Durant, Ray poised for showdown
QBs are key to success for both clubs
TORONTO — Darian Durant and Ricky Ray are passing acquaintances.
The veteran quarterbacks haven’t had much interaction through their CFL careers other than the traditional handshake after a game. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a mutual level of respect between the league’s elite quarterbacks heading into today’s game at Rogers Centre between Durant’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ray’s Toronto Argonauts.
In fact, today’s contest is one that Durant would watch if he wasn’t playing such a pivotal role for the Riders.
“A lot of people say that Ray is one and I’m two in the CFL,’’ Durant said in advance of today’s game. “It’s going to be a great matchup. There are the past two Grey Cup champions going at it … it’s also going to be on down in the United States (on ESPN) and it will be a great football weekend.’’
It’s a weekend that is highlighted by two of the league’s top quarterbacks under centre for their respective teams.
Durant was named a West Division all-star before leading the Riders to a 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2013 Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium.
Ray was the East Division’s allstar quarterback and went on to be named a 2013 CFL all-star.
Ray has won three Grey Cup games in four appearances, including in 2012 when the Argonauts won it all at Rogers Centre. Ray has a reputation as a pinpoint passer, which contributed to him topping TSN’s list of the top 50 players heading into the 2014 season.
Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish was second and Durant was third.
“That doesn’t mean anything,’’ Durant said with a shrug. “For me it’s all about winning championships. I don’t worry about accolades. It would have been nice to have been No. 1, but if there is going to be a guy ahead of me, let it be the guy who is breaking all type of completion-type records.’’
In 2013, Ray completed 234 of 303 pass attempts for 2,878 yards for a league-record completion percentage of 77.8 per cent. Ray posted those stats after being limited to 10 games by a shoulder injury. Durant hasn’t approached that kind of percentage during his five seasons as the Riders’ starting quarterback.
Ray has noticed that Durant’s accuracy has improved over the years.
“Early in his career, Darian was a big-time playmaker,’’ Ray said. “I remember watching him scramble around, make a lot of guys miss and then throw it off his back foot. Now he’s really settled in (with offensive co-ordinator George Cortez) and he’s in total command of the offence.
“He still scrambles around and makes plays, but he seems more comfortable back there guiding the offence.’’
Durant has cleaned up his touchdown-to-interception ratio each season as the Riders’ starter.
Last year he had a league-leading 31 touchdowns passes with just 12 interceptions. That kind of performance is a credit to Durant’s work ethic and the Riders’ offensive schemes.
“It’s all about experience, personnel, coaches and being put in the right situations,’’ Durant said.
“You have to make sure that you have everything in the right place. Ever since Ray has been with (head coach Scott Milanovich) his numbers have gone up. It says a lot about the coaching and the players around him.’’