As the Roughriders cleaned out their lockers following Sunday's heartbreaking Western semifinal loss, quarterback Darian Durant summed up the season with one word: rollercoaster.
It was indeed a season of highs and lows. The Riders started at 3-0, then lost the next five straight. They went on to win five of their next six meetings before slumping into a four-game losing streak to finish 8-10.
“If that’s not the definition of a rollercoaster, I don’t know what is,” Durant told reporters Tuesday.
Romby Bryant scored a last-minute 68-yard touchdown to propel the Calgary Stampeders to a 36-30 win over Saskatchewan on Sunday.
“It’s definitely a devastating day, especially when we felt like that was a game we could have had,” Durant said. “We should be in here game planning right now.”
Riders head coach Corey Chamblin says while the loss “definitely hurt,” his focus is now on building a better team ahead of next season.
He says production will be a top consideration as the team reviews its roster in the offseason.
“There’s not an overall number that says guys did or did not produce,” Chamblin said.
“We just have to look at all positions and make sure the production is there and that guys were going up, not down.”
Chamblin says the young team has learned from its mistakes and he expects more consistency next season as rookie players settle into their second year.
“We ended up with the No. 2 defence in the league, so we just have to have a better team,” Chamblin said. “We’ve got to learn how to play the game all the way.”
