Durant ready to lead CFL team as starting QB

Darian Durant’s time has come.

The former Wilson High School standout has spent the last three seasons as a backup quarterback in the Canadian Football League but will be leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders when they open their season tonight against British Columbia.

“I’m ready,” Durant said last week. “I have been waiting for a long time. It’s good to have the coaches 100 percent confident in you and have the confidence of your teammates.”

Durant, who re-signed with the team in the offseason, entered training camp as the projected starter but wasn’t given the official title until last Friday.

Durant struggled in the team’s preseason opener against Hamilton but bounced back last week against Calgary in beating out Steven Jyles and Dalton Bell to win the starting job.

“You hear a lot of people saying that you are the guy but it doesn’t count until you hear the coach say the word. Once he did, I was happy,” Durant said. “Whenever you can play football for a living it is a blessing but when you can be the guy to lead a franchise it definitely is pretty special.”

Roughrider coach Ken Miller believes Durant is ready to be a starter in the CFL and has been pleased with his effort both on and off the field.

“His leadership is emerging along with the proficiency in his play,’’ Miller said. “He has been doing it on his own and that’s good thing. As he gains confidence, I know that he will do more of it.’’

Durant got a taste of what it was like to be a starter last season when he filled in for an injured Marcus Crandall for four games.

Durant threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns in his first start and finished the season with 1,122 yards passing and seven touchdowns.

“The best way to learn is by reps,” Durant said. “You can watch all day long but that doesn’t prepare you for a game.

“Playing last year gave me the reps I needed and will help me.”

Durant hopes this season will just be the start of a successful career in the CFL and also might lead to another shot in the NFL.

Durant signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens after playing in college at North Carolina but was cut and eventually landed with Saskatchewan.

Other quarterbacks such as Doug Flutie and Warren Moon parlayed successful careers in Canada to ones in the NFL.

But Durant, 26, says he will be content either way.

“The NFL has always been a dream and there is still time for that,” he said. “When I got released by Baltimore, I didn’t know what football had in store for me but this has been the best thing for me.”