Saskatchewan Roughriders
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Riderville.com
BRADENTON, FLA. — With cleats hitting the grass and footballs being airborne, a positive mood surrounded the Riders’ annual three-day minicamp over the weekend.
As far as excitement goes, though, no one was more visibly content than star quarterback Darian Durant.
This wasn’t his first mini-camp, but after slinging pigskin with his boys for the first time since last September? It may as well have been.
“I feel like a little kid again,” said Durant. “Like a rookie, and I’m just happy to be out there.”
“I haven’t been on the field in a while. I haven’t been out there with my guys.”
Durant’s Riders were off to another stellar start last season until disaster struck early in September, when an elbow injury on his throwing arm led to season-ending surgery.
Sitting and watching is difficult for any pro quarterback, let alone one that had started no fewer than 16 games every season since the start of 2009.
After an off-season of rehab, Durant was back in full force over the weekend, throwing to an arsenal of Weston Dressler, Rob Bagg, Chris Getzlaf, Taj Smith and newly-signed Jamel Richardson (whose participation was limited) among others vying for roster spots.
“Not being able to work with those guys after all the work we’ve put in over the years, it was kind of tough,” Durant lamented. “I’m just anxious to get out there with those guys and work.”
His return was a successful one by all accounts. Head Coach Corey Chamblin said there was no visible fatigue in the arm or body, and while there were ups and downs in the new-look offence, he’s pleased with what he saw.
“Darian looked crisp on some of those balls,” confirmed Chamblin. “When he threw it, they looked very crisp. Of course he’s not game ready – but no one out there is. He looked good.”
“He’s returned to his old form and I expect him to get better.”
For the Riders’ defence, the weekend’s events at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. provided rookies the opportunity to both learn the CFL game and also perform well enough to earn an invite to training camp.
The team is focused on finding youth on a defensive side of the ball where they must admittedly improve in 2015.
But the offence comprised almost entirely of veterans, many of whom are returning players from last year facing the task of learning newly-added offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine’s new system.
Durant may have faced the toughest task of all this weekend, not only providing the link between Chapdelaine’s system and the players who will run it but also testing his arm in consecutive days for the first time since the injury.
First and foremost, he needed to build full confidence in his throwing arm in time for training camp.
“As far as the mental hurdle of him thinking ‘can he throw again’, I think he’s over that,” said Chamblin.
“I think this gives him confidence to get into training camp and to get him into contact.”
Durant stayed in Saskatchewan for a couple of months after the season in order to remain with the training staff, ensuring that everything healed up properly. He’s worked out the arm plenty since then, but a full weekend of throwing provided the biggest test yet.
“I’ve been throwing and then taking a day off and then throwing, so this is the first time I’ve had a chance to really work it on back-to-back days,” said Durant. “It’s been responding just fine.”
“You have to test it out just to make sure it’s the same, or that you did the right rehab to make sure you re-gained your strength.”
On the advice of the training staff, the veteran quarterback still ices the arm in order to keep swelling down, should it ever arise. So far, though, nothing.
“From the surgery on, everything was just done right and I’m 100 per cent and I’m just ready to go,” Durant added.
If the team, coaching staff, fans and the league itself needed to hear one thing this weekend, that would be it. As far as Darian Durant and the Riders are concerned, bring on training camp.
