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!