Starting quarterbacks shine in Riders-Redblacks, but few others impressed, teams have work to do

Saturday's preseason clash between the Ottawa Redblacks (in their first game ever) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders featured two high-powered starting quarterbacks in Henry Burris and Darian Durant, who last met on the Mosaic Stadium field during November's Grey Cup (while Burris was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats). Both played, unlike several other firmly-entrenched starters from around the league, and both of them looked in peak or near-peak form. Beyond those guys, though, both of these teams still have a lot of work to do ahead of the regular season.

What was most impressive in the showings from Durant (seven for eight for 76 yards and a touchdown) and Burris (five for six for 40 yards) was not just the accuracy, but the clear command of their respective offences. That wasn't necessarily predictable, considering that the Roughriders lost several key pieces of theirs (Weston Dressler and Kory Sheets in particular) during the offseason and that Burris was playing in a new offensive system with mostly new teammates. Both of these quarterbacks are pros with plenty of CFL experience, though, and that experience showed through. It was especially noticeable by comparison with the backups who followed them.

That's not to be entirely critical of the backup quarterbacks who appeared in this one, as they each had their moments. Ottawa's Thomas DeMarco threw for 97 yards and a touchdown and teammate Danny O'Brien added 57 more yards, while Saskatchewan's Adam Weber passed for 37 yards and a touchdown (and looked impressive in the process) and Tino Sunseri threw for 16 more. The accuracy and consistency was missing for a lot of these guys, though; they all completed 50 per cent or less of their passes, with O'Brien (five for 14) particularly struggling. It's worth noting that those passes were generally thrown with second-string blockers and receivers (but second-string defenders as well), and struggling here doesn't mean they won't be capable CFLers at some point; DeMarco in particular has already looked good in this league, impressing in some starts for B.C. when Travis Lulay went down last year. It's clear that there's a big divide between them and the likes of Durant and Burris, though, guys who were able to adapt to new personnel and new systems without looking even a bit out of place.

Beyond that, there were some promising appearances from guys looking to make these teams. Saskatchewan running back Keith Toston, a rookie out of Oklahoma State, ran for 58 yards on three carries and looked like he might be able to help fill the massive void left by Sheets. His performance was impressive; he's listed at 5'11 and 214 pounds, so he's a big guy by CFL RB standards (and he showed that with a solid hit at the end of one run), but he can move pretty quickly as well. Riders' receiver Brett Swain, a San Diego State product who's spent the last five years in the NFL (but only received occasional playing time), also impressed, making two catches for 22 yards and two touchdowns. On the Redblacks' side, Colorado product Travon Patterson had a nice 60-yard touchdown catch (helping make up for an earlier miscue), and Wallace Miles (a North Carolina A&T product who spent the last two seasons playing bit roles with Winnipeg) had a team-high four catches. There's plenty of talent on each of these sidelines.

Welding that talent into a cohesive whole is going to take some time, though. While that was expected for the Redblacks (considering that their players are all new to the team), it's a little more surprising to see from Saskatchewan; yes, they had substantial offseason losses, but they're still the reigning Grey Cup champions. Still, it's just the preseason, and there was plenty of potential on display. Now, we'll get to see if these coaches can convert it into more than that.