Contd: "Clermont Returns Home To Join Roughriders.” Go Riders

[Myk Aussie]

“Clermont Returns Home To Join Roughriders.” Go Riders

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=259393&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_cfl

The Globe and Mail reports that former B.C. Lions slotback Jason Clermont has agreed to terms on a contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

According to the paper, the Clermont told other CFL teams Thursday night - namely the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts - that he has decided to sign with Saskatchewan.
Edit: Press conference scheduled for 2:00 PM today.” Go Riders

“Good for the Riders...  Now I'd love to see Baumann return home to Winnipeg! “Colin Unger
Go Riders
 
“After all these years of him wearing orange it looks weird seeing him in green. However, he's home now and is a great pick up for the Riders. I just hope he can stay healthy. Great player. One of my favorites.”  Eskinator

“If by "weird" you mean "natural", Brian, then I agree. ;-) “Green IS The Colour

 “I was thinking more in terms of "weird" equaling just plain wrong. ;-) “ Hambone

“Dale, I get the impression that you'll be missing JC in a Lions uniform.  What is the sense of his departure from the Lions amongst other Lions fans? “Green IS The Colour

“Since I'm still in Manitoba I only get the feedback I see on Lionbackers. Some are downright ticked off. Others disappointed more than upset. Clermont is the type of player all fans would love to have on their team. He'd be a fan favourite in whatever city he'd play in. I'd fit into the disappointed category to a certain extent. I was surprised by his release but also realize it was a business decision that is not uncommon under SMS. It just hurts more when it's one of your guys.

When one strips away the emotional attachment to a fan fave and looks at the size of his contract, the upcoming roster bonus and the fact he's had injury problems in 2 of the last 3 years I think he probably stood out in Buono's roster assessment for opportunities to free up SMS space. Simply too much money tied up in one player whose smash-mouth football style may be starting to take its toll on his durability. If he bounces back with another healthy season putting up numbers more like his 2007 season I won't look back at the release as a mistake. I'd rather he have a bounce back year in Green and White than have another year of nagging injuries in Orange and Black. “Hambone

“No, I do mean weird. It was like when Willie Pless spent that year in Regina. That was weird. He was still an all-star but his gold had faded to white. Natural would mean a Regina boy signing in his home town to start with. Well it cam around to that, didn't it. Great pick up by the Riders.” Eskinator

“Not sure I'd equate the Willie Pless and Jason Clermont situations.  Pless' best before date was prior to him showing up in Regina and even though he still had a pretty good year it wasn't hard for him to stand out on what was a really, really crappy football team.   Clermont is still a relatively young man who might still have his best years in front of him depending on his health.”    Green IS The Colour

“In terms of my considering Pless to be an Eskimo (ya I know he was an Argo and a Lion first) only. That's all. Jason has plenty of football left. You know what I mean... “ Eskinator
“You got that right Brian - Pless was an Argo FIRST (and played superb for them at OLB for 3 + seasons - an all-time Argo defensive player IMO - even on the basis of that fairly short period) - once an Argo ... ;o)”  OV Bandit

[Myk Aussie]

To Go Riders,

I don't have your current email address. I edited this post from TotalCFL.com to add here and was wanting to send it to you so that you could post it seeing that you started this Big CFL story.

I'm still annoyed Jason won't be a Lion in 09.