Twenty years ago this past Sunday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders completed a blockbuster trade from which the team derives enduring benefits. Then-GM Roy Shivers acquired two future Grey Cup-winning quarterbacks — Kerry Joseph and Darian Durant — in one deal on April 12, 2006. Success on the field, spearheaded in so many ways by Joseph and Durant, was the catalyst for franchise-record profits and, ultimately, a new stadium. Our three-part retrospective began on Sunday with a focus on the trade. On Monday, the emphasis shifted to a 2007 season that changed everything. The series concludes today with Durant’s reflections on the early part of what became a legendary career.
Darian Durant’s nickname, Doubles, is applicable to his first day as a Saskatchewan Roughrider.
The Roughriders ultimately doubled their All-Time total of Grey Cup-winning starting quarterbacks thanks to a blockbuster CFL trade engineered by then-General Manager and Director of Football Operations Roy Shivers on April 12, 2006.
Kerry Joseph piloted the Roughriders to their third CFL championship, in 2007. Durant was the quarterback of record when Saskatchewan won it all in 2013 at historic Mosaic Stadium.
The 45-23, home-field Grey Cup win was at the expense of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who were the other party in the history-altering Joseph-Durant swap of 2,783 days earlier.
With the objective of bolstering the Roughriders at quarterback, Shivers reached out to Hamilton with the intention of acquiring the first overall pick in the Ottawa Renegades dispersal draft. The Riders’ GM coveted Joseph, who had thrown for 4,466 yards and rushed for 1,006 in the Renegades’ final season before dissolution.
Shortly before the dispersal draft, the Renegades’ negotiation-list players had been distributed among the eight remaining teams. Hamilton had claimed Durant in the neg-list dispersal draft.
Hence the two-pronged game plan with which Shivers approached trade talks with Hamilton. He ultimately dispatched running back/returner Corey Holmes (who had been named the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2005), defensive back Scott Gordon and a first-round Draft pick in 2007 to the Tiger-Cats, who surrendered a No. 1 pick that was soon spent on Joseph.
But there was another, less-publicized, element of the deal.
The Roughriders and Tiger-Cats also exchanged the rights to two negotiation-list quarterbacks. Reggie Ball was sent to Hamilton, at least on paper, for an erstwhile University of North Carolina Tar Heels star named Darian Durant.
“That’s just the genius of Roy, working some magic,” Durant said. “My name wasn’t well-known at the time and he got me to Saskatchewan.”
The name was well-known to Shivers, who had watched Durant at a workout in Atlanta and came away impressed.
Those sentiments were confirmed on April 12, 2006, when Durant’s agent called him and said: “Your rights have been traded to Saskatchewan.”
Good to know.
After setting numerous passing records at North Carolina, the 5-foot-11, 214-pounder had signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2005. He was released on Aug. 20 of that year, without playing in an NFL pre-season game.
After that, Durant was left to ponder his professional football options, while also wondering if his next step in the sport would be to coach.
“I was just trying to figure out what was going on,” he said. “When Ottawa folded, there was one fewer team, so I was worried that my chances of coming to the CFL were slimming.
“I was just unsure at that time. I was hoping that I’d get a shot.”
It turned out to be a shot in the arm for everyone concerned.
Starting out as a negotiation-list player, Durant eventually became a full-time starting quarterback with Saskatchewan — calling signals for Saskatchewan in the 2009, 2010 and 2013 Grey Cup Games — and someone whose giant photo eventually adorned the west-side facing of Taylor Field.
Any discussion of the greatest living Roughrider has to include Darian Bernard Durant of Florence, South Carolina.
There was a time, though, when casual fans would not have been aware of his existence.
After signing with Saskatchewan on April 23, 2006, Durant was among four quarterbacks who attended the team’s training camp.
Wearing No. 10, he was among a quartet that included three CFL veterans — Joseph, Marcus Crandell and Rocky Butler.
Joseph, Crandell and Butler all saw duty in the Roughriders’ 2006 pre-season opener against the visitors from Edmonton before Durant entered the game early in the fourth quarter.
On his first play as a Roughrider, he ran for 24 yards.
His first completion, for the record, was a 14-yarder to Allen Burrell. Burrell, like Joseph, had been snapped up in the Renegades dispersal draft.
Durant finished the game with two carries for 27 yards and two completions (in four attempts) for 22 yards.
Then … crickets.
He did not make the trip when Saskatchewan paid a return visit to Edmonton to complete the 2006 pre-season.
Durant was soon placed on the Roughriders’ developmental squad, where he remained for the first half of the 2006 regular season.
Then came his 24th birthday.
On Aug. 19, 2006, Joseph dressed for a home game against Hamilton but remained on the sideline while nursing a knee injury.
Crandell started at quarterback, only to suffer a dislocated left elbow during the first quarter.
Butler went the rest of the way as Saskatchewan won, 46-15, and improved its record to 4-5.
The lopsided win did not enhance the job security of Shivers, who was surprisingly fired two days later and replaced by Eric Tillman.
It was Tillman, incidentally, who had placed Durant on the Renegades’ negotiation list while serving as Ottawa’s GM.
Upon joining the Roughriders, Tillman retained Head Coach Danny Barrett, who activated Durant for the Aug. 26, 2006 rematch in Hamilton.
Joseph dressed once again, but was rested as a precaution. Butler got the start and performed brilliantly, helping the Roughriders win 51-8.
With the Roughriders ahead 41-8, Durant entered the game midway through the fourth quarter after Donald Ruiz — another dispersal-draft addition from Ottawa — returned an interception 38 yards to Hamilton’s 32.
Durant’s first regular-season series in the pro ranks began when he handed off to Shermar Bracey for a one-yard gain. On second down, Durant scrambled for 20 yards. Bracey then capped the brisk possession with an 11-yard touchdown run.
Welcome to the CFL, Doubles!
Durant was also at the controls for Saskatchewan’s next possession — a nine-play, 54-yard trek that concluded with a chip-shot field goal by Luca Congi.
The Roughriders ran the ball seven times on that clock-killing march. The only passing play was Durant’s first CFL completion. On second-and-10, he found Corey Grant for 14 yards
A fitting number, considering that 14 also adorned Durant’s jersey at the time.
“I wanted a number with ‘4’ in it,” he noted.
Joseph, however, was No. 4. When the Roughriders opened workouts in 2006, defensive back Jerome Braziel wore No. 14. That number became available when Braziel was released on June 11, 2006.
No. 14, Darian Durant, was on the Roughriders’ 42-man roster for eight games as a CFL player.
“Then, right before the playoffs, I was demoted to the practice squad,” he said. “I was really upset at that time. I went back to my apartment in Regina, on the south side of Parliament Avenue, and I started packing my stuff.
“I called Eric Tillman and I told him I was going home — that I didn’t want to play anymore. I didn’t understand how these guys (on the active roster) were going to be making $3,000 or $4,000 in the playoffs and then I get demoted to practice squad at the end of the season. That left a bad taste in my mouth.
“I have to give Eric so much credit for me continuing my career in Saskatchewan, because he actually came to see me. My flight was the next day. I had all my bags packed. He came to my apartment and he said, ‘Look, we’re going to pay you for the playoffs. You can go home. Just start training and get ready for next year. We’re going to need you next year. Don’t worry about it.’
“I just had the biggest smile on my face. That gave me the motivation to go home after the ’06 season and make sure I worked out to every bit of my ability and came back for the ’07 season, ready to go.
“I really have to thank Eric Tillman for bringing me back in the fold, because if he didn’t come to my apartment that day and we didn’t have that conversation …
“If I did what he knew I could do, I’d be fine. Eric believed in me from the beginning. After he came to my apartment, I was all in for the ’07 season.”
But it was so close to not happening.
“That close,” Durant concurred.
Barrett was, by then, close to the end of his tenure in Saskatchewan. Tillman opted not to renew Barrett’s contract after the 2006 season and soon named Kent Austin the Head Coach.
Eight more weeks elapsed before Tillman traded Butler to the Tiger-Cats — it always seems to be Hamilton, doesn’t it? — in a deal that bore some resemblance to the April 12, 2006 blockbuster.
Once again, the Roughriders and Tiger-Cats exchanged negotiation-list quarterbacks. Bret Meyer’s rights were transferred to Hamilton in return for those of Dalton Bell.
Three CFL Draft picks also changed hands in that transaction, which brought receiver D.J. Flick and offensive lineman Wayne Smith to Saskatchewan. Flick and Smith were both impactful regulars for a Grey Cup-winning Roughriders team in 2007.
Durant was also entrenched on the roster, albeit as an understudy to Joseph and Crandell.
Joseph went on to become the fourth (and most-recent) Roughrider to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. When he needed a breather, it Crandell invariably entered the game.
Durant dressed for all 18 regular-season games, both West Division playoff contests and the 95th Grey Cup Game, in which Saskatchewan defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19.
Without receiving as much as one snap in 21 games that season, Durant was a champion.
Lack of playing time did not preclude a progressive year for No. 14, who benefited from the mentorship of Joseph, Crandell, Austin and then-Offensive Co-ordinator Ken Miller.
“I think that year is what really laid the foundation for my success,” Durant reflected.
“Kerry and Marcus were two of the best veterans a young guy could ask for. A lot of veterans in that situation would withhold information or treat you like you shouldn’t even be there. They didn’t treat me like that at all.
“Coach (Paul) LaPolice was there, too. With LaPo and Coach Miller and Coach Austin, I was learning the ins and outs of offences in the CFL, what defences are trying to do, how you need to attack certain teams and defences.
“They saw how quickly I picked up the offence and they started to ask me for my input: ‘Doubles, what do you think about this play? What would you do against this coverage? How should we attack?’ It was just crazy to me.
“Not being on the field didn’t really affect me that much because I had so much input in the meeting rooms. They made me feel like I was really one of the guys and like I was a part of the starting offence.
“I learned so much in ’07. I don’t have any animosity toward not seeing the field. Kerry was the league’s MOP. He was playing at such a high level that year.
“Putting all that together is what really laid the foundation for my success as we moved into ’08.”
Oh, were there moves in ’08!
Feb. 11: Saskatchewan acquired quarterback Steven Jyles from Edmonton.
March 5: Joseph was shockingly traded to Toronto. Crandell, who had quarterbacked the Calgary Stampeders to a title in 2001, was quickly anointed the starter.
As a result of those two transactions, Durant began the 2008 season at No. 3 on the depth chart … again.
Crandell enjoyed a strong start to the 2008 season, throwing two touchdown passes in a 34-13, Week 1 win over Edmonton.
The Roughriders then travelled to B.C. for a July 4, 2008 matchup with the Lions.
Crandell left the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
Jyles threw a second-quarter TD pass to Andy Fantuz, only to wane in effectiveness by halftime. B.C. led 14-10 at that point.
Hence the decision to deploy Durant for the second half.
“Coach Miller looked at me and said, ‘I don’t care what happens. You’re going in,’ ” Durant said.
The offence, under Durant, was conservative but mistake-free. Saskatchewan ultimately won 26-16.
Miller announced three days later that Durant would start in Week 3 against Hamilton.
He came out firing, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns — including a 30-yard toss to Weston Dressler for the first six-pointer of his illustrious CFL career — as Saskatchewan won 33-28 at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
A 67-yard pass from Durant to Dressler set up the winning TD run by Wes Cates, who scored from a yard out with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Durant followed up a week later by amassing 349 aerial yards and throwing for three scores in his first start at historic Mosaic Stadium. He also ran seven times for 52 yards and another major as Saskatchewan defeated the Anthony Calvillo-quarterbacked Montreal side 41-33.
“I had been in the system for a year and I had been giving input, so I had pretty much mastered the system,” Durant said. “It made it so much easier for me.”
As was the case in 2007, the Roughriders were getting spectacular play from a quarterback who was resplendent in a No. 4 jersey.
After Joseph was dealt, Durant requested No. 4 for two reasons:
He had worn No. 4 at Wilson High School (in Florence, South Carolina) and with the Tar Heels.
To pay tribute to a friend and mentor, who was then the CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Player.
“That meant a lot,” Joseph said. “It’s just the respect we have for each other, the love we have for each other, and the passion that we have for the game.
“When he wanted to go from 14 to 4, I felt really proud to see him wear it and to go on to win a Grey Cup as a starter.”
But first, there were more detours for Durant, beginning with a July 27, 2008 home date against Toronto.
Joseph, making his return to Regina, was honoured before the game by being presented with the Presidents’ Ring to recognize the contributions he made to the community over two seasons in Saskatchewan.
He proceeded to score the game’s first touchdown, scrambling for a 13-yard major early in the second quarter. By then, however, Durant was out of the game with a rib injury that sidelined him for several weeks.
With Jyles at the controls, Saskatchewan proceeded to win 28-22 to improve its record to 5-0. Crandell was the quarterback of record the following week as the Roughriders enjoyed their best start (6-0) of the post-Second World War era.
But the things became, well, chaotic isn’t too strong a word.
Saskatchewan lost two games in a row.
Crandell was cut.
Rocket-armed Michael Bishop was acquired from Toronto and, on short notice, installed as the starting QB.
Back-to-back wins over Winnipeg ensued.
Then came four losses in a five-game span.
Cue the quarterback carousel.
Saskatchewan finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, starting a different quarterback each time.
Durant. Jyles. Bishop.
Bishop started the regular-season finale, which proved to be a classic.
During a game in which Joseph threw five touchdown passes, Toronto led 21-7 after the first quarter, 24-17 at halftime and 31-17 after 45 minutes.
Saskatchewan responded by erupting for 28 of the 35 points that were scored in the fourth quarter.
Bishop’s one-yard TD run, converted by Congi, created a 35-35 tie at 13:35 of the fourth quarter. Just 73 seconds later, Neal Hughes’ two-yard TD run provided the winning points.
Saskatchewan won, 45-38, even though Bishop had served up four interceptions without throwing for a score.
One of those “only in the CFL” wins enabled Saskatchewan to finish the regular season at 12-6 for the second consecutive year. The Roughriders also emulated the 2007 team by playing host to the West Division Semi-Final.
End of comparison.
Bishop threw three interceptions in a 33-12 loss to B.C. He was summarily released.
Miller, with the endorsement of Tillman, declared that No. 4 would be No. 1 on the depth chart to open training camp in 2009.
The rest is history.