Riders receiver Jason Clermont reached the 1,000 yards receiving mark three times with the B.C. Lions. Over his first 15 games with Saskatchewan, Clermont has caught 21 passes for 305 yards.
Photograph by: Dean Bicknell, Calgary Herald files
REGINA — Jason Clermont is having a trying initial season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Regina-born slotback has been trying to get more opportunities on the field, he has been trying to contribute when he does play, and he has been trying to find positives to derive out of his first CFL campaign in Regina.
The Regina-born slotback has been trying to get more opportunities on the field, he has been trying to contribute when he does play, and he has been trying to find positives to derive out of his first CFL campaign in Regina.
Asked Thursday if this has been a difficult season for him, Clermont replied: “Hell, yeah. Absolutely.”
“You try to do what you can do,” he continued. “I’m looking at it as a bit of a blessing because my workload has been lessened and I’m feeling really healthy for it. I’ve got to look on the bright side and that’s a positive thing for me.”
After graduating from Robert Usher Collegiate, Clermont starred with the PFC’s Regina Rams and the University of Regina Rams before being taken by the B.C. Lions with the fourth overall pick in the 2002 Canadian college draft.
He was named the CFL’s most outstanding rookie in ’02 and its most outstanding Canadian in ’04 and ’07, and he went over 1,000 yards receiving three times (’04, ’05 and ’07). But the Lions released him in December, opening the door for him to sign with the Roughriders just days later.
Expectations among denizens of the Rider Nation were high that Clermont would team with Andy Fantuz to give Saskatchewan a dominating pair of inside receivers. Instead, Clermont was platooned with other receivers in a position different from the one he played in B.C., and his numbers suffered.
Over the 13 games in which he has played, the 6-foot-3, 227-pounder has caught 21 passes for 305 yards with no touchdowns. Clermont was a healthy scratch in two other games.
Fans who expected more from the veteran aren’t the only ones surprised by his production.
“It’s frustrating for sure,” Clermont admitted. “But I’m no different than the next guy who has played and had some success and then doesn’t play for a bit.
Fans who expected more from the veteran aren’t the only ones surprised by his production.
“It’s frustrating for sure,” Clermont admitted. “But I’m no different than the next guy who has played and had some success and then doesn’t play for a bit.
“Everybody feels like they can contribute and if they don’t feel like that and they don’t feel like they should be on the field, then you probably don’t want them on your team. You want guys who are hungry and want to play — and we’ve got a roster full of those guys.”
Earlier this season, Clermont said he had to create opportunities for himself by showing the coaches what he could do. That’s an ongoing process, but he doesn’t know how much more he has to offer.
“I do what I can do every day,” said Clermont, 30. “I’m not going to ask myself to do any more because if I’m asking myself to do more the next day, then I didn’t give enough the day before.
“I’ve been learning all the positions. The coaches said, ‘If you want to be a pro and a plug-and-play player, you’ve got to know everything and where everybody’s at.’ I’ve been trying to do that.”
“I’ve been learning all the positions. The coaches said, ‘If you want to be a pro and a plug-and-play player, you’ve got to know everything and where everybody’s at.’ I’ve been trying to do that.”
An ankle injury to receiver Gerran Walker early in Saturday’s 44-44 tie with the host Calgary Stampeders gave Clermont more playing time. He responded with his best statistical game of the season, making four catches for 90 yards, including a 65-yarder. Roughriders head coach Ken Miller called Clermont’s contributions “very, very gratifying.”
“It was inevitable,” fullback Neal Hughes — who played with Clermont in junior and university — said of the slotback’s breakout game. “He’s a playmaker and I’ve seen that watching him his entire career. It was just a matter of time before he got a shot.
“It’s not a matter of whether he can do it or not, it’s just a matter of getting out there on the field.”
Clermont is hopeful he’ll get to contribute again Saturday, when the Roughriders play host to the Lions. His showing in Calgary didn’t necessarily provide him with a sense of gratification.
“I’ve always expected to play,” he said. “I expect to play and I expect to play well . . . The thing about it is, we’ve got young guys who can make plays.
“I’ve always expected to play,” he said. “I expect to play and I expect to play well . . . The thing about it is, we’ve got young guys who can make plays.
“It’s bit of a conundrum and a bit of a Catch-22 for me because I’m a team player, but I also know I’m not a backup. How do you balance the two things when half of it isn’t your decision?”
That said, Clermont will abide by whatever decisions the coaches make.
That said, Clermont will abide by whatever decisions the coaches make.
“When you’re winning football games and the coaches are making decisions that are helping you to win football games, I don’t think you should complain,” he said. “Ultimately, (winning) is what football is all about.”
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