On the Road with Nate

The curtain comes to a close on the 49ers 2007 season in Cleveland, Ohio, the home state of corner back Nate Clements. Find out what Clements had to say about the game and his visit back home in this On the Road Q&A.

Q: You were born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Do you get back very often and are you looking forward to this weekend’s trip?
A: I try to go back in the off-season as much as possible, and I am looking forward to finishing out the season in my hometown.

Q: You were the first player to be inducted into your high school’s Hall of Fame? How big of an honor was that?
A: It was an honor, and a lot of hard work. The foundation of my football career and my athletic skills starter back there, so that was something I’ll never forget.

Q: Growing up were you a big Cleveland Browns fan?
A: Definitely, when I was a kid I enjoyed watching the Browns play. They had a lot of great players. Sports is very big there. It’s a blue collared town and they really support their teams. They are true fans and it’s something you respect.

Q: You played at Ohio State, did you ever consider anywhere else or were you committed to staying in state and being close to home?
A: My top three choices were Ohio State, Syracuse and Michigan State. I felt that going to Ohio State was the best thing for me as far as elevating my game and helping me to reach the next level. It was nice to be close to home, but that really didn’t influence my decision. This has actually ended up being my first year though where I’ve been far from home, because Ohio State was about an hour and a half away and then I was drafted by Buffalo which was only about two and a half hours. So, I was fortunate in the past that my friends and family were able to watch me play.

Q: What are some fun facts about Ohio?
A: I mean football is huge there, but that’s not really a surprise. I think there’s a lot of talent in northeast Ohio. A lot of players came from that area – Lee Evans, Chris Chambers, London Fletcher, Elvis Grbac, Desmond Howard – the list goes on.

Q: When someone goes there to visit, what are some of the things to do?
A: They have pretty good food, good steak houses. As far as doing things, it’s like any other city. They’ve got shopping, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Browns, the Indians, there’s a lot of things to do.

Q: How will you spend your weekend?
A: I’ll just catch up and hang up with family and friends.

Q: Have you played in that Cleveland stadium before and what do you remember?
A: Yeah, I’ve played there once before. This will be my second time and this time it will be more meaningful because last time I played there it was a preseason game. I just remember being excited to play because I had a lot of people there watching. I wanted to perform well in front of them, and that’s how it will be this weekend. I just want to put on a good show and do something good.

Q: How many people do you have coming to the game?
A: About 50.

Q: What do you miss most about home?
A: Just my family and friends. I was born and raised there and have a lot of family and friends.

Q: Do you have a favorite restaurant you’ll be hitting while you are home?
A: I like corn beef sandwiches and there’s a place called Slyman’s. They’ve got the best corn beef sandwiches in town.

Q: What advice will you give teammates for dealing with the cold?
A: It’s just a mental thing I think. You’ve just got to have it in your mind that it will be a non-factor.

Source: 49ers.com

Popularity: 12% [?]