Which Darian Durant did the Roughriders lock up?

The Saskatchewan Roughriders made a move Friday that suggests they're likely to maintain the status quo at the quarterback position for the next few years, extending Darian Durant's contract (as well as that of Canadian guard Chris Best) through the 2014 season. The key question is what exactly the status quo is, though. Have the Roughriders signed the Good Durant of 2009 and 2010, who led the team to back-to-back West Division championships and Grey Cup appearances while putting up solid stats, or the Bad Durant of 2011, whose total production declined sharply and who wasn't able to lift the team out of the division's basement? There's no way to know for sure, and that's why this is a move that could either pay off in spades or backfire spectacularly.

First, it's worth looking at the many points in favour of signing Durant to this deal. For one thing, he's only 29, so he should have plenty of good years left. It's also worth noting that two out of his three seasons as a starter ended with trips to the Grey Cup, and a lot of that was due to his arm; Saskatchewan's defence and running game were okay those years, but not spectacular, and their success was largely thanks to Durant and his "Canadian Air Force" of receivers. He threw for 4,348 yards in 2009 and a stunning, league-leading 5,542 yards in 2010, and if he can produce like he did in 2010 in particular, the Roughriders will be in very good shape for years to come.

There are some concerns, though. For one thing, even when Durant was succeeding in 2009 and 2010, there were some troubling signs; his completion percentages of 60.4 and 60.7 per cent were okay, but not outstanding, and his touchdown-to-interception ratios of 24:21 and 25:22 weren't overly impressive either. Of course, part of that's thanks to the downfield-oriented nature of the Roughriders' offence in those seasons; longer passes can produce spectacular rewards, but they also tend to carry increased risks of incompletions or interceptions. That's sometimes a worthwhile tradeoff, too; for example, Travis Lulay's another quarterback who's put up a lot of yards with a low completion percentage by CFL standards, and he just led his team to a Grey Cup (and earned a contract extension in the process). Still, while Lulay's completion percentages have been even lower than Durant's (he completed just 58.7 per cent of his passes in 2011), he's done a better job of taking care of the football, throwing 32 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions this past season (compared to Durant's 18 and 14). If Durant can continue to cut down on his interceptions, he should be fine, but if there's something that could sink this deal, it's likely to be a lot of picks.

Durant's 2011 downturn is also a bit troubling. He threw for just 3,653 yards last season, sixth in the CFL and behind three quarterbacks who were traded this offseason (Ricky Ray, Henry Burris and Kevin Glenn). Of course, part of that's thanks to the Roughriders' overall offensive woes; they spent much of the year without two of their top receivers (Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz), they had a wretched running game that couldn't take pressure off Durant, and their offensive line frequently struggled in pass protection. The team's slump to a league-worst 5-13 mark certainly wasn't all Durant's fault, and it's further evidence why tracking wins for quarterbacks is a stupid idea. He can't completely escape all blame, though; although his completion percentage did improve (to 61.1 per cent), Durant still had a generally poor year overall. His comments to Rob Vanstone that it was a tough situation certainly are fair, but Durant really didn't look good for much of the season. If the 2011 Durant is the one we're likely to see going forward, that doesn't bode well for the Roughriders.

The prediction from this corner? This deal will probably work out reasonably well for Saskatchewan. Durant has shown he can be a capable CFL quarterback most of the time and one of the league's best when surrounded with an elite receiving corps, and the team probably got him at a bit of a discount given his poor 2011 campaign. This is a quarterback-driven league, and Durant at his best is a good quarterback, and one you can win with. The Riders now have him locked up for three seasons, and that should secure their quarterbacking situation for the near future. Durant looks likely to be the man in Saskatchewan for some time to come. However, it's still quite worthwhile for the Riders to continue developing promising backups, whether that's Colt Brennan or someone else. If they get Good Durant, then backups can be a useful safety valve or perhaps even a trade chip; if Bad Durant shows up, though, then they'll have options. Good Durant may seem more probable at the moment, but it isn't a sure thing that he's the one the Riders signed.