Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
When Otis Floyd fell out of favour in B.C., nine CFL seasons had begun to take their toll mentally on the veteran middle linebacker.
“When I was in B.C. my last year, I kind of fell out of love with the game of football and it showed, but coming to Hamilton, it just brought the love back,” said Floyd.
Hamilton acquired Floyd before the 2009 season, making him one of the building blocks of a rejuvenated franchise.
Floyd entered Ticats training camp last year as a bit of a question mark to make it as a starter, but worked hard and impressed the coaches enough to entrench himself at that familiar middle linebacker spot.
Not one to disappoint, he went on to produce one of his best seasons as a pro, racking up 67 tackles and five sacks while leading the defense to a playoff birth.
“When I first got the call from Obie it was something like, ‘we want you to bring your leadership and be a role player on this team’ but I told him I’m coming here to compete, and to play,” said Floyd.
“I told him I can’t just stand on the sidelines and be a cheerleader, so I came in, worked hard and it all worked out for me,” he added.
It worked out for the team too, as Floyd anchored a young linebacker corps that went on to become the most feared in the league, racking up 269 tackles between the three starters.
As good as the ‘D’ played last season, Otis believes that some minor improvements could lead to what could become a historically dominant unit.
“Just getting better at some of the little things, the details, if we do that this defense will be remembered a few years down the line, we’ll be something to reckon with,” vowed Floyd.
Floyd has relished the chance to act as a mentor to some of the younger players on the team, returning the favour that he received years ago.
“It’s cool because I remember when I was young, going to guys like Alondra Johnson and Terry Ray and asking them for advice, I feel like it’s my turn to do that,” he said.
After playing for so long in one place, the change of scenery was a little strange at first, but now Otis can barely remember it being any other way.
“When I first came here last year they made me feel like it was home so when I got here this time, it feels like I’ve been here my whole career.”
“It’s a great place to play football,” he said.
Floyd has made himself even more at home in the middle of the defense, barking instructions and calling plays, and will look to continue to intimidate opposing teams as the Ticats get ready for a 2010 title run.
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TODAY’S MULTIMEDIA
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Photo Gallery: Training Camp June 16 |
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Ticats TV: June 16 Training Camp Report |
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Ticats TV: Steve Schmidt Camp Profile |
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Ticats TV: Garrett McIntyre Blog #5 |
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Ticats TV: Maurice Mann Blog #5 |
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OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:
- The defence had a great day today, routinely picking off quarterbacks throughout the morning. Defenders with interceptions included Jerome Dennis, Jamall Johnson, Will Heyward and Geoff Tisdale.
- The sidelines were a little crowded on Wednesday, as eight players didn’t take part in practice due to various injuries. Among tThe spectators were LB Agustin Barrenechea, WR Ed Berry, OL Marwan Hage, LB Markeith Knowlton, WR Marquay McDaniel, WR Adam Nicolson, DB Will Poole, and DB Jason Shivers.
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TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE: The Tiger-Cats will take part in their final power practice of training camp tomorrow from 8:05am to 12:30pm. Current forecasts call for temperatures of 16*C with a 20% chance of rain.
