Update on Tyler Digby

As the Redblacks prepare for the 2014 draft, let's hear from one of last year's selections.

As a reminder, Tyler Digby was a fourth-round selection in 2013, the last made by the RedBlacks that day. He was later chosen by the Vancouver Stealth of the National Lacrosse League in the third round of that league's draft. This Calgary Sun article touches on the possibility that Digby might become a two-sport athlete.

“I haven’t really made a total decision yet,” Digby said of continuing his football career, as the Stealth prepared to face the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday at the Langley Events Centre. “I’m kind of just finishing out lacrosse here and get that on track and then make a decision. 

“There’s a lot of things. Position-wise a little bit and I’m already fully committed to the Stealth and I’m not sure if I can commit to another professional team.” 

... 

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 lb. by the Stealth, Digby bulked up to 255 lb. for his senior season at Robert Morris with the Colonials’ football team last fall, catching 17 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns. 

Since CFL teams rarely employ tight ends anymore, Digby has been asked to play a fullback/H-back-type role, something the 23-year-old from New Westminster, B.C., isn’t quite sure about. 

“When we talked, that’s what we talked about — fullback, H-back, and tight end in a few sets,” Digby said, noting he was in contact with the RedBlacks earlier this month. “If I decide to play, I’ll do whatever.” 

From a RedBlacks point of view, Digby’s obvious athleticism is intriguing, and all it would take is a little bit of creative game-planning to get him involved in the offence.

I'd be surprised if Digby ever showed up to play in Ottawa, but it would be a pleasant surprise (and it's good to see he hasn't ruled it out entirely).  The NLL schedule does make it possible, though you wonder about the possibility of a guy burning out.  Still, it would make for a pretty interesting position battle with John Delahunt and Patrick Lavoie.

The Ottawa-Richmond Connection Revived.

Yesterday, the Ottawa RedBlacks announced that they will be holding the team's first mini-camp in Richmond, Virginia next month. 

OTTAWA - The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League will be holding the franchise's inaugural pre-season mini-camp in Richmond, Virginia from April 8 to 10. 

Many of the players on the team's roster will assemble at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center to participate in drills and work out under the supervision of head coach Rick Campbell and the REDBLACKS football operations staff.

... 

"Our spring mini-camp is a huge step in our process of becoming a football team. It will be a special event for all involved to see our team hit the field for the first time.  We truly appreciate the excitement shown for the REDBLACKS by the fans in the Ottawa-Gatineau area.  The players and coaches can't wait to take the field," said head coach Rick Campbell. 

The Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center, which opened in 2013, serves as a full-service health and rehabilitation centre.  In addition, community and other sporting events are hosted year round. 

"Richmond is thrilled to welcome the Canadian Football League to Virginia," said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. "The training facility we've established is state-of-the- art and we expect to continue to generate great interest in our facility and usage for many years to come. The Ottawa team could not have made a better choice for their pre-season mini-camp." 

The REDBLACKS will practice from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 10 at the facility, located at 2401 W. Leigh Street in Richmond.

It can only be coincidental, but there's something of a historical connection between Ottawa football and the town of Richmond.  A number of Rough Riders in the 1970's attended the university there.  The article below is scanned from the September 1978 Ottawa Rough Riders News magazine and explains the ties between the two.  You may need to right click and open it in a new tab in order to be able to read it.

A couple of years ago, I joked with a friend that in terms of football, this town was going back to the 70's.  Pro football is back, Carleton restored its program, the Sooners returned to the OFC and are now the only junior program in town.

I hope that trend holds true.  The Sooners won the national championship in 1974 as did the University of Ottawa in 1975.  The Rough Riders sandwiched those accomplishments with Grey Cups in 1973 and 1976.  I'd say we're about due for a run like that again out here, eh?

Getting to know: Paul de Pass

The following article is from The Varsity, The University of Toronto's newspaper.  It was first published in January of last year, so well before de Pass' final CIS season. View the original version here.

Paul de Pass isn’t letting the negativity of another losing season with the Varsity Blues affect him. 

The fourth–year history and geography major at UTSC is staying positive, and continues to thrive as a Blues football player. 

Despite his high level of play, de Pass only began playing football in the eleventh grade at Notre Dame C.S.S. in his hometown of Ajax. The Blues’ receiver was predominantly a hockey and baseball player, and during his high school days, he played on the defensive side of the ball as a safety. It was only when de Pass arrived at U of T that he moved to the offense and his current position as a receiver. 

De Pass had only two years of football behind him at the end of high school, but he knew he was ready to play at the university level. After debating the merits of U of T and the University of Windsor, de Pass eventually chose Toronto because of its academic reputation and because the football program offered opportunities that Windsor could not. 

“With regards to football, not only did it give me an opportunity to come in and have a chance to play right away, but I also wanted to help erase the losing stigma that had been attached to the football program and help bring the program back to the upper echelon of the CIS where it belongs,” said de Pass. 

De Pass has only seen moderate team success while playing for the Varsity Blues in his four years here, with the team going a combined 9–23 in his time on the team. But de Pass himself has had tremendous individual success right from the start of his university playing career. 

In his first year at U of T, de Pass won the Football Rookie of the Year after running for 314 yards and averaging 52.3 yards a game. De Pass was also elected to play in the East-West Bowl in 2012, a game which showcases athletes who display outstanding play. De Pass and the East condemned the West to a third straight defeat, triumphing 24–16 at Western’s TD Waterhouse Stadium.

As a team, however, the Varsity Blues have not been nearly as successful. 

The Blues have not made the playoffs since de Pass arrived at U of T, and fell to a 2–6 record this past season. But de Pass has not let the losing affect him, and chooses to see positives in the connections that he has made through the football program. “The number of quality people I have met through the football program has been astounding, and I couldn’t be happier,” said de Pass. 

...

Although 2013 is his final year of eligibility, de Pass does not see his football career ending there. He hopes there is an opportunity for him to play at the next level — the CFL — and if not in Canada, then to play for an European team. Even after his playing days are over, he still plans on being involved with football. “I’m sure once I finish playing I’ll continue to coach at one level or another. And of course continue to re-live the glory days in men’s leagues,” predicted de Pass. 

With these goals in mind, De Pass is focused on next season and is determined to do everything possible to help the Varsity Blues do big things during his final season of play. “With one more year left of eligibility I’m going to do everything I can to help propel our team to a place we haven’t been in a long time — the playoffs.”

de Pass would go on to haul in 53 receptions, 970 yards and six scores. The yardage total is a school record.

RedBlacks sign WR Paris Jackson

Tall, experienced Canadian receiver.  What's not to like?

OTTAWA - The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League have added versatile veteran Canadian wide receiver Paris Jackson to the team roster. 

The 33-year-old native of Vancouver played 11 seasons in the CFL with his hometown B.C. Lions. Jackson (6-3, 215) has 420 career regular-season receptions for 5,757 yards and 31 touchdowns. 

He has also been successful in the playoffs, with 47 catches in 15 playoff games. The Lions won Grey Cups in 2006 and 2009 with Jackson on the roster. In 2006, Jackson had two touchdown catches in the West Final and five receptions for 65 yards in the Grey Cup win over Montreal. 

In 2008, Jackson had surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his career (1,180 on 76 catches), scored eight touchdowns, and was named to the CFL West Division All-Star squad, along with the distinction of being the Lions' nominee for the league's Most Outstanding Canadian award. 

Jackson followed with another 1,000-yard receiving season in 2009, catching 76 passes for 1,042 and eight majors. 

In college, Jackson attended Butte College in California before transferring to the University of Utah. 

He was selected sixth overall in the 2003 CFL Canadian Draft by the Lions.

Apparently, the B.C. Lions found something to dislike.  The barely used him over the past couple of years, as the statistical drop demonstrates.

Name     Years       No. Yards     TD
JACKSON, P  2003  6    85 0
JACKSON, P  2004 10   138 0
JACKSON, P  2005 48   617 4
JACKSON, P  2006 51   634 4
JACKSON, P  2007 65   962 5
JACKSON, P  2008 76 1,180 8
JACKSON, P  2009 76 1,042 8
JACKSON, P  2010 61   758 1
JACKSON, P  2011  7   117 1
JACKSON, P  2012 10   127 0
JACKSON, P  2013 10    97 0

What happened there is a bit of a mystery. Interestingly, Jackson either re-signed or extended his deal a couple of times during those last few years so clearly he still wanted to be a part of the club.  A blog entry in The Province (written by Lowell Ullrich) from last month, shortly after Jackson was released by the Lions, touches on it somewhat.

The 33-year-old was granted his release by the Lions, marking an end of sorts and the start of another. Jackson was the first player drafted by Wally Buono when the new regime arrived in 2003, and for the first two-thirds of his tenure had the kind of career any Canadian kid could be proud of when it ultimately comes to a close. 

The Carson Graham grad had two, 1,000-yard seasons, in 2008-09, but all through his stay grew with the Lions physically and mentally. For outsiders, it was refreshing to see a boy grow into a man. A hothead at some points, a leader at others, Jackson did as he was asked, blossoming as a physically gifted receiver at his peak. 

The last three seasons was nothing short of an embarrassment, as the Lions both marginalized his role in the offence and cut his salary. But for the most part, Jackson stayed silent, understanding from watching others over the years how to make a contribution on the field when called upon and act in the locker room.

Well, if nothing else he can teach Kevin Glenn how to act professionally then.

Getting to know: Linebacker T.J. Hill

The RedBlacks have signed a number of players over the past couple of days, most notably (in terms of experience if nothing else), linebacker T.J. Hill.

OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League added three import players to the pre-season roster today: defensive lineman Monte Lewis, defensive back Seth Williams and seven-year CFL veteran linebacker T.J. Hill. 

Hill, a 33-year-old native of Paterson, New Jersey, comes to Ottawa with 542 in his CFL career, which began in 2007 with the Montreal Alouettes before joining the Edmonton Eskimos in 2009. 

The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Hill also has 12 career sacks and 13 interceptions, including four for touchdowns. 

Hill, who played college football at Northeastern, had a career-high 94 tackles last season with the Eskimos.

And speaking of Northeastern, northjersey.com ran a "where are they now?" article about T.J. last year as he was preparing for training camp with the Eskimos.

T.J. Hill watches NFL games sometimes and can’t help but think defensive backs in the world’s premier professional football league have it easy.  

In the CFL, Hill has to cover receivers who are allowed running starts to the line of scrimmage on a longer, wider field.
 

"It takes a lot to play defensive back in that league," Hill said. "It’s a lot of ground to cover, but it’s a lot of fun." 

... 

The former Eastside standout is one of the Eskimos’ top defensive players. Technically he’s a linebacker, but his hybrid position in the pass-driven CFL amounts to the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Hill playing safety and covering receivers in the slot more often than not. 

The Northeastern University graduate hopes to make a run this season at playing in his first Grey Cup — the CFL’s Super Bowl — since 2008, when he was the Montreal Alouettes’ leading tackler. 

"I feel like I’m around a good core of guys, a good coach [Kavis Reed] and a good general manager [Ed Hervey]," said Hill, who finished ninth in the CFL with 80 tackles last season and returned an interception for a touchdown for the Eskimos (7-11). "They have a lot of faith in me. Not only do they believe in me as a leader on the field, they believe in me being a leader off the field as well. 

"I just take that and I run with it. I know I have to lead by example. By them having that faith in me, it makes me work that much harder." 

During his off-seasons, Hill has made a similar impact around his hometown. The former Arena Football League player often speaks at schools in Paterson and makes time to mentor young athletes and non-athletes. 

Hill will be recognized for his community work Wednesday night as part of the Paterson Great Falls Rotary Club’s fourth annual "Athletes Making a Difference" dinner at The Brownstone.
State Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, D-Paterson, who’ll serve as emcee of the event, was Hill’s varsity baseball coach for four seasons at Eastside. Hill remains one of Wimberly’s go-to athletes for speaking engagements. 

"After 20-something years of coaching," Wimberly said, "he’s one of the five top guys I look to. … He gets it as far as community, he gets it when it comes to being a role model, he gets it when it comes to being a mentor. I’m beyond proud of him." 

Hill considers his community work as reciprocation for his formative years, when his parents, his older brother, Wimberly and others helped guide him toward adulthood. 

"If I didn’t have the right support system to push me right, instead of going left, there’s no telling where I would be," Hill, 32, said. "A lot of kids don’t have that brother or father figure in their lives. They need that. So any type of knowledge or motivation I can give them, whether it’s athletically or academically, I try to do that as much as I can, whether it’s in Paterson or Edmonton or somewhere else."

Sounds like a quality person as well as a quality player, which of course causes one to question why the Eskimos released him last month. Age may have been a factor, but according to the Edmonton Sun, the emergence of Eric Samuels at the strong side linebacker position facilitated the decision.

If Hervey wants to cut a player who achieved career highs, fine by me.  Welcome to Ottawa, Mr Hill!

Ottawa Invaders tryout dates set

The following tryout dates were announced earlier this week. The team's home games will be played at Gee-Gee field this season after a season at Beckwith forced upon them by Carleton's renovation to their own field.  

All sessions will be held at the ARSO Multisport Complex in Gatineau

Mar 22: 2pm -4pm – Testing

Mar 23: 1pm- 3pm

Mar 30: 3pm -5pm

First Round of Cuts

Equipment Draw April 5th

Main Camp

Apr 6: 4pm – 6pm

Apr 12: 10am – Noon

Apr 13: 1pm – 3pm

Apr 16: 7pm – 9pm

Final Cuts