First and goal

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2010 (5835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines that jumped out while observing the past week of Canadian Football League action:

 1 There’s still a ton of football left to be played, but if yours truly had to pick a Most Outstanding Player winner right here and now it would be Saskatchewan Roughriders QB Darian Durant.

He’s got solid numbers, has his squad battling for first, is adored by his teammates and continues to work on his craft. Case in point, during the bye week the Rider pivot remained in Regina to look over film to correct what he called "bone-headed mistakes."

"It says a lot about him with his leadership by example and his motivation to do well," explained Riders head coach Ken Miller. "He and (receiver) Prechae (Rodriguez) got together at least two or three times to throw routes so it was good. Darian has a lot of room for growth but certainly I don’t want him to focus just on the negatives. I want him to see and relish and build on some of the things he’s done positively."

Added B.C. boss Wally Buono, who thought Durant should have been the West Division MOP last year ahead of Calgary’s Joffrey Reynolds: "The guy has come into his own world," Buono told The Globe and Mail. "He’s got good leadership skills. He’s smart, has a tremendous arm. He’s the next big thing, if he keeps progressing."

 2 Discuss among yourselves… is the quick-fix route the B.C. Lions are taking to get back in the playoff race — signing former Toronto Argonaut defensive end Jonathan Brown, 34, and ex-Edmonton Eskimo hog Joe McGrath — something the Winnipeg Blue Bombers should consider? Derick Armstrong, anyone, to add a veteran presence to the receiving corps?

 3 Hard to imagine another CFL player who has intrigued more teams without playing a down than Canadian defensive lineman Corey Mace. Bombers fans will remember Mace as the team’s first pick (11th overall) in the 2007 Canadian Draft. He landed a spot on the Buffalo Bills practice roster after finishing his college days at Wyoming, and the Bombers shipped his rights to Hamilton in 2008 for Zeke Moreno. The Ticats then included him in the trade with Toronto that brought Arland Bruce III to Steeltown and over the weekend the Argos sent him to Calgary for Canadian linebacker Tristan Black.

He’s said to have had a workout with the San Diego Chargers, but the Stamps are hopeful he’ll be in their colours soon. "I’m confident (that he’ll be here)," said Stamps GM and head coach John Hufnagel. "I hope I don’t get surprised."

 4 Great point made this past week by Rob Vanstone, my colleague at the Regina Leader-Post, who notes that the Eskimos desperately need a GM who understands all the intricacies and nuances of the salary-management system. True that. The Eskimos were often said to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their rivals but the cap has changed the game for the Green and Gold — and levelled the playing field. No coincidence to some that the decline of the Esks has coincided with the enforcement of the cap.

 5 And finally, my annual complaint about the CFL ‘bye’ weeks. Let me state again for the record that I hate it. We understand the need to give players’ bodies a break and all that, but there are only eight teams and four games a week. Let’s make it an 18-week regular season and, if they must, move the Grey Cup up a week in November because cutting the sked in half over two weeks in the summer is like serving somebody their favourite dish and then yanking it away halfway through the meal.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca