Simon eyes another record

Geroy Simon appreciates the significance of being on the cusp of another CFL record.

The veteran Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback needs one catch to surpass the league record of 1,017 receptions set by Ben Cahoon during his 13 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. Simon should surpass that record when the Riders are in Montreal to play the Alouettes on Sunday.

“I’ve known Ben for a long time,’’ Simon said after Friday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “I knew him back when we were with the (NFL’s Tampa Bay) Buccaneers and that was obviously before we even thought about coming to Canada. I consider Ben a friend and to be able to break his record is something special.’’

Simon is already the CFL’s alltime leader in receiving yards (16,188). That record means the most to Simon, who is in his 15th CFL season.

“A lot of guys can have a lot of catches, but they don’t do anything with the ball,’’ said Simon, who spent 12 of his 14 previous CFL seasons with the B.C. Lions. “For me, the production shows in the yardage. I didn’t have the receptions record and I still broke the yardage record. It’s something that’s important to me. Not only did I catch a lot of footballs, but I was very productive when I did.’’

This season, Simon has 28 receptions for 408 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. He tied the league record for catches with five receptions for 60 yards in Sunday’s 24-22 loss to the visiting Lions. Simon, 38, would like to do more with the Riders, but understands his role within the offensive scheme.

“I feel that I can be very productive, but that’s the way it is right now,’’ Simon said. “I can’t call the plays. I can’t throw the ball. I can only do what they ask me to do and when the ball comes, do the best that I can. (Sunday’s game) showed that I’m better catching the ball on the move. Hopefully we can get a little bit more of that. Route-running is something that I pride myself on. Manipulating the defence is something that I think I can do at a high level.’’