Darian Durant is still the Riders' chosen quarterback despite a down 2011.

Continuing our CFL Camp Countdown series, here's a look at what's ahead for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, based off Thursday's conference call with team president Jim Hopson, general manager Brendan Taman and head coach Corey Chamblin.

— This offseason saw plenty of moves made at quarterback, with Hamilton and Toronto both making notable trades to try and upgrade their starters. The 5-13 Riders finished below both of those teams last season, but are standing pat with Darian Durant. Chamblin said his role as starter heading into the season isn't in question.

"Darian is our leader," Chamblin said. "We know he'll take us where we need to go, where we want to go."

—That makes sense from this standpoint; Durant didn't have a great 2011, but was very solid in both 2009 and 2010, and was a crucial part of the Riders' back-to-back runs to Grey Cup games. Taman cited that success as the main reason behind their faith in Durant.

"We were struggling last year; there were a lot of reasons for that, but our starting quarterback has been to two of the last three Grey Cups," Taman said. "I don't think that's luck."

Jim Popp's Alouettes aren't coming off a Grey Cup for the first time in three years.

Continuing our CFL Camp Countdown series of training camp previews, here's a look at the Montreal Alouettes, based off this week's conference call with general manager Jim Popp, head coach Marc Trestman and team president Ray Lalonde.

— The Alouettes' decision to stock up on Canadian quarterbacks has already been covered here, but there were plenty of other interesting moments on Wednesday's call. Perhaps the most notable overall theme revolved around how this team's going through substantial change; after winning back-to-back Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010, they lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, and they've already seen plenty of offseason turnover. Offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich left to take the head job in Toronto, offensive line coach Jonathan Himebauch followed (and then jumped to the NCAA), and defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar departed for the Purdue Boilermakers. New coordinators Marcus Brady (offence) and Jeff Reinebold will definitely bring somewhat different styles and their own innovations to the table, but Trestman said that the Alouettes' way of doing things will largely remain a constant.

"We have a whole new chemistry on our staff this year," Trestman said. "There is a reinforcement process of, yes, coaching the coaches into the way we do things."

Acadia Axemen QB Kyle Graves, seen during a 2011 practice, is off to Montreal.Former

When top Canadian quarterback prospect Kyle Quinlan signed with the Montreal Alouettes, it didn't seem like a particularly great thing for the non-import quarterback cause given Montreal's quarterbacking depth. At first glance, the Alouettes' addition of a second CIS quarterback, Acadia's Kyle Graves, doesn't seem much different; both Quinlan and Graves aren't going to have an easy time making this team, and there were even some suggestions that they might be asked to change positions the way other CIS quarterbacks have in the past (see QB-turned-FB Mathieu Bertrand for an example). However, on a CFL season preview call about the Alouettes Wednesday, Montreal general manager Jim Popp and head coach Marc Trestman had several interesting things to say about the two Canadian quarterbacks they added, and it was easy to leave it with a feeling that this might just be a positive for Canadian quarterbacks after all.

Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice will have plenty of new faces to instruct this season.

Much like last season, the CFL is doing a series of season preview calls with coaches and executives from each team to discuss their upcoming season. We're planning to sit in on each one, and will break down the highlights from each here. First up, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

— Winnipeg was widely criticized for not doing much in the offseason following a league-worst 4-14 2010 campaign, but general manager Joe Mack was vindicated for his belief in his squad when they went 10-8 in 2011, claimed the top East Division playoff berth and went all the way to the Grey Cup game. This offseason has already seen substantially more turnover, though, including the retirement of legendary defensive tackle Doug Brown, the free-agency departure of star guard Brendon LaBatte and the trade of veteran defensive end Odell Willis. However, Mack said he's quite comfortable with the moves they've made this year.

"As great as it was going to the Grey Cup, we want to win Grey Cups, and we've made some decisions we think will help this year," Mack said.

— Willis in particular seems like a notable loss, as he tied for the CFL lead with 13 sacks last season. He's also the second prominent defensive end the Bombers have lost in two seasons, as 2010 CFL sack leader Phillip Hunt left for the NFL following that campaign. Head coach Paul LaPolice isn't worried about the sacks vanishing, though, and he has particularly high confidence in young players like Jason Vega and Kenny Mainor.

"We feel like we have some young players who can help us in that regard," LaPolice said. "We like the players we have. We have to put them in a position to succeed."

— LaPolice said the focus on racking up sacks isn't going anywhere.

"We feel it's crucially important in the Canadian Football League to get to the quarterback," he said. "That's a philosophy we'll continue to build on."

Kyle Quinlan hurdles Laval's Dominic Noel at November's Vanier Cup.

There's been a lot of attention around Kyle Quinlan this year, as he bounced back from an ugly police incident and team-imposed suspension to lead the McMaster Marauders to the Vanier Cup and was widely seen as the top Canadian quarterbacking prospect out there, but wasn't selected in last week's CFL Draft. Now, Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette has reported that Quinlan has signed with the Montreal Alouettes, and Quinlan seemed to issue a non-confirmation confirmation to Drew Edwards of The Hamilton Spectator, so it looks like he will make it to at least their initial camp. Quinlan's reported move to the Alouettes carries some positives for those who'd like to see a Canadian quarterback succeed in the CFL, and it will certainly add to the ongoing debate about non-import pivots. However,  it's not uniformly great for the overall cause of Canadian quarterbacks, and that's primarily thanks to the team Quinlan has signed with.

There is a lot of attention surrounding the recent death Junior Seau (Getty Images)of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau and even more media speculation linking his apparent suicide to a 20 year professional football career. It would seem plausible to assume the "anti-football" advocates have begun to unsheathe their knives anticipating their collective sharpening, as they use this tragic event to demonize the sport of football and further their agenda.

We've all seen this before. Issues of personal tragedy often morph into social concern, spearheaded by credible, passionate advocates that have had their lives personally touched by tragic events. A wake up call for some, a way to honour the memory of a departed loved one for others. Either way, life will never be the same and we hope any change — socially or legislatively — will be for the common good. A quick Google search of "Mothers Against..." quickly finds a litany of advocacy groups headlined by arguably the most influential group of the last quarter century, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Others, unfortunately fail to gain any political traction and assume the role of fridge advocacy. But nevertheless provide a voice for those affected by its circumstances.

Jabar Westerman (at right, with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon) was taken second overall Thursday.

Some are skeptical of the idea that football talent can run in the blood, but don't tell that to Jabar Westerman. The B.C. Lions' newest defensive end, chosen second overall in Thursday's CFL draft from Eastern Michigan, comes from quite the football family, and is the youngest of three brothers who have shown remarkable gridiron talent. The oldest brother, Jamaal, is a linebacker for the NFL's Miami Dolphins, while middle brother Jawaan played wide receiver at Rutgers and participated in the CFL's evaluation camp with Jabar in March; although Jawaan wasn't drafted Thursday, he may still catch on with a team in the weeks to come. Jabar Westerman said on a conference call Thursday that his family has played a crucial role in his success, supporting him throughout his football career thus far and preparing him for the draft.

"The family's always helped me," he said. "Family is really how I got through this whole situation."

Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, seen at centre celebrating Laval's 2011 Mitchell Bowl win, may make a big CFL impact.

Much of the attention on the CFL draft is obviously on the first couple of rounds; they have the biggest names, they're the ones that are televised instead of webcast, and they usually figure prominently in evaluations of how the various teams did. However, there are often some incredibly notable players who go in the later rounds, especially in years such as this one where there's significant NFL interest in many picks, and some of these guys can wind up making major impacts for clubs down the road. Continuing a tradition from last season, here are five of the most notable late-round picks from this year's draft.