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The Durant experiment in Montreal is over.....

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/15/daria ... alouettes/

No surprise. He was due a big bonus today. Durant is finished. He has not been good for 2 or 3 years. I would be surprised if anyone signs him.

As for Montreal, who will be their QB? I expect them to be very bad again this year.

I guess the speculation around acquiring Manziel is on again.

I remember reading some posts that were critical of Chris Jones for not getting him signed to a new contract in Saskatchewan before last season. I was not one of them. I supported Jones decision.

I viewed Durrant as an over-rated, often injured egocentric quarterback who expected to be babied and who was also a coach killer.

The Riders should have gotten rid of him sooner and Kavis Reed should never have signed him. I feel sorry that Chapdelaine was stuck with Durrant to begin his short lived Head Coaching tenure in Montreal.

Blitz wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:01 am

I remember reading some posts that were critical of Chris Jones for not getting him signed to a new contract in Saskatchewan before last season. I was not one of them. I supported Jones decision.

I viewed Durrant as an over-rated, often injured egocentric quarterback who expected to be babied and who was also a coach killer.

The Riders should have gotten rid of him sooner and Kavis Reed should never have signed him. I feel sorry that Chapdelaine was stuck with Durrant to begin his short lived Head Coaching tenure in Montreal.

The Riders situation with Durant was somewhat like BC's situation vis a vis Lulay and Reilly when Reilly was heading for free agency. Some Lions fans, mostly in hindsight, thought they should've kept Reilly. In BC's case Lulay was 1 year removed from MOP and GC MOP season. In Durant's case the Riders won the 2013 GC, a game they never would've played in if not for Durant picking the team up on his shoulders and more importantly legs for the come from behind win over BC in the WSF. Durant had his best season ever in 2013. In 2014 they were 8-2 when Durant was lost for the season. Then in 2015 he ruptured his Achilles early in the season opener. Lost for the season again.

Just as BC would have needed to try justify to their fans letting an MOP and GC MOP go in favour of an unproven Reilly the Riders would have to somehow convince their fans that gassing Durant earlier was the right thing to do. While a certain portion of their fans accepted Durant's departure it was because they thought he was a money grubbing so and so for not taking the terms Jones wanted him to agree too. The majority though were livid that the guy who delivered a GC and was 8-2 in his last significant action could be sent packing. Many of them were still griping about it through most of last season. A dwindling number may still not be over it.

You don't lightly write off a QB who took you to 3 GCups, winning 1, narrowly losing another (thanks 13thman) when he gets injured. If the Riders had a fault, it was that they didn't seem to start looking for that replacement QB as if the injuries to Durant didn't portend something more ominous about his long term future. One could easily say the same thing about Ricky Ray and yet this year, he hoisted a Grey Cup. So it is never that clear. There are also other factors to consider as well. The fans, the rest of the team, loyalty to a player that may still have it and has just had a run of bad luck. He isn't the best QB to ever play this game, not the smartest either but he certainly possessed the tools to get the job done and that isn't easy to part with, especially in the fishbowl that is Riderville.

Sir Purrcival wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 16, 2018 9:45 am

You don't lightly write off a QB who took you to 3 GCups, winning 1, narrowly losing another (thanks 13thman) when he gets injured. If the Riders had a fault, it was that they didn't seem to start looking for that replacement QB as if the injuries to Durant didn't portend something more ominous about his long term future. One could easily say the same thing about Ricky Ray and yet this year, he hoisted a Grey Cup. So it is never that clear. There are also other factors to consider as well. The fans, the rest of the team, loyalty to a player that may still have it and has just had a run of bad luck. He isn't the best QB to ever play this game, not the smartest either but he certainly possessed the tools to get the job done and that isn't easy to part with, especially in the fishbowl that is Riderville.

If Jones or the previous regime had moved on from Durant any sooner than they did they surely would've received a McCallum treatment the likes of which would've made Mount Blackstrap the second highest manmade mountain in Saskatchewan.

I would expect Durant to land in Winnipeg as a back up to Nichols. It would be a pretty easy decision to dump La Fevour in favour of Durant. Likely more or less the same money, but Durant would give you more confidence that you could still win in Nichols goes down with injury. LaFevour could easily end up back with Montreal but the Als chances literally pivot on Josh Freeman (or perhaps more likely, Johnny Manziel) being able to have success in Canadian football.

It's entirely possible Durant still winds up in Montreal. The only way for the Als to get out from the roster bonus obligation was to either renegotiate and register a new deal before the bonus was due or release him which doesn't necessarily mean renegotiations aren't still continuing. After a week or two of looking for other opportunities he could find that a renegotiated deal with Montreal is his best option. There is one thing the Larks can offer him that I don't think will exist anywhere else that being the chance to at least compete for the starting job. Anywhere else and he's competing for the #2 job.

Hambone wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:30 pm

It's entirely possible Durant still winds up in Montreal. The only way for the Als to get out from the roster bonus obligation was to either renegotiate and register a new deal before the bonus was due or release him which doesn't necessarily mean renegotiations aren't still continuing. After a week or two of looking for other opportunities he could find that a renegotiated deal with Montreal is his best option. There is one thing the Larks can offer him that I don't think will exist anywhere else that being the chance to at least compete for the starting job. Anywhere else and he's competing for the #2 job.

It would make Kavis Reed look good if he can get Durant back at a reduced price. Otherwise his first big signing as GM will have been a complete bust. He didn't just trade for Durant, he gave him a new extended contract.

Belize City Lion wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:10 pm

It would make Kavis Reed look good if he can get Durant back at a reduced price. Otherwise his first big signing as GM will have been a complete bust. He didn't just trade for Durant, he gave him a new extended contract.

Well he kind of had to give him a new extended contract since his old one was expiring a few weeks after the trade. But yeah it did seem like he overpaid for sure.