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.

A pair of Canadian Football League teams coming off losses last week meet Saturday in Saskatchewan when the Riders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Tiger-Cats are in a bad spot this week. They are coming off a tough loss, their running game is the worst in the CFL and now they have to head out on the road to face a team that is also stinging after suffering their first loss of the season.

"The math seems pretty simple in this one: the Tiger-Cats are 0-2-0 on the road while the Riders are 2-0-0 at home"

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saturday, July 31 – 6:35 PM ET
CFL Odds: Roughriders -7.5

Catching up with the Tiger-Cats

The Tiger-Cats are coming off a listless performance against Montreal and they are inching closer and closer to the panic button. At 1-3-0 with a cozy spot all by themselves in last place in the East Division, the panic button is within arm’s reach.

The issue right now for the Tiger-Cats is the offence. More specifically, running back DeAndra’ Cobb and the running game that can’t get anything going on the ground. They are averaging more than a yard worse per carry than the next best team and the pressure is mounting on quarterback Kevin Glenn to do it all.

On one hand, it can be spun that the defence played well against Montreal last week, allowing just two touchdowns, but they still gave up 37 point and plenty of yards in the loss. They aren’t getting help and are being force to spend more time on the field than they would like to.

Catching up with the Riders

The Riders are no longer undefeated. They scored points at a torrid pace through the first three weeks of the season, but hit a wall against Calgary last week.

They scored a season low 20 points and quarterback Darian Durant was baited into three interceptions. But, to put it into perspective, Calgary is a quality team and they have a stellar defence. It wasn’t the performance that the Roughriders wanted, but it was an early season wakeup call that they aren’t going to roll through the West as easily as they may have thought.

Not to worry, though, as the explosive offence is still intact. It just took a week off. The Riders have played well at home this year and they should be able to bounce back.

The matchup

The math seems pretty simple in this one: the Tiger-Cats are 0-2-0 on the road while the Riders are 2-0-0 at home. Sure, Durant and company struggled last week in Calgary, but that was against the best defence in the CFL and the Tiger-Cats simply aren’t as good as that.

Throw in the fact that Hamilton has the worst rushing attack in the league and is heading into a hostile environment against a team that took their first loss last week and the CFL betting choice should be clear.

Football Betting Pick: Roughriders -7.5

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

Through the first three weeks of the 2010 CFL season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were playing nearly flawless football. Saskatchewan’s 3-0 start could largely be attributed to their offence – led by quarterback Darian Durant, a stellar receiving core and a resurgent Wes Cates on the ground – and their blitz-happy defence.

Yet every team, no matter how good, has their weaknesses that can be exploited by opposing teams.

On Saturday the Calgary Stampeders, much like professional scientists, used a near-perfect formula to best the Green and White 40-20, ending the team’s three-game winning streak. In doing so, Calgary jumped into a tie with the Saskatchewan for first in the West Division at 3-1-0.

While some wouldn’t call it a “shocking” upset, the fashion in which Calgary emerged victorious was jaw-dropping. So, what did Calgary do right to pull off the upset?

Put pressure on Darian Durant: Durant is a mobile quarterback. He won’t necessarily take off and scramble a lot during a game – though he is the second-leading rushing quarterback in the league with 162 yards on 17 carries – but Durant does use his mobility in the passing game. If Durant is feeling the pressure he will often escape the pursuing defenders, buying more time for his receivers, before throwing a completion. In Week 1, when the Riders were taking on the Montreal Alouettes, Durant avoided the pressure and threw a beautiful 87-yard touchdown pass to Rob Bagg. So, what is the best way to counterbalance this? Lots of pressure. By bringing the heat on Durant, team’s can force him to stay in the pocket or force a rushed throw and a possible interception. The Stampeders brought a lot of pressure all game long, tallying two sacks. One of these sacks led to a safety and the constant pressure caused Durant to throw three picks. Durant had only thrown one interception in the first three weeks. By pressuring Durant relentlessly, Calgary did not allow him to have time to dictate the game. The defence certainly made Durant look ordinary.

Attacked the defence deep: Saskatchewan hasn’t been the easiest team to run the ball against this season, but they have allowed over 320 passing yards a game. Simply put, teams can have success against the Green and White if they throw the ball. Besides cornerback Omar Morgan and half back Lance Frazier, the Riders field a pretty inexperienced defensive secondary. James Patrick has only been playing safety for two years, cornerback Donovan Alexander has only started for one year and Chris Mackenzie is in his first year as a starter at the half back position. This inexperience has shown early in the season, as Calvillo torched the defence for four touchdowns in Week 1 and Edmonton’s receiver Fred Stamps had over 200 yards in Week 3. Ironically, Calgary had not had many deep passes heading into this game. They had proven to be cautious when it came to attacking defences deep. They weren’t cautious in this game, as Burris challenged Saskatchewan’s defence deep. This didn’t always work – Burris threw two deep interceptions to Patrick – but he also connected with Romby Bryant on a 67-yard touchdown bomb. By throwing these deep passes, Calgary opened up the short game.

Used a well-rounded attack: Saskatchewan has proved this season that one player doesn’t have to carry the team himself. Calgary adopted this mentality, getting numerous players involved in the game. On the ground, Calgary utilized more than just one running back. Joffrey Reynolds had 15 carries, 93 yards and one touchdown while Jon Cornish also chipped in with 77 yards on five carries. This duel-running attack helped Calgary pick up some key first downs without over working Reynolds and opened up the passing games. In the passing game, Burris spread the ball to numerous receivers. Bryant led the way with seven catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Nik Lewis, whose conditioning has been questioned this season, chipped in with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. P.K. Sam had a solid game with 46 yards and a touchdown. Even speedster Deon Murphy chipped in with two catches for 25 yards. Calgary was able to move the ball consistently against Saskatchewan because they used multiple targets. In the process, they mirrored what the Riders do so well.

Won the field position battle: With such a talented offence, it is important to make the Riders start their drives as deep as possible. As good as their offence is, it is hard for any team to score when they are starting their drives so deep. Punter Burke Dales helped the Stampeders win the field position battle on this day. He averaged 48.3 yards a punt in the game, pinning the Riders near the goal line a couple of times. The field position battle was very lopsided in the first half, a big reason why the Riders only scored seven points. Murphy also helped out in the return game, averaging 31.5 yards a return. Calgary had ideal conditions to execute their offence, while the Green and White were just fighting to get the ball out of their end.

Didn’t get comfortable: Calgary held a 19-10 lead heading in the fourth quarter. Time to relax? Hardly. Every team knows the Riders are the “comeback kids”, having already won two games from behind this season. You can never be comfortable with a lead against them. Just ask Montreal, who saw a 33-12 lead evaporate in a hurry in Week 1. Instead of being complacent, Calgary worked hard to put the game away. Early in the fourth, Cornish broke of a 50-yard run and Bryant finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch. The defence then forced another Durant interception and Reynolds ran the ball into the end zone three plays later, giving the Stampeders a commanding 33-10 lead. The Stampeders even added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. With so many late surges by the Riders in the past, it was surprising to see the team fail to mount any sort of comeback. Credit has to go to Calgary.

While it may have just been one bad game for the Riders, the Stampeders followed a perfect formula to beat the Riders. Will the rest of the league take note? Will the Riders find the road harder going forward? Will Saskatchewan emerge from the loss even better? Only time will tell, but for now the Stampeders will celebrate a huge victory.

Calgary’s Henry Burris tossed four interceptions in an embarrassing loss to Toronto last week and now the Stampeders face a near must-win at home against Saskatchewan.

Two annual contenders for the Grey Cup from the West Division will square off Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

"The 'under' has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium"

The Riders are the last undefeated team in the league at 3-0-0 and they are clearly the class of the West. Even though the Montreal Alouettes have scored the most points in the league at 137, they have played four games. No team has a higher scoring average than the Riders, as they are putting up points at a clip of 38.3 points-per-game.

Defensively, Saskatchewan has conceded 89 total points, but since allowing 51 against Montreal to open the season has only conceded 19.0 PPG.

A victory for the Riders would leave them a full four points, or two games, in front of the Stampeders after just four games. They will clearly have the inside track towards hosting the West final once again.

Quarterback Darian Durant has done a little bit of everything for the men in green this year. He has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 971 yards and seven touchdowns against just one pick. With two touchdowns and 242 yards passing, Durant will lead the league in both categories through four weeks of play. The former North Carolina Tar Heel also has 134 rushing yards, ranking him tenth in the league and second amongst quarterbacks in the CFL.

The leading rusher for this team is Wes Cates. He is averaging a CFL-best 7.7 yards-per-carry and his 317 yards on the ground is still second in the league despite the fact that half the teams have already played an extra game this week.

The defence has only picked off one pass all season long, which is something that needs to improve. The secondary is also allowing 9.8 yards- per-pass, which is by far the worst in the league. However, the Riders rank number one in the league in rush defense, allowing just 91.3 YPG.

Calgary badly needs this game to draw even in the West after last week’s embarrassing loss in Toronto.

The surprise of this season has been how well the Stampders have played defensively. They are allowing a CFL-best 21.7 PPG this year, a far cry from the 28.6 PPG they allowed during the 2009 season. The unit has only allowed three touchdowns all season long, also the best mark in the CFL. Opponents only have 52 total first downs for the season to boot.

Offensively though, there are still a lot of problems. Quarterback Henry Burris should have some of the best numbers in the league, but after tossing four interceptions against the Argonauts in Week 3, his stats are lacking. “Smilin’ Hank” has two more picks (6) than anyone else in the CFL and his 73.6 QB rating is the second lowest in the league heading into play on Saturday night.

His biggest problem has been at the wide receiver position. Both Ken-Yon Rambo and Ryan Thelwell have been out due to injury all season long and with the departure of Jermaine Copeland to Toronto in the offseason, Burris has really been lacking solid targets. Wide receiver Nik Lewis, a veteran in Calgary, leads the team in receptions (16) and receiving yards (211). Both he and Romby Bryant have a pair of touchdown catches on the year.

Last season, the ‘Riders dominated this series, going 3-0-1 SU and 4-0 ATS. Calgary only had one game in which it scored more than 23 points. The Riders, in contrast, scored an average of 31.3 PPG in four games.

These two teams met in the West Final last year, with Saskatchewan coming away with a 27-17 victory. They also played in an epic 44-44 tie last October.

Historically speaking, these two teams despise each other. This is an annual fixture that everyone in Canada looks forward to every season and will be the first of at least three meetings they have this year.

The ‘under’ has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium. The Stamps have also gone 6-1-1 for ‘under’ bettors in their last eight games overall. On Saturday night, Calgary has been lined as a 1½-point favorite, while the ‘total’ comes in at 56.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

We are almost a month into the CFL season and while we still have a ton of ground to go over until November rolls around and we are all huddled up in the cold and watching the Grey Cup, one thing is perfectly clear: Montreal and Saskatchewan are heads above the rest of the CFL.

Since facing off on Canada Day both teams have handled their opponents with relative ease. Saskatchewan has developed a defensive identity and defensive end Brett Hawkins has become a breakout star. The Riders have silenced the preseason critics (myself included) who questioned their abiliy on the other side of the football.

"Montreal and Saskatchewan are heads above the rest of the CFL"

With the play of quarterback Darian Durant, who is looking like the front runner in the most outstanding player race, and a healthy receiving core, the Riders are the easy choice as favourites in a Western Division that is no longer the power division that it was a few years ago.

In the East, which with the improvements made by Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Toronto is much tougher than last year, which was a laugher of a title race for Montreal, the Alouettes still continue to be the top dog with the famiiar faces continuing to play at a top level.

It appears that the rest of the league can’t catch up, each team having a significant flaw. It is a long season, but it looks like we are headed for another classic Grey Cup matchup, featuring two new rivals that look like they are entrenched as the elite teams in the CFL.

Melonhead Momma is a passionate Saskatchewan Roughriders fan from small town Saskatchewan.

1.  The 13th man
Yes it messed us up BAD once!!  But over the last 100 years the 13th man has proven to mess up quarterbacks on every other CFL team!!  Even the very poised Anthony Calvillo has from time to time suffered from the intense, passionate, thunder-crashing LOUD 13th Man at Mosaic!!  We are not a city….we are not band wagon jumpers….we do not leave the game at half time if the score is 47-10 against us (maybe just to go puke…but we get our butts back to our seats and stay there until the fat lady sings!!)  We create opposing penalties and we love to help shift the momentum back to our players…or even better yet be a part of helping keep it with them….We are Rider Nation!!!   What other team in the CFL has a nation??  We are not limited to Regina….or Saskatchewan for that matter…..You can find us in every corner of the country and you WILL find us at every rider game!!

2.  Our strong sense of determination and great leadership!!
Our Riders are very fortunate to have so focused, level-headed and fair a man behind the team as head coach Ken Miller!!  He holds very high respect for all of his men on the field and is doing a bang-up job leading them to greatness! And, as for our direct leader on the field, Darian Durant…..WOW!!! I think we can all admit that 80% of the game is mental focus & heart and Durant has more focus and heart than any other quarterback in the CFL. He is on fire!!! Durant keeps his chin up and nose out of the water even if a game has not gotten off to a great start….or momentum has taken a turn for the worse….he is a soldier and he does not cave! I think Rider fans love him so much because he has a heart in the game just like all of ours!  Unlike Quarterbacks who are easily distracted (“Hennnnrrrry” Burris), or can’t shake off a bad decision or bad play (again, Henry Burris), Durant is very self controlled, very poised, extremely confident and consistent!  We Love You Durant!!

3.  Our HOME-GROWN talent… And lots of it!!
Every child in Saskatchewan is brought up drinking out of a green bottle….and has carved more melons than pumpkins!!  Every child has sat intensely watching an “are you FREAKING kidding me?!” Rider win that took place in the last 30 seconds of the 4th!  We have all cried melon juice tears….and have all lost our voices cheering the riders on….we have all been proud of our men and proud to be a part of Rider Nation! Where on earth could you find an army of future football players with more heart…willing to take on more bruises….fight through more battles….protect the hell out of their quarterback more than in Saskatchewan?  Us rider fans appreciate and love all you Saskatchewan raised men on the team… I have a special spot in my heart for Getzlaf and Makowsky!!

4.  The determination of the our defence
Unlike any other team in the CFL, the Rider defence trusts the offence enough to make the big plays needed for the W, even in the last few minutes of the forth quarter!  Our men do not tire….they do not give up and they grab up every opportunity they can to sack a quarterback, intercept the ball, or force a fumble!!  Our defence is well leaded by the very capable Gary Etcheverry…who keeps the D side of the team very fresh….very unpredictable…and very dangerous!!

For more from Melonhead Momma, visit her website at http://melonheadmamma.com/.

Fate dealt the Saskatchewan Roughriders a cruel blow in the 2009 Grey Cup and helped the Montreal Alouettes win the championship. This season, Saskatchewan is playing with a chip on its shoulder.

The Riders had a very painful end to the 2009 CFL season. Just when it looked like the Alouettes missed the potential game-winning field goal on the last play of the Grey Cup, they quickly earned another chance as the Roughriders had too many men on the field.

The Alouettes took full advantage of the break. Damon Duval nailed a 33-yard field goal and fate changed for the Riders.

"Not much is going to get in (Saskatchewan's) way if they stay focused the entire way through"

After that stinging defeat, the Riders  have been a team on a mission in 2010 and it doesn’t look like anything will stop them this year (not even another too many men penalty, which they incurred in Week 1 against Montreal when it looked like they had one the game).

Saskatchewan is playing with a big chip on its shoulder. With a football team that has that much talent, not much is going to get in their way if they stay focused the entire way through.

Leading the way is an offence that is as good as it gets when it comes to Canadian Football betting. After a “sluggish” total of just 24 points in Week 3, the Roughriders are averaging 38 points per game.

Meanwhile, opposing defences are trying to figure out how to stop them.

We’ll get to the passing game in a second, but it’s worth mentioning that running back Wes Cates currently leads the CFL in rushing. Why that’s relevant is because most pundits wrote off the 30-year-old running back, suggesting he was over the hill and past his prime. If you thought he’s lost a step, his 7.7 yards per carry average is telling you to think otherwise.

But it should be fairly easy for him to run – or at least to find space. Saskatchewan’s passing game is lethal.

Quarterback Darian Durant orchestrates the show to perfection, coming off his 2009 most outstanding player nod.

He has completed 61.4% of his passes, thrown for seven touchdowns and just one interception, rushing for two more touchdowns, with an average of 368 total yards per game.

Even better – for him – is that he’s working with the deepest group of receivers in the CFL. From Andy Fantuz, to Prechae Rodrigeuz, to Chris Getzlaf, to Weston Dressler, to Jason Clermont, to Rob Bagg, the Riders are stocked with receivers.

This team is a nightmare to face on a weekly basis.

As mentioned, this team is motivated and betters should be riding them throughout the year until they see otherwise. They are also a decent play on the football betting ‘overs’ as they definitely do their fair share of scoring.

Don’t be surprised if the Roughriders are your Grey Cup Champs of 2010. They are young, talented and hungry, which are all the components necessary to win.

Courtesy of SBR Forum.com.

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.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are going to be very tough to beat this season. This was a fact that was proven in Saskatchewan’s epic 54-51 double overtime victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL’s season opener.

After merely one week of play, Saskatchewan has already proven that they can overcome just about anything that is thrown at them.

The curse of the 13th man is over in Riderville.

The Riders can certainly fight back after a slow start. After all, Montreal cruised to a 33-12 lead over the Green and White early in the third quarter. Making up 21 points against a team of Montreal’s caliber is certainly a daunting task, but the Riders did just that. Not only did Saskatchewan have to put up points in a hurry, but they had to hold off Montreal’s potent offence.

Of course, comebacks were a common trend for the Riders last season. In Week 5 against the Calgary Stampeders, Darian Durant threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Chris Getzlaf late in the fourth quarter to give the Riders the win. There were several times in 2009 when the Riders were down by eight with little time on the clock and they still managed to tie the game up. Even in the Western Final against Calgary, Saskatchewan was down 10 points early.

Not even a cruel twist of fate could stop the Green and White. After losing the Grey Cup to Montreal last season, largely due to a too many men penalty, everyone was wondering if the Riders would get over it this season. Ironically, when it appeared that Saskatchewan had defeated Montreal in the first overtime session, they were flagged for too many men and Montreal went on to send the game into a second overtime session.

The Riders could have faltered here, but they fought through it and managed to win the game. Since they took a too many men penalty and fought through it, the Riders have successfully fought off the 13th man curse.

The Riders have also shown early on that their offence is as good as advertised. Furthermore, the areas of concern some people had for the offence were non apparent in the first game.

When it came to Saskatchewan’s receiving core, people wondered if there would be enough balls to go around. Yes, yes there is. Weston Dressler had 154 yards and one touchdown, Robb Bagg earned 121 yards and one touchdown, Andy Fantuz picked up 77 yards and two touchdowns, Chris Getzlaf accumulated 65 yards and Prechae Rodriguez chipped in with 54 yards and a touchdown. The receiving core appears to be working beautifully together for the Riders. Bagg and Dressler are the deep threats, Fantuz is the sure handed first-down receiver, while Getzlaf, Rodriguez and Clermont are great extra options.

The big question concerning the running game was: can Wes Cates regain his 2008 form? Well, after putting up 112 yards and one touchdown, averaging nearly nine yards a carry, it is pretty clear that he is well on his way.

But of course, the offence relies on Durant. The one criticism about Durant from last year was his high interception total (he threw 21 compared to 24 touchdowns). Not only did Durant not throw any interceptions in Week One, but he posted 478 yards and had five touchdowns.

There is a lot of optimism in Riderville following Saskatchewan's epic 54-51 victory over Montreal in Week 1.

Now, the Riders still have a lot of work to do. Their pass defence was suspect at times, especially Canadian cornerback Donovan Alexander. Furthermore, the special teams were far from special. Montreal blocked one punt and nearly had another. Tim Maypray returned a missed field goal for a touchdown that almost sealed the deal for Montreal.

Still, in Saskatchewan there is an unrelenting feeling of optimism following the victory over Montreal. If the Riders can fight through such adversity and at times make the defending Grey Cup champions look average, there isn’t a team in the league they won’t be able to at least compete against.

The Riders have sent a message to the league and it isn’t that they can’t count to 13. The message is: Saskatchewan is ready to avenge their Grey Cup loss.

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.

After taking a look at the CFL East last week, it’s time to take a look at the CFL West and see how close this division will be this year.

No. 4—BC Lions

Even though the Lions will be starting a Quarterback they intend to stick with, for the first time in a while, the BC Lions will have some troubles that may not be overcome. I think it was a positive for Javier Glatt to leave BC, but I don’t know if they have anyone significant to replace him, and while the D-Line is capable of putting up sacks, that could leave them open for lots of rushing yards against.
Casey Printers made people think he was back to his old form last year, but the Lions O-Line does look suspect and could be a problem for Printers. Printers did well for BC Originally, and again last year. What about Hamilton? That’s right, he didn’t have an O-Line. That could leave some problems for Casey up against a good defence.
BC won’t be far behind the pack in the West, but the rest of the West is just a step ahead, leaving the Lions in the back. Unfortunately I don’t think the East will leave an opening for a crossover, so it will be an early exit for BC.

No. 3 —Edmonton Eskimos

The Eskimos look like they could be making a push back to contention in the West. The offence will be strong once agin with Ricky Ray still in his prime, and having some great receivers back to throw to. Fred Stamps will be back, and Kelly Campbell will also be back after a small hiatus. Stamps was last year’s leading receiver, and Campbell has a lot of speed, and showed he can be an elite level receiver. Kamau Peterson will be back, and even though he didn’t repeat his stats of 2008, he had a solid year, and should be in the mix.
If Arkee Whitlock stays healthy, he could be in the top 5 running backs this year after some confidence, and a full season to compete in. The O-Line isn’t bad, but could be a bit of a weak spot for the Esks.
The defence did get better this year, and although Lenny Walls was added to the secondary, I’m not sure they will be able to consistently shut down opposing Quarterbacks and Receivers leaving Ricky Ray to fight for Shootout victories.

No. 2 —Saskatchewan Roughriders

Saskatchewan is coming off the most disappointing loss to a Championship game ever. The motivation to avenge the loss and show they were worthy of winning the big game, will take them a long way in the 2010 season.
Darian Durant has come into his own and has become very calm, cool and collected sitting in the pocket, and doesn’t tend to get happy feet. Durant runs when he needs to, and is really playing smart possession football not giving up the ball as much as he did earlier last year.
Durant, along with a very solid O-Line and Receiving core, will make the Riders contenders in every game they play. The only question mark on the offence is the running game. If Cates is the man, and can stay healthy, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but health has been an issue with Cates. Hugh Charles has potential, but I don’t know if he can be the feature back. Only time will tell.
The way the Riders can put points up with the passing game will win them a lot of games. But if any team can control the pass and corral the limited run they will have troubles, especially since the defense will have troubles in many areas this season. Adding Barrin Simpson helps, but it can’t replace the loss of Chick, Baggs and Eddie Davis.

No. 1—Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders didn’t get a whole lot better in 2010, if at all. They will however play back to what was expected of them last year. There were many players that left for many interesting reasons which had many people questioning how bad the team would hurt by the losses, and if there was an underlying issue with the Stampeders organization.
The addition of some veteran and youthful Offensive Linemen has brought a whole new face to the front five, but with Henry Burris and his ability to avoid pressure, a weaker O-Line will not have as big an impact as it would a Ricky Ray or Anthony Calvillo.
Burris and Joffrey Reynolds anchor a very strong offense that will see Ken Yon Rambo back after week one, Nik Lewis who will be looking for his seventh consecutive 1000 yard receiving season, and Romby Bryant who can thrive with a Quarterback who can get him the ball deep.
The offense combined with a defense that is seeing a lot of players return, and return to shape in the case of Mike Labinjo, will give them an edge on all the other teams in the CFL West.

Final Standings
West
Calgary 12-6
Sask 11-7
Edmonton 9-9
BC 8-10

East
Montreal 11-7
Hamilton 9-9
Winnipeg 8-10
Toronto 4-14