Andrew Lahodynskyj/Argonauts.ca
Ticats.ca
Justin Dunk
It was trial by fire for Ryan Hinds when he was forced into action just one play into the Tiger-Cats September 18 contest against the B.C. Lions last year. Jason Shivers was knocked out of the matchup on the first defensive play, allowing Hinds to enter the game at the field corner position. The rookie would make three tackles in a four-point win.
Two weeks later, against the Edmonton Eskimos, Hinds was inserted into the starting defensive lineup for the first time in his young career and he would hold down the starting spot at field corner for the rest of the season.
“I feel like I learned the hard way. Experience is the best teacher I think, and practice helps you out, but once you get into the game and lives bullets are flying, there is really nothing that can prepare you for that,” Hinds said. “I learned to be patient when I’m out there and let my nerves settle down.”
The knowledge gained from a season ago is invaluable for Hinds as he enters his second year with the Ticats, but there is always more to learn.
“I learned the hard way with some coverage, there is a couple guys I went against that I distinctly remember where my coverage skills got better because I had to go against some faster guys and guys who do different things,” Hinds said reflecting on his starting experience from 2010.
“There is still some knowledge of the game he needs to learn. I can see he is progressing and it’s just about getting him to take it to the next level to become a true professional,” defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin said. “Ryan has enough talent to be an elite player, he just needs to keep pushing himself.”
The talented New Hampshire grad is viewed as a classic ‘ratio buster’ in the Canadian game; a non-import player who has the skills to play a position normally reserved for an import athlete, although Hinds wants to retain his starting position in the Ticats defensive backfield regardless of his nationality.
“I hate the idea of expecting Canadians to play a certain position. I want to be the best DB out there on the field every time I play,” he said. “The whole notion of Canadians playing certain spots, I don’t want to follow that. I want to be able to play anywhere on the field and if that’s the ‘ratio buster’ term then that’s what it is.”
“I’m not into ratios, we have to have those ratios, but I think the thing that we’re blessed with on this team is some guys who are not characterized as ratio guys,” Chamblin said.
“Eddie Steele, if there wasn’t a ratio he could play, Maurice Forbes,…the same thing with Chris Rwabakumba, all those guys and Ryan, they’re legit players.”
Chamblin, in his first year calling the defensive shots, has been installing a much-talked-about highly aggressive defensive scheme, and Hinds is using training camp to get acclimated to the kind of defensive back play Chamblin would like to see.
“I’m working a lot on my man coverage… we always expect to cover for a long period of time because you never want to rely on the defensive line, but I do like the aggressive style of play,” Hinds said. “[Chamblin] wants you to be perfect every time. Obviously it’s more of a mentality, but he’s driving it into us that the last play is the last play and what is important now is how you’re going to stop the guy across from you on the next play.”
“He’s hard on himself, but I’m even harder on him to make sure that I get everything out of him,” Chamblin said.
As Hinds looks to have a starting spot in the defensive secondary all but locked down heading into the 2011 campaign, he and the rest of the defensive backs will have to be sound at two different positions in the defensive secondary.
“Every guy will have a dual role in terms of what they’ll be able to play. For Ryan, he’ll be looking at the safety spot and the field corner spot,” Chamblin said.
Versatility in the secondary and moving players between different positions will allow the defence to keep opposing offences guessing before the snap of the football, making it tough for opponents to get any kind of pre snap read.
“It allows us to use different packages, it allows us to go into games putting people into different spots,” Chamblin said.
