Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Kerry Joseph could soon join an exclusive fraternity that includes Glenn Dobbs, Ron Lancaster, Kent Austin and … (cue fanfare) … Reggie Slack!

Dobbs, Lancaster, Austin and Slack are the only gentlemen to start at quarterback in a Grey Cup for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL team’s modern era. That list will be expanded if Saskatchewan can defeat the host B.C. Lions in Sunday’s CFL West Division final.

Regardless of the outcome, Joseph will be conspicuous in Toronto during Grey Cup week. Unless the CFL’s vote-counting system is once again fallible, the Roughriders quarterback will be decorated as the league’s outstanding player on Thursday.

But even with the anticipated accolades, Joseph’s finest season will be incomplete if the Roughriders do not advance to the Nov. 25 championship game at the Rogers Centre.

“It’s all about winning the championship,” Joseph says. “To get to that point and having an opportunity to play for that championship, that’s what you’re striving for week in and week out.”

Joseph has been striving for excellence long before the Roughriders opened training camp. His offseason workouts were long and arduous. His training regimen was not adversely affected by a six-figure paycut that pared his salary to a reported $225,000.

Lesser men could have balked or pouted while having their salary slashed by $125,000. Joseph was not elated over the pay reduction, to be certain, but he sacrificed for the greater good.

Look at him now. He is one victory shy of a trip to the Grey Cup.

Kent Austin has been there. In 1989, Austin quarterbacked Saskatchewan to its most-recent championship victory — a 43-40 conquest of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — while throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns.

That victory was a springboard to a remarkable four-season run, in which Austin averaged 31.25 touchdown passes and 5,180 aerial yards per year. The Austin-led offence was truly riveting to watch in the early 1990s but, even so, he is best remembered for a command performance in the 1989 Grey Cup.

“In defining a career, it’s made up of a bunch of collective experiences — not just one,” Austin said. “It was a piece of my career.”

Not to mention a piece of Roughriders history. That is a major reason why Austin’s good name has been attached to a parking lot near Taylor Field. His legend was cemented, as it were, on Nov. 26, 1989.

Eighteen years later, Austin is looking to orchestrate another Cup-winning effort. The first-year Roughriders head coach has had an enormous impact on the franchise — and especially on Joseph.

Joseph has been a different quarterback under Austin. As a noted technician and teacher, Austin has worked closely with Joseph to refine his mechanics and decision-making.

At 34, Joseph’s best football is being played under Austin.

At 42, the Toronto Argonauts’ Damon Allen won his only most-outstanding-player award in 2005. Austin was the Argos’ offensive co-ordinator at the time.

Detect a common denominator?

At 34 or older, a quarterback should be past his prime. The fact that Joseph and Allen have attained peak performance at an advanced football age is a testament to Austin’s tutelage.

But, in Joseph’s case, the project is not yet complete. The West final looms.

For Joseph and the Rider Nation, the 2006 division championship game — also held at B.C. Place Stadium — is an unpleasant memory. In that game, the Roughriders lost 45-18. Joseph looked lost and confused while being flagged for four time-count violations.

That was the Roughriders’ final game under head coach Danny Barrett. Shortly thereafter, he was replaced by Austin, with remarkable results.

But the greatest tests are imminent. Can Austin guide the Roughriders to a breakthrough victory in traditionally hostile environs? Can the Austin-coached Joseph outperform the Barrett-coached Joseph?

If those questions can be answered in the affirmative, it could get a little crazy around here.