Showing posts with label Rider Nation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rider Nation. Show all posts

Saturday, 6 February 2021

Johnson would bring beauty to Roughriders OL

Evan Johnson (#64) locks up on a block in 2019.
Offensive linemen aren’t usually associated with the word “pretty,” but the Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive line would get a boost in the glamour department, if they could add Evan Johnson.

Johnson, who is a Regina product, has been a member of the Ottawa Redblacks since the Redblacks selected him in the first round and ninth overall in the 2017 CFL Draft. Before joining the Redblacks, the graduate of Regina’s Campbell Collegiate played four seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team in the U Sports ranks from 2012 to 2016.

In his three complete CFL seasons, Johnson has dressed for 52 regular season games. He became a starter part way through his rookie campaign in 2017.

Since that time, Johnson, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 280 pounds, has shown his versatility starting games at left guard, right tackle and left tackle. During his career, He has been tasked with taking on defensive end quarterback sacking terrors like Charleston Hughes.

On Tuesday, Johnson could potentially become a free agent as his contract with the Redblacks will expire with the opening of the CFL’s free agency period. Canadian offensive linemen are gold in the CFL, and Johnson’s value due to his versatility is huge.

If he becomes a free agent, he would be a huge home product signing, if the Roughriders could ink him to a deal.

Dallis Johnson (#23) makes a tackle for the Valkyries in 2019.
Johnson comes with another bonus.

As far as the looks department goes, Johnson is the Tom Brady of offensive linemen.

Taking things a step further, Johnson and his wife, Dallis, are the Brady and Gisele Bundchen in the offensive linemen community.

When it comes to the looks department, Evan and Dallis Johnson are beautiful.

On top of that, they are your classic humble young Saskatchewan couple as Dallis hails from Canwood.

For another bonus, Dallis is a veteran defensive back with the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League and owns two league championship rings. When Evan isn’t involved with team activities with his CFL club, he is one of the Valkyries offensive line coaches.

Together, Evan and Dallis have the overall package that those in Rider Nation have to fall in love with, if Evan signs with the Roughriders.

Of course, franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo and his wife, Laura, are the Roughriders rock star couple.

With that said, offensive linemen are the most likeable guys on any football team. There is room for Evan and Dallis to be in a bigger spotlight.

Evan Johnson, right, played three OL positions for the Redblacks.
If Evan signs with the Roughriders, companies in Regina and Saskatchewan would look stupid if they didn’t get Evan and Dallis endorse their products.

If you are business that sells men’s suits, you should be running out to get Evan wearing all the best suits that your business makes.

If you sell fancy dresses, you should be running out to get Dallis wearing all your best dresses.

If you make nice clothes for men and women, you should be doing your best to get Evan and Dallis to endorse you products and dress in your gear.

If you are a car dealer, you should be getting the young couple the best pimped out truck, car or any type of vehicle they might desire.

With their looks, all they have to do is flash their smiles and Roughriders fans will be buying up any product they make a pitch for.

As for the Roughriders team itself, the value of having a couple like Evan and Dallis representing your club in the community is priceless.

You can send them to all the high class functions. At those functions, they are going to look good, and they will make the team look good.

Dallis Johnson drops into coverage for the Valkyries.
You can send them to community fundraisers and people will be enamored with them, because they have a Saskatchewan folksy feel to them to go with their incredible looks.

Of course, the world is in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and how developments play out on that front will ultimately determine if there is a CFL season in 2021. The CFL was unable to get on the field for any games in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Still, the Roughriders would get a big boost, if they were able to have Evan Johnson on their roster when they begin playing games again. As a couple, Evan and Dallis bring an enormous potential to attract causal fans back to the team coming out of a stoppage.

So if Evan Johnson becomes a free agent, the Roughriders need to sign him to ensure he and Dallis are in Saskatchewan year round.

That development would look awe-inspiring good on all fronts.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2019

Who is this guy? – Will Fajardo become the CFL’s Warner?

QB Cody Fajardo has impressed as the Roughriders starter.
    Could Cody Fajardo be living out a football story that was famously seen once before?
    The Brea, Calif., product has experienced a meteoric rise since becoming the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Fajardo’s chance came after spending about two and a half seasons as a reserve quarterback in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and British Columbia Lions.
    Before joining the Argos in October of 2015, Fajardo attended training camp with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders before being cut.
    His attempt to make the Raiders came after wrapping up a star career with the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack Football Team in the top tier of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks in 2014.
    Joining the Roughriders this season, Fajardo was pegged to be a reserve quarterback.
    When the Roughriders opened their regular season on June 13 against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback Zach Collaros was knocked out of the game with a concussion injury. Collaros made a feet first slide and was hit in the head by Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence on the fourth overall play of the contest.
    Since that moment, Fajardo, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds, became the Roughriders main man under centre. The 27-year-old has completed 132 of 177 passes for 1,705 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions over the team’s first seven games.
Cody Fajardo fires a pass from behind protection.
    He has surpassed 300 yards in passing three times and has the Roughriders riding a three-game winning streak to sit with a 4-3 record heading into a Friday showdown with the Alouettes (3-3) in Montreal (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).
    Thanks to Fajardo’s play, the Roughriders traded Collaros to the Toronto Argonauts last Wednesday for a conditional fourth round selection in the 2020 CFL Draft.
    Last Thursday, Fajardo left Rider Nation in adulation running in from five yards out to score the winning touchdown with 24 second remaining in the fourth quarter to deliver the Roughriders to a 24-19 victory over the Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.
    In that contest, Fajardo completed 25-of-31 passes for 313 yards and ran the ball nine times for 56 yards, which included his winning touchdown run.
    His right ankle was sore after taking a sack early in the third quarter, but he said in post-game interviews that he was able to continue thanks to “a sprinkle of Jesus.”
    He celebrated the win eating a corn dog at the Queen City Ex next to the statue of George Reed outside Mosaic Stadium. Fajardo posted the picture of that moment on Twitter.
    A practicing Catholic who is strong in his Christian faith, the phrase “a sprinkle of Jesus” is starting to become a catch phrase for Fajardo.

    The rise of the likable and personable signal caller has parallels to the rise of a legendary NFL pivot.
    Way back on Aug. 28, 1999, the St. Louis Rams were playing a pre-season game at home, when they lost starting quarterback Trent Green to a season ending knee injury on a hit from San Diego Chargers safety Rodney Harrison.
    Green tore the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments and also sustained cartilage damage in his left knee.
The SI cover from when Kurt Warner made his rise.
    Rams head coach Dick Vermeil, who was known for being ultra-optimistic, said his team would rally around backup quarterback Kurt Warner and play good football.
    At that time, the Rams were trying end a streak where they had posted nine straight losing seasons. Pretty much no one knew who Warner was, and there wasn’t much hope outside of the Rams organization that they would have a good season.
    Warner, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 214 pounds, became an NFL starter at age 28. All of a sudden, Warner shocked the league.
    He stormed out of the gates in 1999 leading the Rams to a 6-0 start completing 118-of-162 passes for 1,531 yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.
    The sad sack Rams morphed into “The Greatest Show on Turf.”
    Warner kept putting up crazy passing numbers finishing the campaign completing 325-of-499 passes for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He led what was arguably the most exciting offence in the history of pro football that seemingly could score a touchdown on any play from any point on the field.
    Warner let the ball fly to talented receivers Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl. For a change up, Warner could hand the ball off or toss it to dynamic running back Marshall Faulk.
    The Rams posted a 13-3 record to finish first overall in the NFC, and Warner was named the NFL’s MVP. From there, the Rams marched on to win Super Bowl XXXIV on Jan. 30, 2000.
The SI cover of the St. Louis Rams’ Super Bowl win.
    In Super Bowl XXXIV, Warner hit Bruce on a 73-yard touchdown bomb with 1:54 to play in the fourth quarter that broke a 16-16 tie and gave the Rams a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Warner, who was born in Burlington, Iowa, was named MVP of the Super Bowl having completed 24-of-45 passes for 414 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
    During that fairytale season, Warner’s back story came out. After playing for the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Warner was cut by the Green Bay Packers in the summer of 1994.
    He returned to Cedar Falls and worked out at his old college practice field by day and stocked shelves at a local Hy-Vee grocery store at night. Warner played three seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League from 1995 to 1997, one season in NFL Europe in early 1998 with the Amsterdam Admirals before joining the Rams for the 1998 NFL season as their third string quarterback.
    The 1999 NFL season wasn’t the only high point in Warner’s career. The Christian gunslinger guided the Rams back to Super Bowl XXXVI following the 2001 season, where they fell 20-17 to quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
    Warner played for the New York Giants in 2004 before finishing his NFL career playing for the Arizona Cardinals from 2005 to 2009. He gunned the Cardinals into the Super Bowl XLIII following the 2008 season, where they fell 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kurt Warner had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
    Over his career in the NFL, Warner established a reputation as being personable and likeable. During stints where he wasn’t the starting quarterback on the teams he played for, he was eager to be the best and most supportive teammate on the squad he was on.
    In his 12 NFL seasons, Warner completed 2,666-of-4,070 passes for 32,344 yards, 208 touchdowns and 128 interceptions in regular season play. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
    With that noted, Fajardo has a long way to go if he does have a career even in the CFL that matches what Warner did in the NFL. At the moment, Fajardo is a better scrambler than Warner was but is not at a Pro Football Hall of Fame level when it comes to controlling the game from the pocket.
    Still, the early part of Fajardo’s career as the Roughriders starter does have a lot of similarities to Warner’s beginning as a starter with the Rams.
    This might be a blessed season for Fajardo and the Roughriders.
    The season could still go south for Fajardo and the Roughriders, when they finally play the likes of the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos. The Stampeders have been the year in and year out powerhouse since 2008 in the CFL.
    Still, the Roughriders and their Rider Nation fanbase can dream. Fajardo will put in the work.
The Roughriders hope to enjoy more victory scenes like this.
    He might put together a success story that no one saw coming that goes beyond anyone’s imagination.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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Thursday, 26 July 2018

Stampeders star QB Mitchell is great for the CFL

Signal caller entertains mixing it up with Roughriders fans

Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell is one of the best players in the CFL.
    Saskatchewan Roughriders fans may want to sit down before they read the following line.
    Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is great for the CFL.
    He might be even better for the CFL when he is exchanging beaks with Roughriders fans. It is too bad he deleted his Twitter account during the off-season. The Katy, Texas, product was good at using that social media platform to get Rider Nation all worked up.
    Last season after Roughriders receiver/defensive back Duron Carter returned a Mitchell interception for a touchdown, Saskatchewan play-by-play voice Rod Pedersen made his famous “Bo Levi, shut your mouth” call. Saskatchewan won that contest 30-7 on Oct. 20, 2017 in Calgary.
Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell,  left, escapes a Roughriders pass rush in 2016.
    On Saturday, Mitchell, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 198 pounds, will once again likely exchange barbs with his favourite opposing fanbase as the Stampeders (5-0) travel to Mosaic Stadium to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-2) at 7 p.m. The Roughriders announced on Wednesday the game was sold out, and tickets on the team’s verified resale channel are starting at $73.
    Mitchell, who hasn’t missed a start this season, was playing things cool in front of the media in Calgary on Thursday saying a knee he injured in a 27-3 victory over the Redblacks in Ottawa on July 12 feels great.
Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell, centre, burst into the open field in 2016.
    Here is hoping he is saving some verbal jabs for the pre-game press conferences and scrums that will be held in Regina on Friday.
    Even if Mitchell keeps his mouth shut, Rider Nation will likely give him a welcome worthy of a wrestling heel worthy of Ric Flair or the late Nick Bockwinkel in their “bad guy” primes.
    Like Flair or Bockwinkel in wrestling, Mitchell, who turned 28-years-old in March, will likely become a baby face for Rider Nation the longer he keeps playing in the CFL at a high level. Heck, you might like Mitchell right now, if you are a Roughriders supporter. You just don’t want to say it.
    Fans that spend a lot of time getting their “hate on” for a player on an opposing team doing research for heckles, making signs or creative props usually deep down find they actually like that player.
Bo Levi Mitchell gets set in the pocket in 2016.
    You would be hard pressed to see a Roughriders fan say they hate defensive end Charleston Hughes now that he plays for Saskatchewan. Hughes used to be a target for taunts from Roughriders fans, when he suited up for the Stampeders.
    Part of the reason you get your hate for Mitchell if you are a fan of the “green and white” is because he is a good player. Actually, Mitchell might be one of the best in the entire CFL.
    Now in his seventh campaign in the league, Mitchell has a 61-10-2 record in the regular season as a starting quarterback, and he has completed 1,592 of 2,428 career pass attempts for 20,679 yards, 124 touchdown passes and 48 interceptions in regular season play.
    Mitchell was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2016.
    He has guided the Stampeders into the Grey Cup game on three occasions winning in 2014 and falling in 2016 and 2017. The haters will likely take glee in the two title game losses.
Bo Levi Mitchell fires a pass downfield in 2016.
    Had the Stampeders won those latter two Grey Cup appearances, Mitchell would be the CFL’s version of Tom Brady of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
    While Brady makes much more money in the NFL than Mitchell does in the CFL, the Stampeders signal caller has a pretty good life.
    Mitchell met his wife, Madison, while attending Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., and playing for the Eagles football team. Madison would become the captain of the school’s cheerleading team.
    They make their home year round in Calgary, are involved with many charitable endeavours there and have a baby daughter named Ele. They are one really great looking family.
    It feels like if you sat down and talked to Mitchell, it would be really tough to actually hate him.
The veteran pivot will dish out respectful complements to opponents too, which another fact that shouldn’t be forgotten.
    During the current campaign, Mitchell is playing out the final year of his contract with the Stampeders. If he continues to have the success he has had, the NFL could come calling.
Bo Levi Mitchell, centre, knows how to escape trouble.
    Like former CFL star quarterbacks of the past like Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia, Mitchell is ready for that step.
    For present day, Mitchell, who has a radio show in Calgary, is an established star in the CFL. The colour he can bring with his gift for the gab adds interest to the circuit and to games that involve the Stampeders.
    The antics that could occur on Saturday will likely have more of a fun twist to them.
    Besides the colour, Mitchell has been a leader on the field and in the community for the Stampeders.
    He is one of those guys you want to be an ambassador for your league.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Monday, 31 October 2016

Rider Nation soaks in Taylor Field atmosphere one last time

The crowd at Taylor Field soaks in the final Roughriders home game there.
    REGINA – Rider Nation truly lived in the moment when it came to attending the last Saskatchewan Roughriders game at Taylor Field/old Mosaic Stadium.
    On Saturday, Roughriders fans flocked in from all across the province and I dare say even across Canada to be part of the last CFL dance of the historic stadium in Regina. It was a nostalgia trip where one received comfort in reliving the familiar.
    The atmosphere was similar to a Labour Day Classic or even the game days around the 2007 and 2008 campaign. In 2007 and 2008, game days were surrounded with excitement by the fact the Roughriders were one of the league’s elite teams after about 15 years of being bad to mostly a middle of the pack club.
    While there were those similarities, the atmosphere was also different. The finality of what was going to take place was in the back of everyone’s minds. This was a night to say farewell and thanks to a park that contains so many great shared memories.
The Rider Cheer Team performs a routine on the practice field.
    People were arriving on Saturday three hours before the 5 p.m. kickoff against the B.C. Lions to tailgate in the parking lots near the facility.
    The tailgate party on the practice field was also packed. The air was filled with the sounds from the Regina-based rock band Big Bad Storm. The Rider Cheer team also came to put on a special performance to the sounds of the Rider Drum Line.
    As usual, the Rider Pep Band played outside the stadium’s front gates about 40 minutes before kickoff.
    At halftime, Canadian country music star and Langenburg, Sask., product Jess Moskaluke got the sellout crowd of 33,427 going with a short but energetic set.
    The post-game ceremony provided a great light and fireworks show that walked people back through time reliving the history of the place.
Jess Moskaluke starred at halftime.
    There were also huge cheers as mascot Gainer the Gopher took a last lap in his old car with the gopher hole roof.
    There were also appearances by Roughriders legends George Reed, Roger Aldag and Gene Makowsky, who each emerged from Rider cap jackets like Jedi Knights. Franchise quarterback Darian Durant completed the quartet to give representation for each of the club’s four Grey Cup championship teams, and he also gave a heartfelt address to the fans.
    Of course, Rider Nation was in top form. A number of Rider fans arrived wearing various trademark costumes. While Halloween was only a couple of days away, game days provide enough reason to dress up.
    The fans are the reason Taylor Field had the amazing atmosphere it did. Those that went to games became part of a community in a community. The regulars that came to each game got to know the neighbours that sat around them and those that sat at various other spots around the building.
    In a lot of cases, the regulars only get to see each other on game days. One of the best known regulars is Connie Dobson, who is also known as #TheTravelingRiderFan. She has made the jaunt from Edmonton to Regina for every Roughriders home game for over a decade. She has also followed the team on a regular basis on the road.
    While cheering hard for the Riders, Dobson also gives credit when the other teams do something well. Over the years, she has befriended and earned the respect of Roughriders players and a number of players from other CFL clubs too. Dobson is the textbook picture of the model fan.
Terrell Sinkfield Jr. makes an acrobatic TD catch for the Lions.
    Speaking of fans, you also saw small representations of fans wearing gear of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos and the Lions to ensure their clubs had representation at this monumental game. It has become common place for fans of other CFL teams to make the trek to Taylor Field to see at least one game in the legendary park and feel the passion of Rider Nation up close.
    The only thing that didn’t go to plan was the action on the field during game time. As engaged as the crowd was, the Roughriders fell to the Lions 24-6 and dropped to 5-12 in the standings. B.C. improved to 11-6.
    All season, the Roughriders have been plagued by struggles on the offensive and defensive line due to injury and personnel turnover. Against the Lions, the Roughriders offensive line missed way too many blocks, and the defensive line didn’t apply much pressure on Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings.
    The green and white will need to address both of those areas in the off-season.
Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher makes one last pass in his old car.
    In the end, the loss on the field didn’t dampen the night’s festivities. The members of Rider Nation have seen their share of downs, but they always persevere and look forward to next year.
    Next year provides the chance to back the Roughriders in a new Mosaic Stadium that looks like a palace. It is also specially constructed to trap noise. It won’t take long to indulge in the comforts of the new home park.
    Even with that in mind, the memories of the old park will never fade away.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Saturday, 2 July 2016

Durant gives Roughriders hope

Darian Durant sets to throw a pass at Roughriders training camp in 2015.
    Darian Durant’s presence on the field gives the Saskatchewan Roughriders hope that 2016 has the potential to be more than just a rebuilding year.
    On Thursday night, the Roughriders star quarterback played his first full regular season game from start to finish in about 20 months. Before Thursday night, the last time Durant started and finished a game came back on August 31, 2014, when the Roughriders pulled out a thrilling 35-30 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the annual Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium.
    In Saskatchewan’s next game on Sept. 7, 2014, Durant tore a tendon in his right elbow in a 30-24 victory over the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg. The injury sidelined him for the rest of that campaign.
    He returned for the 2015 regular season opener at Mosaic on June 27. Shortly before halftime, Durant ruptured his left Achilles tendon throwing the ball on a play where he wasn’t contacted.
    He was lost for the rest of that season, and the Roughriders lost that game 30-26 to the Blue Bombers and stumbled into the basement of the CFL with a 3-15 record.
Darian Durant lies injured on the Mosaic Stadium turf on June 27, 2015.
    Before those two big injuries, Durant has cemented himself as a Roughriders legend guiding the team to a Grey Cup championship at home in 2013 and Grey Cup appearances as a starter in 2009 and 2010. He was also part of the Roughriders 2007 Grey Cup championship team as a third stringer.
    Going into the 2016 season opener, Rider Nation was unsure what they would see, when Durant took the field at Mosaic against the Toronto Argonauts. The Florence, South Carolina, product turns 34 on August 19, so age is starting to become a concern.
    After going such a lengthy stretch since last playing a full game, one had to wonder if Durant could still be a star signal caller. Plus, the Roughriders had a new coaching staff and turned over about two-thirds of their roster from the 2015 campaign.
    Actually, very few players remain with Saskatchewan from the last time Durant started and finished a contest in 2014.
Darian Durant fires a pass downfield training camp in 2015.
    Against the Argos on Thursday night, Durant looked like himself. He completed 31 of 48 passes for 310 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Had it not been for a number of dropped passes, Durant could have eclipsed the 400-yard mark through the air.
    The Roughriders ultimately fell 30-17, but there was a pre-game fear the score of the first contest with Durant back under centre could have been more lopsided in favour of the opposition.
    Toronto claimed victory thanks to a couple of breaks. First, they were set up at the Saskatchewan five yard line thanks to a long punt return, which allowed Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray to throw a short TD toss to slotback Audre Durie early in the first quarter.
    Second, Roughriders backup quarterback Bryant Moniz fumbled the ball away on a short yardage third down gamble in the second quarter, which allowed Argos defensive back Matt Black to return the ball 27 yards for another major score. That score allowed the Argos to go ahead 21-7.
    Despite those big plays from the visitors, Durant was spreading the ball all over the field showing he has a good handle on the system new head coach Chris Jones and his staff have implemented. You started to think Durant might rally the Roughriders all the way back like he had done on numerous occasions in the past. In the end, too many drives stalled out resulting in field goals during the comeback attempt.
    Still, Durant inspired hope that he might be the wildcard in the Roughriders fortunes in 2016. Durant’s play brought back memories of his first CFL start way back on July 12, 2008, when he threw the Roughriders to a thrilling 33-28 road victory over the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton.
    You also remembered his amazing five touchdown pass performance in a spectacular 54-51 double overtime victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the 2010 season opener on July 1 at Mosaic. He also had three classic performances in the 2013 playoffs helping lead the Roughriders to a Grey Cup championship.
Darian Durant calls signals for the Roughriders on Thursday night.
    Actually, it would be easy to create an NFL style top 10 style list of the best Darian Durant games from his time in Rider Nation.
    Expectations aren’t high this season for the Roughriders. A lot of fans expect the club to finish the campaign with a losing record.
    Durant is the best quarterback the Roughriders have had since the iconic Ron Lancaster retired following the 1978 season. As the current campaign progresses, Durant will develop a higher comfort level with a group of receivers he hasn’t worked a lot with outside of veteran Rob Bagg.
    It would not be a surprise if Durant creates new entries to his list of top 10 best games. With Durant at the controls of the Roughriders offence, he creates belief that the team has a chance to win on any given night and that the 2016 campaign won’t be a lost cause.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.