Durant and Bishop Interviews…
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DARIAN DURANT’S THOUGHTS
Here is what Darian Durant had to say after discovering that he has gone from Number 1 to Number 3 on the depth chart in one week:
When the Riders take the field Saturday, where are you going to be? “I’m going to be right there on the sideline, cheering them on, and if my number’s called I’ll be ready.’’
Is that disappointing to you? “Of course it’s disappointing. I’m pretty sure all three of us want to play, but there’s only one guy who can play. We just go in there and support whoever’s the guy and give him as many tips as we can. We’re all in this together. We just want to win a Grey Cup and that’s what it’s all about.’’
Is that the bottom line here? “That’s it. That’s all that matters. If we lose, then we all go home. There’s no shot at a Grey Cup. You’ve got to put your pride to the side and you’ve got to support whoever’s in there. That’s what I’ve been doing all year and I’m going to continue to do that.’’
How tough is this to swallow considering that you were the starter last week? “It’s tough, but I didn’t get it done and that’s what it’s all about. I got my opportunity and didn’t take advantage of it.’’
What does this say about the amount of confidence the organization has in you? “I don’t think that’s a problem at all. They gave me my shot in the first place so if they didn’t have any confidence I would never have gotten a shot. It’s just that I didn’t get in there and get it done and that’s the bottom line.’’
Is it disappointing in light of the fact that (Sunday’s performance) is not the way you’ve been known to play? The three interceptions were out of character. “Every quarterback has a game like that. Every quarterback is going to struggle. If you think you’re going to go out there and be successful every game, then you’re wrong. In every position, you’re going to struggle from time to time. It was just one of those bad days for me.’’
Do you sort of wonder how this whole situation would have gone if you hadn’t suffered the rib injury? Could Darian Durant have been firmly established as the starter? “Ifs, ands and buts . . . It’s tough to say, but injuries are part of the game. There’s been so many guys in professional football who have missed out on opportunities due to injuries. Even though I was hurt, I got an opportunity to get in there and play and didn’t get it done, and that’s the bottom line.’’
Obviously, you want a chance to get back in there and redeem yourself. “Oh yeah. It has been a while since I’ve been in that situation. Once I went back and looked at the film, I saw what happened and where the mistakes came in. They’re very fixable mistakes. I’ll get better from it, I promise you.’’
Three weeks and three different starting quarterbacks. Is this healthy at this juncture of the season? “It is tough, especially going into the playoffs. You want to know who’s the guy and you want to build that chemistry with the team going into the playoffs. I think all three of us are capable of running the offence. All three of us can get the job done. My job is to support whoeverf the guy is.’’
Are you Number 2 or Number 3 on the depth chart? “I’m Number 3.’’
MICHAEL BISHOP’S THOUGHTS
Roughriders head coach Ken Miller announced earlier in the afternoon that Steven Jyles will start at quarterback on Saturday against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos. Michael Bishop is next in line, followed by Steven Jyles. Here is what Bishop had to say about the situation:
Where are you on the depth chart this week? “I’m part of the team. That’s the most important thing. Regardless of what the depth chart says, our goal is to go out and win the game. Regardless of who’s out there, as long as we’re being productive and winning, everything’s fine.’’
Can you tell us what the tone of the meeting was this morning between you and the coaches? “With me and the other quarterbacks, we did the normal thing. We went over what we think can win against our opponents and go through our reads. It’s nothing different.’’
What’s going through your mind right now? Is this an uncertain time for you? “I think it’s uncertain for the people outside our football team that don’t know what’s going on. As far as the team and a unit, we’re all close enough to understand situations and what may come up. But our job is not to worry about things like that. Our No. 1 job is to go out there and win, regardless of what’s going on outside of the locker room.’’
Is it tense? We saw a couple of fights during the running-back drills. “Sometimes it’s good to see fights. They let you know that everybody’s still fired up and want to get better. Occasionally, you’re going to have some incidences like that.’’
Does your experience pay off down the stretch because you’ve been through this? “My experience and the things I’ve been through, I’ve seen it all. I’ve been a part of it all. I told both of those guys this morning and even after the game last week that you’re not going to play the perfect game. As a quarterback, you want to have an opportunity to fight through the things that you make mistakes with, but sometimes you might not get that opportunity. My advice to them was, ‘Just seep doing what you’re doing. Stay positive and don’t let distractions deter you from having a common goal, and that’s to win.’’
If you get another chance, how beneficial is it to you as far as your confidence? “All through my career, I’ve never lost my confidence. My main thing is when you get an opportunity, make the best of that opportunity. You never know when you’re going to get the next opportunity. For younger guys, it’s difficult because it’s the first time they’re going through that. With my experience, I’ve seen it all and been a part of it all. I just try to be a shoulder for those two guys and try to lead them in the right direction, regardless of the negativity that’s around.’’
How does the uncertainty at the quarterback position here compare to the uncertainty you experienced in Toronto? “You can’t compare those two things. Both of those situations are totally different. The things that happened in Toronto, they happened in Toronto. And here, with my experience of what happened in Toronto, I can deal with it regardless of who it comes from or what is said. I can deal with it because I’ve been there, done that, already.’’
How tough is it to deal with it? “As a football player, you want to be the guy. You want to go out there and do the right thing. You want to be the leader. You want to be a part of all that. But when you don’t get that call, if you hadn’t been through it already, you could fall off and not want to be around and not want to be in the situation. But through my experience, it does nothing but motivate me. Like I told the other guys, when somebody tells you you’re not going to play this week or you go from Number 1 to Number 3, the younger guys may take it personally. With me, I take it as an opportunity to sit back and watch. You learn a lot and you make yourself better sometimes when you sit back and see things compared to being out there under fire.’’
Is it not a shock, though, to go from Number 1 to Number 3 so quickly? “Like I said, that wasn’t my call. Coach Miller told me what he was doing. I’m not going to question his judgment. I’m a team player, regardless of what I need to do. I did my role for the week. I took the reps that I had and tried to make the defence better and kept talking on the sideline. As far as I’m concerned, I may have been Number 3 but I was Number 3 on the sideline trying to help the guys.’’
You said the situation here is different from the one in Toronto. What makes them so different? “Toronto’s just totally different. A lot of things were said off the field before the season started that never came to the surface. I’m done with that whole thing about Toronto. It’s a different situation here. Our situation is a lot better because we’re winning and we’ve got a good group of guys here. That takes over everything.’’
Does this kind of uncertainty change the dynamic between you and the other guys? “Not at all. From Day 1, when I came in, I’m sure that the situation was a little difficult for the guys, but they embraced me and it’s the same thing now. If I’m not out there, I’m helping Jyles, I’m helping Durant and I’m doing my job. I’m not a selfish player and don’t ever want to be considered a selfish player. My main thing is to do all I can do to help this team win. If that’s sitting back and telling Jyles and Durant what I see from the sideline, I’m going to try