Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

CALGARY -- It was the Edmonton Eskimos who figured it out first.

Back in the day they brought in a 6-foot-3 African American kid out of Washington, who could roll out and throw bullets. Warren Moon would go down as the greatest quarterback to ever take a snap in the Canadian Football League.

But the Eskimos only really got four full seasons as a starter out of Moon. By then it became so evident that he was better than most National Football League quarterbacks, even the colour of his skin couldn’t keep him in Canada any longer.

So the Eskimos, back when they were far and away the best accruers of talent in the CFL, went about finding guys with names like Damon Allen, Matt Dunigan, Tracy Ham and Marcus Crandell.

All played a long time in the CFL, for Edmonton and others. But none were 6-foot-3 pocket passers with NFL written all over them.

That is what makes this chapter of Darian Durant’s career -- when the final story is written some years from now on the man who takes the Saskatchewan Roughriders into the 97th Grey Cup game on Sunday -- more likely to be nearer the start of the book then the end.

"I had heard about (Jeff) Garcia. (Doug) Flutie and Warren Moon. Mostly guys who didn’t have the size, but had some running ability," Durant said Thursday, when asked what he knew of CFL quarterbacks before he made his way here from the University of North Carolina, after a brief shot with the Baltimore Ravens.

"Of course, you want to get to the NFL, give it a shot. Everybody does. But once it became clear that wasn’t there… I’m a realist. This is a good situation. At the end of the day it’s about playing. Being paid to play football. The NFL is the last thing on my mind now. I’ve got a good thing going here."

And so do the Riders.

It is the great, sexy tease for every football man trying to build a team. That big, tall stud with a cannon. Call it David Archer syndrome.

Whether that arm is hooked up to a head that can think the position, well, the football man always convinces himself that he can teach that part.

"You can’t teach size," he’ll say. How many times have you heard that one?

Look back though, at the prototypical CFL quarterback who has succeeded over the years. Nearly all could escape the pocket. Many were sub-six feet tall.

The Danny McManus’ and Ricky Rays are vastly outnumbered by all those aforementioned Eskimo drafts. Chuck Ealey in Hamilton, Khari Jones in Winnipeg, Henry Burris in Calgary, Flutie, Garcia, Dave Dickinson in Calgary and B.C. And the QB of the decade, Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo.

Kent Austin was a successful pocket passer, and the last QB who became a fixture behind centre in Regina for more than just a year or two. But he did not typify our game, nor did he coach it when he led the Riders to the 2007 championship with scrambling Kerry Joseph.

"Look at the list of successful quarterbacks in this league," said retired Blue Bombers receiver Milt Stegall. "The best one was 5-foot-2 and 120 pounds, Doug Flutie. It’s not always about what the eyes can see. It’s about heart, guts… All the different things you can offer."

And at 27, Durant can offer those to the Riders for many years to come.

"He won’t be in the NFL, no. But he’s finally made it here," Stegall said. "I played in Winnipeg for 14 years. He’s finally found a home now, in Regina. Why would you want to go to the NFL? Maybe make it on as the third team QB? Maaaybe you play.

"Look, money comes and money goes, and after that all you have are the memories. Why wouldn’t you stay here? Where else is he going to make the kind of memories he’s making here?"

It would be great to say that the Roughriders knew what they had all along. But it would also be a lie.

Durant was cut loose by then-coach Danny Barrett in ’06, who then called him back to Regina. He was third-string QB when the Riders won the Cup two years ago, watching the entire game from the sidelines while Joseph took all the snaps.

Saskatchewan dealt Joseph to Toronto the next year, and gave the job to the veteran Crandell. Stephen Jyles, an import from Edmonton, landed ahead of Durant on the depth chart.

Durant changed his number to 4. He should have picked 3, because that’s where he was stuck on this team.

Now, it’s the team and the town that’s stuck on him.

"Sometimes, it’s about your love of the game," Durant, 27, said. "This is perfect for me. Hopefully this is the start of a 10-12 year run for me in Saskatchewan. The beginning of a dynasty."