HALL FINALIST FOR ESKIMO JOB

REGINA -- Richie Hall has made the final four in the Edmonton Eskimos’ head-coaching search.
Hall -- the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive co-ordinator -- is among four CFL assistant coaches who are being considered by Eskimos general manager Danny Maciocia. The head-coaching position has been vacant since Maciocia stepped down following the 2008 season.
Mario Annicchiarico of the Edmonton Journal reported Tuesday that Hall, Eskimos assistant coach Noel Thorpe, B.C. Lions defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides and Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall are the finalists. All of the aforementioned are expected to be interviewed for the second time by Maciocia, who would be joined by Eskimos president-CEO Rick LeLacheur.

According to the Journal, Benevides has twice been interviewed for the Toronto Argonauts’ vacant head-coaching position. Hall was interviewed by the Argos’ brass two weeks ago. It is not known whether Hall has been approached by the Argos for a second interview.

The 48-year-old Hall, a defensive back with the Roughriders from 1988 to 1991, has been an assistant coach with Saskatchewan for 15 years -- the last eight as defensive co-ordinator.
Since the end of the 2004 season, he has been interviewed for seven head-coaching positions.

By Tim SwitzerDecember 15, 2008


Those who deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on-field product aren't the only ones excited about slotback Jason Clermont signing with the team.

Bringing the hometown boy on board could mean good things all around for the organization.
"Things are so strong you'd say, 'How do you make it better?' " said Riders president Jim Hopson. "But Jason is a rare individual. I was always told by a lot of people that signing name players doesn't have that much of an impact on ticket sales and so on because it comes down to team performance. But I think this will. We'll see a spike in our renewals over the next few days. Partly because they want to see Jason in Green and White, but also because it shows our commitment to winning and that we're really serious about being an elite team. Having Jason and (fellow slotback) Andy Fantuz and so on is pretty significant."

Hopson, who checks the season-ticket numbers each morning, said there had not been a spike in renewals (new season-ticket sales have not yet started) in the days leading up to Clermont's signing, but they were on pace with last season, when the Roughriders were coming off a Grey Cup win.

Even before the press conference to announce Clermont's signing was complete on Friday, the Roughriders were making money off their new acquisition. One fan dropped in to have her jersey emblazoned with Clermont's name and No. 82 on the back signed by the player.
Forty jerseys were prepared for the announcement on Friday and flew off the shelves over the weekend.

"As soon as we signed Jason, we said 'Get 'em ready,' " Hopson said laughing. "I'm sure we'll be producing more as we go forward."

That's not the only value Clermont brings. He was a prominent figure in the Vancouver sporting community during his seven seasons with the B.C. Lions and that will likely continue in Regina and the rest of Saskatchewan.
"(Before joining the Roughriders), I couldn't commit to things I wanted to do that took us into May, June and July like help coach or something like that," said Clermont.
The 29-year-old slotback is one of a growing number of players that make their homes in Regina year-round.

"There's so many already: Jeremy O'Day, Gene Makowsky, Matt Dominguez, Mike McCullough, Scott Schultz," said Hopson. "You go through and we've got about 20 guys living in town so that's pretty significant."

There could be some benefit to Clermont outside the football world, too. He works as a realtor with Royal LePage and may well garner a few new clients being in the city permanently.
"We're going to work to have some systems in place so we can have the business running year-round and be able to support our clients," said Clermont. "We've been doing that for the past couple years on a smaller scale and we're looking to improve on that now that I'm here year-round."

Hopson said the team could not enter into any sort of partnership with Clermont the Realtor, but he still expects the newest Roughrider to make his name in that field very quickly.
"We can't try to run money around the salary management system, but Jason and I spoke about this and he understands being a part of the Riders will have a positive impact on his business," said Hopson. "He's a bright young guy, a good businessman. You heard how he treated this. He wasn't going to go out and shop himself around. He was going to talk to us and try to get the deal done and if not then go. That shows he's smart, he's pragmatic and we're excited to have him."

RIDERVISION

THE INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE




CLICK HEREhttp://www.saskriders.com/

RIDERS ROSTER PACKED WITH CANADIANS

The newest Saskatchewan Roughrider Jason Clermont was on hand at the Brandt Centre to drop the puck before the start of the Regina Pats game on Friday.
Photograph by : Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post

REGINA -- Eric Tillman may have said it best: Ratio is the name of the game.
And by signing slotback Jason Clermont on Friday, Tillman, the Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager and the rest of the football operations staff gave themselves a further advantage in that department.
CFL teams are required to field 20 Canadians in their 42-player roster.

“In a seven-man receiving corps, we could easily play with four Canadians and possibly even five if we wanted to, we’re so strong there,” said Tillman. “That gives us a lot of flexibility elsewhere. We could add a full-time return specialist, which is something we needed. We could add an American to the offensive line, an area where we’re getting older. We could do it somewhere on the defence. It’s nice to have options.”

Those are options that have already been running through offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice’s mind along with thoughts of everything else Clermont will add to the Riders.
“He can block on the backside edge, he can release -- something very similar to what (fellow Riders non-import slotback) Andy Fantuz can do,” said LaPolice. “He really allows us to have a tremendous amount of flexibility. And he’s intelligent enough that he can move to a number of different spots.”

Clermont joins a receiving group that includes wideouts Corey Grant, Rob Bagg, Adarius Bowman and Matt Dominguez along with slotbacks Fantuz, Weston Dressler, D.J. Flick and Chris Getzlaf among others.
With such a large group in place already, the addition of Clermont could well mean changes among the receivers.

Dominguez has dealt with knee injuries most of his career and his health could be in question for 2009. Flick is set to become a free agent on Feb. 15. Others, like quarterback Darian Durant, linebacker Maurice Lloyd, fullback Neal Hughes and offensive lineman Gene Makowsky, could become free agents and are likely high on the list of players Saskatchewan wants to re-sign.
“We’re in the change business,” said Tillman. “What (Clermont’s signing) does is makes us stronger and gives us more options. With free agency coming up, we’ll make some decisions. This was not a move that was made because of dissatisfaction with anyone else or because we weren’t pleased with our receiving corps. In actuality we were. We felt good about the group and with all the injuries we had, we built a lot of depth in that area. When Jason Clermont is available, it’s a no-brainer.”

Just where Clermont fits into the offence is still an unknown, particularly with free agency looming. The assumption, though, is that Clermont is as close to an automatic starter as they come. The Roughriders use five receivers most of the time so there is plenty of room.
“We’re going to put the best five players on the field,” said LaPolice. “He’s got a chance to do the things we expect out of our crew. We still have a tremendous corps we think with the guys coming back from injury and everything.”

Just who will be throwing to that group is still unknown, though Durant has the most experience as a starter in a stable of pivots that also includes Steven Jyles, Dalton Bell and Drew Tate. Durant has said he wants to return to the Riders and the team has indicated the same.
“I was very happy with what I heard and the direction they are going to take (with quarterbacking),” said Clermont, who noted he has no problem working with a novice passer.
New quarterback, new receivers -- Clermont has a lot to become accustomed to in the next six months.

“He’s a character guy so that’s not going to be an issue,” said LaPolice. “The players respect him for his hard work and all those kinds of things I think we’ve created an environment where we have good pros. We’ve really got guys who help each other even though they understand people are competing with each other. ‘I’ and ‘me’ aren’t real important words. It’s ‘we’ in what we try to do here.”
tswitzer@leaderpost.canwest.com

COMING HOME WAS A BIG FACTOR

REGINA -- The last time Jason Clermont was faced with the prospect of free agency he knew he eventually wanted to end up with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That was during the 2007 CFL season, while in the final year of a contract with the B.C. Lions. As it turned out, B.C. made him an offer he couldn’t refuse and on Sept. 11, 2007, he re-signed with the team that had drafted him in 2002.

“That decision then was being loyal to the team that had drafted me,” said Clermont. “They had given me all those opportunities to succeed and they presented me with an offer that financially and with my role on the team was going to help us to further ourselves. Unfortunately that tie ended and opened up this opportunity for me again.”
Clermont was released by the Lions on Dec. 3, paving the way for him to sign with his hometown Roughriders, which he did on Friday for two years plus an option. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“This is easy,” he said during an afternoon press conference at Mosaic Stadium. “If it was a different decision and I had to go to another team, that would be difficult.”
Clermont was none too interested in having to make such a decision. Though he had a contract offer from the Calgary Stampeders the day after he was released by the Lions and interest from the Toronto Argonauts, Clermont did not enter into negotiations with any team other than the Roughriders.

“I wanted to be respectful and not try to leverage an offer between two teams and try to play them that way,” said Clermont. “What I indicated to Eric (Tillman, the Roughriders general manager) without getting too specific about the contract was: Let me know what is going to fit within your current structure and timing. He did that and we didn’t negotiate on that. We negotiated that my contract could increase with performance which is what it should be.”
After all, Clermont’s signing was not nearly as much about money as it was about his family and coming home.

“I’ve often said people who are born here are born with birthmarks and born with logos,” said Tillman. “I know he has a special love for this province. We talked a couple years ago and I understood his loyalty to B.C. and the money they put on the table and the opportunities they gave him. He was clear when we started talking a couple weeks ago where his heart was and it’s here.”

The Roughriders wasted no time showing off their newest member Friday. Clermont dropped the puck before the Regina Pats game and the Riders had 40 “Clermont 82” jerseys on sale at Rider stores in Mosaic Stadium and the Northgate Mall by Friday afternoon. Many had been sold before the announcement was made official and continued to sell throughout the day.
The fact that Clermont was home for the long haul seemed to hit him and his wife during Friday’s press conference. His eyes appeared to be glassy when being introduced by Tillman and Renae teared up when Clermont spoke to reporters about being home with his family.
But as the afternoon wore on, Clermont was anticipating getting on Taylor Field more and more.
“This isn’t football right now,” Clermont said. “This is just the opportunity. The door is open for me and now I’ve got to charge through it and make the most of it. There’s a lot of people who are pulling for me and I don’t want to let anybody down.”
Because of his “hometown son” label and the resume he has compiled over his career -- including two outstanding Canadian awards -- there will be thousands of Roughriders fans in the province and beyond expecting big things out of Clermont. The real pressure on any football team, Clermont said, comes from one’s teammates and coaches.
Besides, a little fan pressure wouldn’t have deterred Clermont anyway.

“This is home,” said Clermont. “Had I made my home somewhere else, that would have been a factor. Had I made my home in Calgary and played half a year in B.C., that would have played a factor. Growing up here and making this home and having a comfort level with the people around me was huge.”

CLERMONT IN HIS NEW JERSEY

CLERMONT A RIDER !!!!

REGINA -- Jason Clermont came home today.
The 29-year-old slotback signed a contract for two years plus an option with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders just 10 days after he was released by the B.C. Lions.
“I’m kind of speechless actually,” Clermont said shortly after donning a No. 82 Roughriders jersey during a press conference at Mosaic Stadium. “I had a lot of things I was prepared to say. I’m a little bit overwhelmed right now and really happy for the opportunity I’ve been presented.

The stars aligned for me and I’m really looking forward to earning my spot on this roster.”
Clermont and Roughriders general manager Eric Tillman said the signing was just a natural for someone who was born and raised in Regina and played for the Usher Unicorns and University of Regina Rams.

During his seven years with the Lions, Clermont still made Regina his home and will now be able to stay there year-round with his wife Renae, daughter Tanessa and the new baby the family is expecting in January.
“We have an opportunity to bring someone who is very special to this province home and welcome him and his family to our football family,” said Tillman. “We got better as a football team and got better as an organization in terms of character and leadership.”
While family was at the top of the list for Clermont, there were other factors that led to his decision to sign with Saskatchewan.

“The direction the organization has taken in that past few years is fairly remarkable and something people are proud to be a part of,” said Clermont. “I’m here with my family and being able to go home each night, eat dinner with my family, sleep in my own bed and be in the community and be around is something that will complete me as a person. It allows me to focus all my energy on thing I’m doing on a daily basis as opposed to splitting my life into a bunch of different parts.”

Clermont joins a talented group of receivers — which is deep at slotback in particular. Along with Andy Fantuz and reigning CFL rookie-of-the-year Weston Dressler, the Roughriders now have one of the most talented trios of slotbacks in the league.

Clermont was drafted fourth overall by the Lions in the 2002 CFL draft and went on to become the league’s rookie-of-the-year at season’s end. He was named the most outstanding Canadian in the CFL in 2004 and again in 2007. He also won the top Canadian award in the 2004 Grey Cup, a game the Lions lost to the Toronto Argonauts. Clermont went on to win a Grey Cup ring with the Lions in 2006.

Despite missing three games due to injury in 2008, Clermont finished the season with 50 catches for 640 yards and three touchdowns. He was released by the Lions in a move that trimmed salary and would allow the team to use Paris Jackson as an inside receiver.
tswitzer@leaderpost.canwest.com