THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON -- Darian Durant still wears the Grey Cup ring he won in 2007, but it will be quickly replaced if he can lead the Saskatchewan Roughriders to another CFL championship Sunday.

It's not that the quarterback isn't proud of the 2007 ring, he just doesn't feel he earned it as Saskatchewan's backup that season.

"Of course it is mine, but if you are a quarterback you definitely want to say you led the team and got it that way,'' Durant said this week as he continued preparations in hopes of leading the Riders to a win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday (TSN, 6 p.m. ET). "That's my goal. I'm very proud of the '07 championship, but I want a ring that I can really say is my own.''

Now in his fifth season in Saskatchewan and his second as the starter, the 28-year-old native of Florence, S.C., is becoming not only the face of the franchise but one of the most popular players in the province. It's a role he relishes.

While he lost his first Grey Cup as a starter last year, a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to Montreal that was marred by a Riders penalty for too many men on the field during the final play, the five-foot-11, 214-pound Durant is determined to even his championship record as the No. 1 quarterback at 1-1 this weekend.

On his website, he warns CFL fans that the Riders are just getting started.

"I'm told that success is a journey not a destination and we're well on our way,'' he writes. "You better believe that we'll be back next year and the year after and the year after. We're here for the long run so get used to seeing the green and white at Grey Cups every year.''

It's that level of success that Durant wants to establish in Saskatchewan, a culture of winning, not unlike that of the Alouettes under quarterback Anthony Calvillo.

"I'm just proud to be changing the culture in our organization and to be able to be a starter in Saskatchewan for years to come,''
he said. ``It'll be huge because that's not a trend that happens here a lot, so I look forward to it.''

So do his teammates, who believe Durant, Saskatchewan's 11th starting quarterback in the last decade, is the man to carry the franchise to unprecedented success.

"Oh for sure,'' said receiver Andy Fantuz, Durant's favourite target who led all CFL receivers this season with 1,380 yards. "Since he's become a starter, he's 2-for-2 (getting to) Grey Cups. We've got extreme confidence in him. I have no doubt in my mind if we keep our core group together, keep doing what we're doing, we'll be back for many years.''

Veteran offensive guard Gene Makowsky, who will be playing in his 17th playoff game and fourth Grey Cup, agreed that Durant is the team's quarterback of the future.

"I just wish I was 10 years younger so I could be around to be part of it,'' he said.

Durant is coming off another outstanding regular season in which he passed for 5,542 yards and 25 touchdowns, although he did throw a disturbing 22 interceptions, but it's success in the Grey Cup that he's looking for. It's that championship success he says that will ultimately earn him the respect he's seeking and enable him to get the Riders where he wants them.

"It's winning the big games,'' he said. "When people talk about great NFL quarterbacks (retired Miami Dolphin) Dan Marino isn't often mentioned because he never won a Super Bowl.''

Durant is determined not to let that happen to him. His preparation this week, said head coach Ken Miller, is evidence of that.

"He's emulating Anthony (Calvillo) in his preparation (for Sunday),'' said Miller, adding that Durant is emerging as the team leader by constantly studying films, meeting daily with receivers, and forming a great bond with his teammates.

What's left now, said Durant, is to win his own Grey Cup ring.