Riderville.com
SASKATOON, SASK. — If training camp is a mental test, Darian Durant doesn’t just pass it — he aces it.
The comeback is on for the Riders’ starting pivot, back on the field and leading the huddle after missing most of 2015 with a ruptured Achilles.
And while Head Coach and General Manager Chris Jones says these are the dog days of camp, where two-a-days near an end and pre-season games approach, Durant is enjoying every passing moment.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, and I think it’s mainly because the game has been taken away from me,” Durant said as storm clouds approached following day six of training camp on Friday evening.
“Of course as the off-season progresses you say you look forward to training camp, and then once you get into training camp it’s like ‘man, another day of two-a-days, here we go again’,” he continued.
“But now I take every single day as if it’s my last.”
While Durant was in a spirited mood off the field, on it he did all he could to test out the surgically-repaired Achilles tendon on his left leg. He says he’s feeling good and that’s gotta be music to the ears of Riders fans.
Even with the adjustment period that comes from a totally revamped roster and coaching staff, the Riders, good or bad, will go the way of their quarterback.
For Durant, 2016 has a personal overtone, not for himself but for his team.
“Everyone knows what happened last year,” said Durant. “How the year went, the changes that we made in our organization.
“For us all, it’s a year to bounce back, it’s a year to forget about everything that happened in the past and move forward and celebrate the last year at Mosaic Stadium.”
Riders lagging ahead of Green and White scrimmage
On the final day before the Riders’ Green and White scrimmage on Saturday, Jones said his team struggled.
“Today was a sloppy day,” said Jones. “It was the first day where we tried to simulate a game. We’re trying to eliminate the chaotic part of a pre-season game and trying to simulate it here but it wasn’t our sharpest day.”
The Riders have been described as a big physical team, a trademark attribute of a Chris Jones team. But this point in camp is usually a greater test mentally than physically.
“It’s the mental part,” conceded Jones. “These guys, they’re pro football players, they’ll get through it.
“We trimmed it back from a two to a one but it was a long one so it’s a little bit mental, you know, trying to get in their head a little bit and let them know we’re getting close to being in one-a-days and getting prepared for a game.”
RELATED: Quarterback depth means competition across camps
Jones not dwelling on first overall pick
The Riders have been without Josiah St. John through the first week of training camp and shouldn’t expect to see him any time soon, as reports surfaced Thursday from Justin Dunk that the first overall pick has requested a trade.
St. John was a star offensive lineman for the Oklahoma Sooners and his 6-foot-6, 309-pound frame would provide an immediate boost on the Riders’ O-line.
Jones said the Riders can’t dwell on who isn’t at camp and instead must focus on who’s on the field.
“We’re not gonna comment on anyone that’s not out there on that field,” Jones said Friday. “We’re not gonna sit here today – let’s talk about practice and that type of thing.
“We’d love to have him here but unfortunately his representation has made it very tough on us.”
The Chris Jones effect
One of the things less talked about in camp is the impact Chris Jones’ defence will have on the Riders’ offence. Quarterback Darian Durant said Friday that getting to play against Jones’ system day in and day out will improve the offence substantially.
“I tell the guys, the younger guys who have never been in the CFL, that the defence we go against every day is going to be by far the toughest you’ll see all year,” Durant explained. “The different looks he brings, the exotic blitzes – bringing weak corners, strong halfbacks.
“If you can prepare for this every day, you’re going to be ready for the game.”
The offence, with so many new faces, will no doubt need time to gel. Durant wants to remind his players that it’s important to avoid getting frustrated.
“I know it’s tough in practice but just stay positive and sooner or later, especially when we start game planning, you’ll see the results of us putting the offence in day by day.”
Van Gylswyk holding his own
The Riders will continue to be patient with rookie kicker Quinn Van Gylswyk, who isn’t dominating training camp by any means but has shown why he was a third round pick.
Van Gylswyk is capable of handling all three aspects of the kicking game and could be a premier CFL special teams player down the road.
“He was the best kicker in the draft and the NFL teams made trips up here to watch him kick for a reason,” said Jones. “The thing that’s most intriguing for him, he can do all three.
“He’s swimming for a rookie, just like a lot of the rookies are swimming. This is more football than they’ve done in probably their entire life.
“Once he settles in he’s got tremendous talent.”
The Riders kick off their Green and White scrimmage on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at Saskatoon’s SMF Field.
