Music: {allcanada} Lemon, Durant expected to start

Cleo Lemon is back as the starting quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts.

Lemon missed Toronto's 27-16 loss to Saskatchewan last weekend due to a concussion. But the former NFL player took all the first-team reps the last two days of practice and said he's ready for the Argos' rematch with the Roughriders on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.

"I'm excited about this week," Lemon said. "After that first day of practice (on Tuesday) I felt that I was ready to go. Whenever you're talking about the brain, it's a sensitive area. The symptoms I was feeling at the time, I wasn't comfortable getting back out there.

"Now, I've had some days off and being back and having no symptoms is positive."

Argos head coach Jim Barker confirmed Lemon was back as the club's starter. All that was standing in the way of making it official was receiving medical clearance, which looked like a mere formality given that Lemon was throwing and running with little effort Thursday.

"He has looked good all week," Barker said of Lemon. "It's his time to step forward.

"He's got 12 games of experience now and it's time to either step forward and be a guy who's a viable guy who can take you to the Grey Cup or not."

The Riders (9-4) should have starter Darian Durant under centre when they attempt to gain a sweep of the home-and-home series. Durant was kicked in the leg during practice this week but head coach Ken Miller said Thursday he expects him to face Toronto.

"He moved around outside the pocket, he moved around inside the pocket," Miller said. "He planted hard on that leg and threw and did it well.

"I'm pretty convinced if he's not 100 per cent he's very very close. I think he's good to go."

Miller said the Riders aren't looking past Toronto, but it wouldn't be hard to. After facing the Argos, Saskatchewan will host Calgary on Oct. 17 in a showdown of the West Division's top two clubs. The front-running Stampeders (10-3) are in Montreal on Monday.

Saskatchewan boasts the CFL's only unblemished home record at 6-0. The Riders score an average of 37 points a game at Mosaic Stadium, which is up significantly from the 29.2 points the club is averaging overall. The defence also plays better at home, allowing 25.2 points per game compared to 26.5 points overall.

Saskatchewan fans are notoriously rabid in their support of their club and Saturday's contest will be a sellout again, creating a very hostile environment for the visitors.

That's hardly good news for Toronto (6-7), which has lost two straight and five of its last six games.

Still, to help simulate a similar scenario at practice this week, the Argos had a golf cart equipped with a huge speaker that played loud noise while the offence had the ball.

"It's very very loud there, it's like nothing you can simulate and is as loud a stadium I've ever been in including down in the U.S.," Barker said. "They're passionate fans, they love the Riders and God bless them, they're great for our league."

Toronto won't have defensive lineman Adriano Belli in the lineup Saturday. He has been hampered with a foot injury. Barker said Belli suffered a setback this week and will be put on the nine-game injured list.

That could effectively end his season although Barker said if Belli's health improves the club could re-activate him for the post-season.

"I feel bad for Adriano because no one wants to play more than he does," Barker said. "He's got to stay off it completely and get it healthy and we'll make a decision when we get to the playoffs about where he's at."

With Lemon ailing, former Rider Dalton Bell got the start last week for Toronto. Bell finished 16-of-24 passing for 153 yards and an interception. He also had a 12-yard TD run but gave up two fumbles in the contest.

"It's back to the usual," Bell said. "I enjoyed playing but it's good to see Cleo healthy ... it will be good for the team.

"There were plays I wish I had back but I thought I played well. I played the plays that were called and I thought I executed them pretty well."

Barker praised Bell's performance against Saskatchewan but re-iterated that Lemon's injury did nothing to change both his status and that of Bell.

"Cleo is our starter, he's 100 per cent healthy and practised all week," Barker said. "Dalton played well in a backup role and when we need him to come in and move the team I expect him to be able to do that.

"I wanted Cleo to go through the experiences he has gone through. We're now in the final five games of the season, we're in position to make a run for the playoffs."

Lemon, 31, has completed a stellar 62.8 per cent of his passes in his first CFL season for 2,666 yards but has thrown more interceptions (14) than touchdown passes (10). He threw four interceptions in his last start, a 24-6 loss to Edmonton in Moncton on Sept. 26, the same game he suffered the concussion.

Lemon signed with Toronto in March after eight seasons in the NFL with Jacksonville, Baltimore, Miami and San Diego. Lemon has shown flashes of brilliance this season but hasn't been consistent.

Toronto hasn't scored more than 17 points in a game since a 37-22 win over Montreal on Aug. 14.

Barker is pleased that Toronto will head into the stretch run with two bona fide quarterbacks.

"What Dalton did was establish himself as a guy that our players believe in and if we're not moving the ball with one quarterback we can go to the other," Barker said. "That's a good situation to be in when you're in a situation when you don't have that guy who has proven he can be the guy to take you to the Grey Cup."