Heading into the 2010 CFL season, fans wondered if this was the year the torch would be passed from Henry Burris to Darian Durant.

After all, last season Durant and the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t lose a game to the Calgary Stampeders and Durant matched up well against Burris in head-to-head meetings. It was a common opinion that Durant’s stock was rising, while Burris’ stock was on the decline.

This season, however, Burris has shown he is not quite ready to be surpassed by Durant just yet.

After Durant started off strong this season and Burris started off slow, Burris has rebounded nicely and is now outplaying Durant. Calgary’s recent success and Saskatchewan’s recent struggles certainly reflect this.

The change in each team’s fortunes started in Week 4, when the 3-0-0 Riders travelled to Calgary to take on the 2-1-0 Stampeders.

At this point, Durant had gone 62/ 101, for 941 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception on the season, while Burris had gone 71/111, for 788 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. Durant was not only outplaying Burris, but he was a leading candidate early in the season for the most outstanding player award.

Burris and the Stampeders are outplaying the Riders right now.

As a team, the Riders had already beaten the powerhouse Montreal Alouettes and had earned victories over two West Division foes: the Edmonton Eskimos and the British Columbia Lions. Calgary, on the other hand, had earned their two victories over East Division opponents. In fact, they had not played a West opponent until this point of the season. Because of this reason, many fans felt the Stampeders’ record was deceivingly-high and they would get a wakeup call the hands of the Green and White.

There was a wakeup call in the game, but it was delivered to Saskatchewan instead. Tied at seven going into the second half, Calgary exploded for 33 second half points and stunned the Riders 40-20. Durant threw one touchdown and three interceptions, while Burris tossed four touchdowns and two interceptions.

This was really a turning point in the season so far for both teams. Suddenly, Calgary is red-hot. The team is currently riding a five-game winning streak and sit first place in the West comfortably at 7-1-0. Saskatchewan is stone cold, dropping two of its last four games. Last week, both facing 1-6-0 teams, Calgary easily took care of B.C. while Saskatchewan lost in the dying minutes against the Eskimos.

The rise and fall of each team has had a lot to due with the play of the quarterbacks. Stats-wise, Durant was outperforming earlier in the season. Now, not so much. Burris’ numbers on the season are: 183/281, for 2,226 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Durant’s numbers on the season are: 177/301, for 2,474 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Besides yards and interceptions, Burris is leading Durant in almost all categories. He has more completions, a better completion percentage, more touchdown passes and a better quarterback rating.

Has Burris been perfect? Not exactly. Though his team is on a five-game winning streak, there have been some close calls. But, he is doing what Durant is having trouble doing currently, winning.

The fact that Burris is leading in the league in touchdown passes and has cut down somewhat on the interceptions just show how much he has improved since his early-season struggles. Since Week 4, he is averaging close to 300 passing yards a game. More importantly, he and the Stampeders are doing what they failed to do early in the season, attack opposing defences deep. Some of these deep throws have led to interceptions, but in the process Calgary has become far more explosive on offence. With Ken-Yon Rambo back and Nik Lewis and Romby Bryant playing well, Burris has tons of hot targets to throw the ball to.

Burris has also been using his feet more effectively to buy his receivers time, something Durant was doing well earlier in the season.

Durant has averaged a decent amount of passing yards a game in the last four weeks, but his interception total has skyrocketed. Not all of these interceptions have been his fault, but the fact is it is an area that continues to be a concern for Durant. For all of the beautiful touchdowns he will throw on the run, he is starting to throw just as many interceptions in general. His team has suffered as a result. In their stunning loss to Edmonton last week, Durant deserved most of the blame.

With Saskatchewan playing relatively week foes recently, they haven’t exactly looked impressive. Once again, this has something to do with Durant. Against teams with winning records, Montreal and Calgary, Durant has thrown for over 400 yards a game. Against teams with non-winning records, Edmonton, B.C., Hamilton, he is throwing for less than 250 passing yards a game.

Now, it is too early to right off Durant just yet, but the fact that Burris is outplaying him at all is surprising. Heading into the season, with all of Calgary’s losses and Saskatchewan’s gains, to see Calgary playing so well and Saskatchewan playing so poorly is something no one would have expected.

Saskatchewan is not out the race for first in the West yet. Calgary still has to travel to Saskatchewan twice this season and play the Montreal Alouettes twice. However, if the Riders hope to get match-up against the Stampeders, Durant will need to improve. With similar defences and special teams units, Durant and the offence will need to outshine Calgary’s offence to win in the future.

Durant may be an up-and-coming star, but for now Burris looks content to hold onto his elite quarterback status.

Follow Hamelin’s work on Facebook and Twitter.

The year was 2005.

Quarterback Henry Burris had just finished his seventh season of professional football. He spent the first two years primarily as a backup quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders, served as the starter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000, had a brief stint in the NFL and NFL Europe, then returned to Saskatchewan in 2003.

In 2004, Burris led the Riders to the West Final against the British Columbia Lions. Unfortunately, then-Saskatchewan place kicker Paul McCallum missed an 18-year field goal in overtime and the Green and White went on to lose the game.

That off-season, Burris had a decision to make. He could re-sign with Saskatchewan or pursue another option. Burris shocked the Green and White faithful by signing with the Stampeders. Why Burris decided to leave Saskatchewan is obviously debatable.

Whether or not you are a fan of Burris, though if you live in Saskatchewan you almost certainly hate him, it is clear that his move to Calgary was the best thing that could happen for Calgary, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Football League.

The Stampeders certainly benefited from the move. In the era known as “Before Burris”, Calgary was in a rut. They had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, winning only 15 games in total. Furthermore, the team needed a stellar quarterback. They had tried to find a quarterback, but players like Ben Sankey, David Corley and, who could forget, Kevin Feterik failed to deliver.

Burris brought a spark to Calgary. He immediately helped the team improve, as they posted a record of 11-7-0 in 2005 and made the playoffs. In fact, since Burris made his decision to come to Calgary, the Stampeders have not missed the playoffs. Burris has led the team to a combined record of 51-37-2.

But, a real star quarterback needs to win a Grey Cup for his team.

After struggling in the playoffs during his first three years with Calgary, Burris finally won the big game in 2008. The team posted 13 wins during the regular season and then beat the British Columbia Lions and Montreal Alouettes in the playoffs.

Statistically, Burris has enjoyed success in Calgary. In his six seasons with the Stampeders, Burris has gone 1,646/2,722 for 23,734 yards, 146 touchdowns and 80 interceptions. Would he have had this same success in Saskatchewan? We’ll never know.

On the same note, Saskatchewan has had its share of success since Burris left. The move did not affect the team’s playoff chances, as the Green and White have not missed the playoffs since Burris left and have posted a record of 52-37-1.

"Whether or not you are a fan of Burris .... it is clear that his move to Calgary was the best thing that could happen for Calgary, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Football League"

But, the big positive for the Riders was the emergence of quarterbacks Kerry Joseph and Darian Durant. Joseph came over from the Ottawa Renegades in 2006 in the dispersal draft. After an average 2006 campaign, Joseph had a breakout year in 2007. He was named the most outstanding player in the league and led the Riders to their first Grey Cup victory since 1989.

Durant began to emerge after Joseph was traded to the Toronto Argonauts in 2008. He had his ups-and-downs in 2008, but showed signs of greatness last season. He was named the West Division most outstanding player and almost led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup victory. He continues to excel this season.

Would the Riders have won a Grey Cup, or found a star quarterback if Burris had not left? Once again, we will never know, but it is clear that both Calgary and Saskatchewan have done well since the big move.

The fans, both Calgary’s and Saskatchewan’s have also benefited from Burris moving to Calgary.

Since Burris left for Calgary, the Calgary-Saskatchewan rivalry has been kicked up another notch. While the two western opponents always had somewhat of a rivalry, this move really kicked things up a notch.

Burris was immediately despised by almost all Rider fans following his decision. When he returned to Saskatchewan to play against the Riders, fans packed the stadium to boo him. Chants of “Hennnnnnnnnry” continue to explode across Mosaic Stadium every time he returns. Before this move, there wasn’t as much enthusiasm among Rider fans when it came to watching a game against Calgary.

Naturally, with so much hate towards their starting quarterback, Calgary fans began to equally hate the Riders. The fact that more and more fans of the Green and White have packed into McMahon Stadium for every road game hasn’t helped either.

One thing both fans can agree on is that the rivalry has been exciting and a lot of fun. Calgary and Saskatchewan have had some exciting regular season battles and have met three times in the playoffs since 2005. The Riders won all three games.

Finally, the CFL has also benefited from the move. While I don’t have the exact numbers, Saskatchewan-Calgary games have always drawn a lot of hype and large TV audiences. Adding another classic rivalry has helped the CFL increase its fan base.

This week there will be another instalment of this new rivalry, as the Riders travel to Calgary to battle the Stampeders on Saturday. A lot is on the line even though it is only Week 4. At 3-0-0, Saskatchewan will look to prove they are indeed the top dogs in the West. Right behind them at 2-1-0, Calgary will look to prove they will be competing for the top spot in the West.

Who could have known that one small move would kick-start such a big rivalry. While Burris remains with the Stampeders, the rivalry between the two teams will continue to be heated. When he leaves the team, the rivalry will still remain but won’t be the same.

Burris has created one hell of a rivalry.

Three Downs With Jonathan Hamelin appears each week on CFL Daily Dose. Hamelin is an aspiring journalist, who has a freelance contract with the Regina Leader-Post and is a veteran online CFL columnist. His work can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.

Even though he was out played by Dalton Bell, you decided to name Cleo Lemon the starting quarterback anyway Jimmy.

Dear Jim Barker,

I write to you concerning your shocking decision to name Cleo Lemon as the starting quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts instead of Dalton Bell.

Before we get in to that, let’s backtrack a little bit Jimmy. Oh, is it OK if I call you Jimmy? Anyway, I was never a fan of your hiring in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, the Argonauts made the right choice in firing Bart Andrus – who guided the team to a 3-15 record in 2009 – but I thought there were better candidates out there.

I strongly felt that Scott Milanovich, who has been a very successful offensive coordinator in Montreal, would have gladly become the new head coach if Toronto had offered him a reasonable contract.

Still, I was eager to see just what you would do to turn the team around.

I am not sure how much of an impact you had on every decision, but soon after you arrival the Argonauts made some big moves. The team got rid of all of the quarterbacks on the roster. This was a move I could live with, though having no pivot on the roster hardly inspires confidence.

A move I wasn’t so thrilled about was the decision not to bring back Jamal Robertson. Robertson was Toronto’s only offensive threat last season Jimmy. He pounded out 1,031 rushing yards last season and nine touchdowns. Furthermore, the move left your team without a solid running threat.

Even though I didn’t agree with all of the moves, Jimmy, at least you seemed to have a plan in place to rebuild the team your way. You wanted to start over with a new quarterback and running back. To your credit, Toronto did add talented slot back Jeremaine Copeland.

But Jimmy, I lost all respect for you when you decided to anoint Lemon as your starting quarterback.

A move like that makes me realize why you went 5-13 as the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders in 2003.

During Toronto’s training camp, in which the quarterback battle seemed to take centre stage, three main contenders emerged: Bell, Lemon and Ken Dorsey. It was clear, Jimmy, that you were rooting for Lemon, as you compared him to “Henry Burris”, but it was also reported that Bell and Dorsey didn’t do too bad either.

Then, preseason rolled along and upon its conclusion the decision of who should be the starting quarterback should have been clear to you.

In the first game, a 13-10 victory over the Hamilton Tiger Cats, Dorsey and Bell both put up good numbers. Bell went 7/10 for 94 yards and Dorsey went 8/17 for 96 yards and an interception.

Lemon, on the other hand, stunk up the joint. He went 3/10 for 41 yards.

How you didn’t cut Lemon at this point was amazing Jimmy. Kent Smith, a hopeful quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders who saw time in the first preseason game, went 2/12 for 32 yards and was subsequently released. That must be some love affair you and Lemon have got going.

Then, in the second preseason game, a 31-23 loss to Toronto, it was clear the competition was centered on Lemon and Bell, the only two quarterbacks who played for the Argonauts. Bell was very solid, going 11/15 for 247 yards a touchdown and two interceptions. Lemon improved from the first game, which wasn’t hard to do. He went 7/16 for 58 yards and an interception.

Just for fun, Jimmy, let’s look at both Lemon’s and Bell’s total preseason stats.

Bell: 18/26 for 341 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Lemon: 10/26 for 99 yards and one interception.

I got to say, Jimmy, that’s a pretty close call…

While about 95% of CFL fans thought Bell would be named the starter after this game, you didn’t seem so sure in the post-game interviews. You were quick to point out that Bell played against Montreal’s second-string defenders and Lemon made some good throws.

Soon after, you named Lemon the starter.

All I can say is, after looking at how poorly Lemon played in the preseason, he must be one hell of a practice quarterback. I am talking about a guy who throws effortless 60-yard spirals play after play.

Seriously, Jimmy, your stubbornness was really surprising. You obviously put a lot of stock into Lemon and weren’t willing to admit your mistake, even when Bell completely outplayed Lemon during the preseason. Lemon is not the quarterback to turn your team’s sinking ship around. Bell has more CFL experience and seems ready for the job.

Of course, this is only my opinion Jimmy. Maybe Lemon will turn out to be a fine starter. If that’s the case, feel free to send me an email at roughriderfreek@hotmail.com and rub it in my face. I won’t be expecting an email…

To leave off, I would like to wish you the best of luck in this new season Jimmy. You’ll need it. Your Argonauts look terrible on paper and will likely be in for a rough season. As for you Jimmy, well, you are the fourth head coach of this team in two years. Don’t get too comfortable.

Yours truly,
Jonathan Hamelin

Jonathan Hamelin is an aspiring journalist, who has a freelance contract with the Regina Leader-Post and is a veteran online CFL columnist. He can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

Dalton Bell has sat on the practice squad, held the clipboard on the sidelines and bounced around from team to team during his professional football career.

However, the 27-year-old pivot looks to have finally found something that has eluded him his entire professional career, the starting job.

After his strong play in the Toronto Argonauts’ two preseason games – in which he was 18/26 for 341 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions – Bell should have secured the starting job. His biggest competition appears to be Cleo Lemon, who really impressed head coach Jim Barker during training camp. So much so, that Barker compared Lemon to Henry Burris.

Dalton Bell is poised to become a starting quarterback for the first time in his professional career.

What didn’t impress Barker so much was Lemon’s play in preseason. He went 10/26 for 99 yards and one interception. Ken Dorsey also had a decent showing in Toronto’s first preseason game, but didn’t see playing time in the second game.

Before this season, it seemed improbable that Bell would ever be a professional starting quarterback.

In college, Bell was a star with West Texas State A&M. He threw for 7,841 yards and 63 touchdown during his college career, guiding the Buffalo to back-to-back Lone Star Conference championships and a 20-4 record in his two seasons as a starter.

After college, Bell tried his luck with the NFL, but came no where close to landing a starting job. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2007 and was quickly released. The next year, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and spent the majority of the time on the practice roster before being released that same year.

Bell next turned to the CFL, signing on with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2008. Once again, he was never in position to earn the starting job. At best, he was a third string quarterback with the team.

This could have been the end of Bell’s starting aspirations. He could have merely played out the rest his career on Saskatchewan’s bench or have been released.

But then, on Bell’s birthday (March 9, 2010), he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts for a fifth round draft pick in 2010 CFL draft. This could turn out to be the best move in his career.

In Toronto, a feat that had once seemed improbable suddenly became probable.

Bell couldn’t have landed in a better spot to try to become a starting quarterback. Toronto was a wreck after a 3-15 season. Management had cleaned house in the off-season, releasing all of the team’s quarterback from 2009.

Bell would be competing against Dorsey, Lemon, Gibran Hamdan and Canadian Danny Brannagan for the job.

Bell had a good shot in the beginning, being the only quarterback with any kind of CFL experience. His luck quickly improved again when Hamdan retired. Brannagan was never a serious contender for the position and Bell helped himself by out performing Lemon and Dorsey in preseason.

If he does get the starting job in Toronto, Bell has no easy task ahead of him. Toronto scored under 20 points a game last season. Furthermore, they averaged only 82 rush yards a game and threw for only 229 yards a game.

The team hasn’t made the playoffs for the last two seasons.

The running game appears to be in rough shape again this season. Toronto let go of solid running back Jamal Robertson in the off-season, meaning it will likely be an inexperienced running back getting the start. Though, Cory Boyd shows promise – he ran for 147 yards and a touchdown in Toronto’s second preseason game.

The passing game has potential for Toronto. Jeremaine Copeland, Chad Lucas and Reggie McNeal are inviting targets. All they need is a quarterback to get the ball to them.

Could Bell get the job done?

Welcome to the big stage Bell, it is time to see how ready you actually are.