Big Blue to stay in Roughriders green

Following a week off, the Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to work Monday to find their playoff hopes even bleaker.

With only a handful of games left, one Riders loss or an Eskimos victory will eliminate those hopes entirely.

With that in mind, they will pack their bags for the longest road trip the team has ever taken, or at least the longest anyone can recollect.

After their game in Ottawa on Friday night, they won't return home. They will camp out in the nation's capital until they trek to Toronto a week later to play the Argos in Toronto.

Then it's back to Regina for the final two CFL games old Mosaic Stadium will ever see — and yes, we should go back to calling it Taylor Field for the remainder of its days.

Now that new Mosaic has passed its first test with flying colours, most can't wait for 2016 to be done.

It is the way the Riders have gone about business lately, signing players with the future in mind.

Head coach and general manager Chris Jones spent a so-called off week signing big name NFL cuts with CFL experience.

First, the Riders boss, of all things, intercepted former Eskimos defensive lineman Willie Jefferson. Then over the weekend, he persuaded ex-Stampeders receiver Jeff Fuller that Saskatchewan was the place to be, even though they couldn't promise a playoff bonus.

"I didn't even know if I was going to come play this year, so the playoffs wasn't really a big factor," Fuller said on Monday after his first outing with the Riders. "It was more finding a good fit for me."

Fuller, who hauled in more than a 1,000 yards worth of receptions over three seasons in Calgary, said at 26 years old he's in the prime of his career. But he admits he has to get a more locked-in mentally, hence his very short stint with the Seattle Seahawks.

Darian Durant, who decides which receiver gets the ball, is pretty happy to have a player of Fuller's attributes on his side.

"He's a big, physical receiver who can go up and make the tough catches. He's going to be a nightmare for the smaller defensive backs. It's definitely an element that we haven't had here, so I'm looking forward to it," said Durant, who doesn't even know for certain whether he will be back in 2017.

Should he return, Durant will also be happy to have his reliable left guard back in the fold.

The Riders and Brendon LaBatte came to terms on a contract extension that will take the product of Weyburn's offensive line factory through 2017.

"To close this building down and make the transition over to the other one is pretty exciting. It's been a long time coming," LaBatte said on Monday after signing the new deal. "It's been ongoing for quite awhile between me and Murphy (Riders assistant vice-president John Murphy) and to finally get it wrapped up and get it put to bed now is a good feeling."

This year has been a write-off for LaBatte since week three when he suffered a concussion and aggravated a training camp neck injury at the same time.

He hasn't played since, but LaBatte is holding out hope he can come back for the final few games once he comes off the six-game injured list.

During his nine-year career, he had never missed more than a few games until this season.

Chris Jones had to remind himself how good LaBatte is before agreeing to the extension.

"We went back and watched some first-of-the-year film and he's a pretty good player, whether you're American, Canadian, nationality doesn't really matter. He's one of the best players at his position in the league."

Durant loses his No.1 fan

The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Riders quarterback, who went through the worst of times after returning home.

Michael Gordon, Darian Durant's uncle, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 52.

"He was my number one fan. He came up here more than my parents did. It was a tough loss," Durant said to media after practice while trying to keep his emotions in check.

Durant said his mother's brother has been there since the beginning of his CFL career, travelling to Saskatchewan and other parts of Canada numerous times to see Darian play.

"I called him my father standing beside my (real) father. It would have been devastating if he passed during a game week."

Speaking of family

The Riders will be taking a look at the nephew of a NFL Hall of Famer.

Ian Seau's uncle is Junior Seau, who was elected posthumously to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ian Seau was recently cut by the Los Angeles Rams. He was placed on the Riders practice roster.

"He's a motor guy, strictly a pass rush type guy. We'll see how he does in one-on-ones against our people," Jones said.