focus on what we can do as a unit to stop their game plan.”
That of course doesn’t mean the Ticats can ignore Durant’s abilities as a quarterback, especially if they hope to avoid suffering the same fate as the Lions two weeks ago.
“We’ve gotta do some different things to confuse him,” said Johnson. “Whether it’s guys in our lineup not giving away what we’re doing, or just keeping him in the pocket up front with our defensive line and not letting him get loose with his legs.”
“He’s a good runner, he has a good arm and he can throw the ball as well,” he continued. “He can make every throw on the route sheet so we know we have our work cut out for us, but we’re up for the challenge and we expect good things from our defence.”
