Darian Durant has had to deal with plenty of haters throughout his career, but he was the one doing the hating on Thursday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback is not a fan of the heat, which he stated emphatically after the Riders practiced in a plus-40 humidity on Thursday at Mosaic Stadium.
“Some guys love the hot weather, but myself personally, I love it when it gets cold,” said Durant, who is in his ninth season on the prairies. “I love to come out here when teams don't want to play out here and put it on them.”
There was a lot of water and Gatorade consumed during the Riders' workout on Thursday as the players worked on the field about an hour and a half in the scorching sun.
Mist tents were set up on the sidelines that allowed players to come over and cool off during their down time in between plays.
“I'm just glad the guys were hydrated and we didn't have any problems in that area,” said Durant on the possibility of cramps setting in during the practice.
The frequent water breaks are a stark change from the old days of football when players were considered weak for taking a break to grab a drink. Head Coach Corey Chamblin said that's just the evolution of the thought process around the game.
“Water is essential for your body, it doesn't make you weak to have it in you,” Chamblin said.
“We want to make sure we take care of the guys, we want to be smart about it,” he added. “It is warm, so as part of their break period they cool down in the tent and take water and it works for them.”
There's been a lot of talk about practice around the Riders over the past few weeks. Since returning from their bye week three weeks ago, the team hasn't lost and a lot of the credit is being given to a change in atmosphere at practice with the pace picked up.
Despite the heat on Thursday, Ricky Foley feels that was one of their best practices yet this year as they get ready to host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
“This is the most intense day three practice we've had all year,” said the Riders' defensive end. “That's been the key to our success the last three games has been the practice tempo and I don't think any guy would argue that.”
The Riders have one more day of practice left before the struggling Alouettes come to town. They'll have a walk through on Friday morning at Mosaic Stadium. Kick-off is on Saturday at 5:00pm.
No Ocho-Cinco At Mosaic
There will be no Chad Johnson in the lineup for the Alouettes on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium as the former NFL all-pro receiver was ruled out with a concussion on Thursday.
Johnson was 50/50 for much of the week, but the team decided to hold the flamboyant receiver out for another week.
The Riders weren't too worried about whether he was in the lineup or not.
“I could careless if he's out there really,” said Foley. “I'm sure he's a great guy, I have nothing bad or good to say about him, I just care about their offensive line, running back and quarterback.”
Saturday is Montreal's only visit to Mosaic Stadium this season.
Riders Battling Injuries
The Riders will be without an all-star of their own on Saturday as linebacker Weldon Brown won't play after missing back-to-back days of practice.
His spot will be filled by either Macho Harris or Carlos Thomas, who's fresh off the six-game injured list.
“I expect those guys to dominate,” said Chamblin. “They're out here for a reason, they've all helped us win games in the past, so I'm sure they'll do the same.”
It appears as though wide receiver Taj Smith will serve as a back-up this week for the Riders with newcomer Korey Williams starting in his place. Smith is returning from a one-game suspension.
Tue, Apr 23, 1:00 PM
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