Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
To some people it might look like a case of a person training someone else to eventually take their job away.
For Rob Bagg it was simply an act of paying it forward.
When Nic Demski first walked into the Saskatchewan Roughrider dressing room, Bagg saw a Canadian wide receiver with “every tool in the bag you need to be a great football player.”
He also realized Demski would need some assistance and grooming to reach his full potential, just like when veterans Corey Grant and Jason Clermont took a young Rob Bagg under their wing when he first arrived in Regina.
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Demski has nearly doubled his production from last year and has played a key role in he Riders’ top rated offence (Troy Fleece/CFL.ca)
“I always felt it was an obligation of the older guys to try and pass along any skills and knowledge you have to them,” Bagg said after a Riders practice this week. “I had such great veterans in front of me when I came into the league. Those guys never were selfish and hoped that I wouldn’t be successful. They always helped me prepare as well as I could in my first couple of years in the league.
“I felt like when you have that sort of treatment by the older players when you are young, it’s only right to pass that along as the next generation comes in behind you.”
Demski will be one of the players Saskatchewan hopes will make a difference when the Riders (1-2-0) take on the Calgary Stampeders (2-1-1) at McMahon Stadium Saturday night.
In three CFL games this year, Demski has caught 15 of the 17 passes thrown at him for 184 yards and a touchdown. That’s over half his production from all of last year. He’s also returned 14 punts for 134 yards. The six-foot, 210-pound Winnipeg native came into the season looking to take his game to the next level.
“I’ve been on this team for three years,” said Demski. “I thought this year it was time. I’m more comfortable in the CFL. I was able to adapt to the speed of the game and the game itself. It’s a very different league than the university league. I felt like I was ready physically and mentally. I thought it was my time to step up and time to start making good plays I know I am capable of making.”
Demski credits Bagg with his steady improvement since the Riders selected him sixth overall in the 2015 CFL Draft from the University of Manitoba.
“I owe a lot to Rob,” he said. “We both realize we can both play this game and we just want to help each other get better. He’s been one of those guys that has been there for me. Whether it’s going through film or being there and telling me to get to therapy. He’s helped me become a pro and helped me get to where I am.”
“I owe a lot to Rob. We both realize we can both play this game and we just want to help each other get better.”
Riders receiver Nic Demski on Rob Bagg
Bagg credits Corey Grant and Jason Clermont for helping him when he first came into the league and now want to “pay it forward” (Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca)
Bagg – who signed with the Riders as a free agent in 2007 after five seasons with Queen’s University – said Demski was like a raw diamond that needed some polishing to shine.
“It’s more just a matter of showing him the smaller details,” said Bagg. “Things you can get away with at the college level that don’t necessarily work here. Just remind him the speed of the entire game is that much faster. You can’t always trust your athleticism. Sometimes you have to run the route the way it’s intended to be run in order for it to be successful.”
Demski has welcomed Bagg’s feedback and advice.
“He’s done a great job of listening and taking all those suggestions and running with them,” said Bagg. “He’s come in not expecting anything to be handed to him. He worked his butt off for everything. That’s another reason why it’s so easy to root for and work with a guy like that.”
Demski improved his eating habits and fitness program during the offseason . He also thinks he’s better mentally prepared this season.
“There is a whole other side a lot of people don’t really see from the outside perspective,” he said. “Being mentally ready and staying ready and knowing the playbook and having a high football IQ. You really have to be a student of the game to get to that next level. That’s something I took very seriously.”
Bagg, 32, missed Saskatchewan’s opening game of the season with an injury. Since then the Rider depth chart lists him as a backup to the 24-year-old Demski. That hasn’t affected the friendship between the two men.
“At the end of the day we realize we are all human being. We are working toward the same goal,” said Demski. “We hold that mutual respect for each other and we know what we can do. We use it as motivation to get better. We’re not going to let competition come in the way of a friendship. At the end of the day we are just two motivated football players trying to make plays out there.”
Bagg, who has three catches for 30 yards in two games this year, said he and Demski “bring something different to the table even when we’re playing the same position.”
“That’s part of having confidence in your skill set,” he said. “I feel like I’m in the prime of my career right now and I certainly don’t want to come off the field at all. At the same time that’s what a team is all about, making sure everyone is playing to the top of their potential. Then you let the best man win the job. I have all the respect in the world for Nic and I want him to do tremendously. At the same time, it’s not like I’ve shut the door on myself and let him walk away with the job.
“I’m coming to work to compete every day. I still have tremendous confidence in my own ability.”
