Jul
Ex-Alouette T.J. Hill blindsided by release
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
Professional sports can be a harsh and cruel business. One season, a player’s riding high, the recipient of a favourable personnel decision. And the next, he can be victimized by the same brush.
In 2007, the Alouettes thought enough of T.J. Hill, a small but speedy strong-side linebacker, that he replaced Timothy Strickland, who for years was the quarterback of Montreal’s defence. But at training camp this year, Hill was released, despite leading the teams in tackles last season. At 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, the coaching staff wanted to get bigger and, it seems, even quicker. Hill was replaced by Chip Cox, converted from defensive back.
“No one saw it coming, but that’s the business we’re in and you move forward,” Hill, 29, said from Edmonton, where he’s preparing for his second game as an Eskimo – Thursday night, coincidentally, against his former team at Commonwealth Stadium.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity, but it could have been done differently,” added Hill, who spent two seasons in Montreal.
Hill was injured early at camp, recovered, but failed to dress in the Als’ opening exhibition game, at Toronto. At about the same time, suggestions were quietly being made from sources his job might be in jeopardy. Hill heard the talk as well. He made 84 tackles last season along with four quarterback sacks, but it seemed that no longer mattered.
“They wanted to go in a different direction and felt they had people better suited for their scheme – a scheme that changed tremendously,” Hill said. “I felt it coming in training camp. I felt the vibe and saw it coming. They can feel they needed to get quicker, but each year I got better. I played five different positions for them. I never missed one practice and played through injuries.
“They could have told me during the off season and let me go. They could have told me their plan,” he continued. “If you’re going to bring me to camp, let me play it out. My job wasn’t taken, it was given away. I did enough to not be put in that situation. They didn’t let me earn the job.”
Hill appeared headed to Edmonton only days following his release, but injuries the Eskimos believed had occurred weren’t that serious. So he returned home to Paterson, N.J., worked out, ran a sports camp and waited for the phone to ring.
When it did more than a week ago, Hill was pleased to learn the call was from an organization he had long respected – an organization, he said, has embraced him with open arms.
The Eskimos needed someone to stop the defensive bleeding, having allowed 90 points in consecutive losses to the Als and British Columbia. Edmonton had surrendered 762 passing yards and six touchdowns in two games.
Hill practised with his new team for the first time July 20 and, although he was forced to learn a completely different scheme than the one he had played in Montreal, Hill started for the Eskimos last Saturday, at Saskatchewan. His arrival allowed the team to shift Kelly Malveaux back into the secondary from linebacker, where he’s more comfortable and confident.
“He did well,” Edmonton general manager Danny Maciocia said. “He’s obviously still new to this defence, but he’s only going to get better.”
While Hill acknowledges the coincidence of this week’s game, he vowed there won’t be any chip on his shoulder when he takes the field. And there won’t be scores to settle.
“I’m excited about the next game, which just so happens to be against Montreal,” he said. “I’ll play as hard as I can and try to put my team in position by making plays. I’ll just let the game come to me.
“The only statement I want to make is in the win column,” he added. “I’ve got nothing to prove. I had a good career there, but I’m an Edmonton Eskimo now. They have faith in me. Everyone knows what I can do.”
Hill and the Eskimos obviously would like to be the first team to defeat Montreal this season. But he’s more excited by Edmonton’s come-from-behind victory at Regina, having erased a 22-0 deficit. Hill believes that win will build character.
“You win games like that, you come together as a team,” he said. “That’s the first time I’ve won in Saskatchewan. It builds character, chemistry and confidence.”
Notes – Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the league’s offensive player of the week, requires 34 passing yards to reach 60,000 in his career. … With the knee injury to Doug Goldsby, placed on the nine-game injured list, Canadian rookie Ivan Brown will make his pro debut on special teams, head coach Marc Trestman confirmed. Brown, 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, gives the team another big body on special teams.
