After the startling news that Darian Durant suffered a torn tendon in his throwing arms elbow, Tino Sunseri gets the nod to guide the green ship for likely the rest of the year. Sunseri has massive shoes to fill as Durant has become an elite quarterback ever since he was labeled the Riders’ full time starter in 2009.
Since Durant took on that role he has provided the Riders with stability at pivot, up to this devastating injury he started 93 out of 100 possible games for the green and white. That’s a pretty remarkable stat in itself, but more than just starting in these games, he has been a leading contributor to the Riders.
In his first year as a starter, Durant guided Saskatchewan to first place in the west division with a 10-7-1 record, giving the Riders their first west final in three decades. That year, he showed his love for the deep ball, passing for over 4300 yards with 24 TDs and 21 INTs – the picks showing his youth. He helped them mount a comeback against the Stamps in the Western final, and took the Riders into the ’09 Grey Cup where they came up short with the infamous 13th man call.
That loss in the ’09 final was a real mental test. But Durant stepped up in the next season, throwing for over 5500 yards with 25 TDs and 22 picks, as well as over 600 yards on the ground. He helped the Riders beat B.C. while hosting the semi-final and they beat Calgary again in the Western final, but again came up short once again in the big game against Montreal.
Coach Ken Miller left the Riders, and they went through a identity crisis in 2011, missing the playoffs and Durant’s production suffered. He threw for just over 3600 yards with 18 TDs, although his interceptions dropped to 14. This was the beginning of the transformation to the elite quarterback he is today.
In 2012 Durant and the Riders were back in a big way. The team made the playoffs again, even after losing its last 4 games. This time, under rookie head coach Corey Chamblin, Durant threw for just shy of 3900 yards with 20 TDs and 12 INTs, a very promising year. In the Western semi-final, Durant threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth, all but booking a ticket to Vancouver to take on the Lions. But the Stamps had other plans: with next to no time left they answered with a strike of their own to send the Riders back to Regina. This loss drew yet more question marks around the Rider pivot’s ability to win games.
In the following season, those questions were answered. Durant amassed an impressive passing total of 4154 yards with 31 TDs and 12 picks. The Riders clinched second place in the Western division. He led the comeback charge against BC in the semi-final and the Riders went on to win, setting a date with Calgary in hopes of returning home to host the Grey Cup. The fans and Rider players weren’t disappointed. Under so much scrutiny for so long, Durant put on a show all playoffs, with 795 yards passing, eight touchdowns, no interceptions and a QB rating of 141.0.
While the 2014 Riders are not the aerial attackers they were in years past, we have seen a maturity in Durant. Prior to his injury he had not been picked off since July 26th, a span of 6 games.
So with Durant’s injury and Chamblin’s next-man-up philosophy, enter Tino Sunseri with the hope of an entire province dead center on his chest. At 8-2, the Riders are trailing only Calgary, and have games coming up against weaker teams like Hamilton and Ottawa.
We know that Darian is elite; he is closing in on Kent Austin for second all time on the Riders passing records. However, he can only help from the sidelines for now. The bigger question is will we see a Sunseri rise over the prairies at the end of the year?
(All stats from cfl.ca)
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