  Saskatchewan Roughriders' Darian Durant looks over the Grey Cup in Calgary. (QMI)
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CALGARY — Too small. Too stocky. Too many bad decisions.
Darian Durant has heard all the criticisms, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders‚ all-star pivot prefers to concentrate on the whispers of support.
“We’re all human, and I’m someone’s son,” he said Thursday. “When my mom says, ‘Baby, go prove ’em wrong,’ I’ll do anything for my mom. Of course, I hear about what people say and this and that, but you can’t make that your focal point. At the same time, it’s very satisfying to prove people wrong.”
The 27-year-old is certainly making his parents proud this week.
Then again, gridiron greatness is almost an expectation in the Durant household in Florence, S.C.
The oldest of three sons, Keshawn, was a college quarterback for the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The youngest, Justin, is currently suiting up as a linebacker for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meanwhile, Darian is preparing to lead Gang Green into Sunday’s Grey Cup match with the Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium.
“It’s our life,” shrugged Saskatchewan’s starting signal-caller. “It’s something that we’ve been doing since we were five or six years old. It‚s been instilled in us from the beginning. It’s just a huge part of our life, and we wouldn’t be here without it.”
This campaign has been a coming out party of sorts for Durant, and Grey Cup week has been the icing on the cake.
While the Riders afternoon practice session was closed to the media Thursday, Durant was — once again —the centre of attention at the annual West Division champions‚ breakfast at their team hotel.
As offensive lineman Marc Parenteau pointed out Thursday, the Riders backup quarterback is usually the most popular guy in Regina, but Durant is quickly quashing that notion.
After three years spent primarily with a clipboard in his hands, Saskatchewan‚s first-year starter has won over fans at every watering hole from Kindersley to Kamsack, throwing 27 touchdown strikes, rushing for three majors of his own and erasing any doubt about whether he‚s good enough to be a go-to guy.
A few thousand kilometres away, Justin Durant has continued to keep close tabs on his brother.
He’ll hit the field for a Sunday matinee in San Francisco and will be flying high above the clouds en route back to Jacksonville while his brother is trying to take his place on top of the CFL.
Durant’s ascent to three-down football stardom has come as no surprise to Justin, who has long looked up to his older sibling as a model of leadership and perseverance.
He’s hoping all that hard work will pay off on Sunday afternoon in Calgary.
“To be a champion is something everybody wants,” Justin said. “That’s something that nobody can take from you and him being instrumental to being a part of it and being the quarterback on that team, he’s always going to be remembered for what he did.
“Coming in, there were a lot of doubts and everything about him, but he ignored that. He knew what he had —the talent that he had. The opportunity was given to him and he took advantage, and it‚s going to mean the world to him.
“It’s going to be, probably, the best accomplishment of his life and I’m right here with him 100%. Hopefully, he’ll be able to pull a great game together — him and his teammates — and they’ll be able to do it.”
