Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Ticats.ca
HAMILTON — If Tiquan Underwood has only one thing going for him this week, it’s that at least the quarterback knows his name.
The former NFL receiver joined the Ticats this off-season and faces an uphill battle to make the team’s roster, one of the deepest in the CFL at the receiver position.
But on a cool spring Monday at McMaster University’s Ron Joyce Stadium, Underwood said he’s ready to bring the heat – something he learned during a six-year NFL career.
“Competing,” said Underwood, asked what he learned how to do most during his NFL stay. “No matter who you’re going against, always compete.”
Underwood played for four NFL teams in six years, which is why competition for a roster spot is no foreign concept. Including putting in the work off the field to know your assignment, competition provides the backbone of carving out a successful career in pro football.
Here in Hamilton this week, Underwood is facing four other rookies – Tim Smith, Terrence Toliver, Lamont Bryant and Deon Anthony – just looking for a crack at a CFL training camp. Never mind the crowded stable of proven veteran receivers returning.
New league, sure, but this is hardly new territory for Underwood.
“Down there, everybody’s talented,” said Underwood. “But you’ve got to know your assignments and those are the guys that are going to play.”
“I plan on bringing that up here with me to hopefully give me an edge.”
There are currently 15 receivers on the Ticats’ roster, seven with proven CFL experience catching passes. What are the Ticats looking to find in their recent additions?
One common theme among them appears to be size. Bryant and Toliver are both six-foot-five, while Underwood at six-foot-two is also considered pretty lengthy.
But Head Coach and General Manager Kent Austin said there’s no specific formula or exact science to speak of.
“We do look at the composition of our receiving core across the board, and make sure there’s a complementary set of skills that we need to make our offence and the passing game as effective as possible,” said Austin. “But we don’t say there’s a minimum height or a minimum weight or speed.”
“Can they play the game? Are they football players first and foremost? That’s what we’re trying to bring in.”
In short, the Ticats are looking for versatility – players that complement one another’s skill-set.
“It’s making sure that we have enough pieces – that the overall core and the versatility within that core complement each other,” Austin continued. “We don’t want all of the same type of receiver, because then we can’t really split guys up and partner them together or move our receivers around.”
So where does Underwood fit into the Ticats’ plans? He was brought in for a look-see, but does he fit the mold of a receiver that’s ‘different’?
Whatever the answer is, the Rutgers alum who played against Zach Collaros’ Cincinnati Bearcats in college claims to possess exactly what Coach Austin covets.
“To me, to be a total receiver, you have to be able to stretch the field and also run short routes,” explained Underwood. “Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to be open to doing it.”
Underwood wouldn’t characterize himself as any one type of receiver, other than one with the football smarts necessary to make plays – something that would make him a good fit in Austin’s offence.
“Just being a smart player,” he said. “This is my sixth year playing professional football, so I pride myself on knowing my assignments and being someone the coaches can count on.”
Underwood’s NFL career started in 2009 when he was drafted in the seventh round – 253rd overall – by the Jacksonville Jaguars. After two years with the Jags and a brief stint with the New England Patriots, his best professional seasons came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012 to 2013.
After being released by the Bucs and then in 2014 with the Carolina Panthers, he arrives at Ticats mini-camp with something to prove.
“It’s very motivating,” Underwood said. “Going in the seventh round – it’s a blessing to get drafted no matter what round it is, but when you go that late you kind of have a chip on your shoulder.”
“Now, not playing last year and being cut in Carolina and coming up here, I feel like it’s a breath of fresh air and a new opportunity. I just want to take full advantage of it.”
Roles still up in the air for Ticat receivers
While rookies like Tiquan Underwood look to crack the roster this season, they won’t be the only Ticats feeling the heat as training camp draws nearer.
Outside of go-to slotback Andy Fantuz, roles among the Ticats’ receivers appear to be up in the air heading into the season. While receivers like Luke Tasker, Brandon Banks and Bakari Grant look to build on successful 2014 seasons, questions remain over how everyone else will fit in.
Spencer Watt is a key off-season signing for the Ticats, while Cary Koch also returns after playing in only six games due to injury last season. Factor in return specialist and burner Terrell Sinkfield – also gunning for more reps on offence this season – and there appears to be a crowded house for the receivers in Hamilton.
“I feel like I’m just trying to take on an even bigger role,” said Sinkfield. “This is my second year in the offence so I know the ins and outs a little bit more. I’m still learning and I’m just excited for it.”
“I feel like me and Banks are going to have an even bigger role, and can help out other guys by being the decoy sometimes. We’re really excited.”
It’s nothing to complain about, but the Ticats may just have the deepest and most talented group of receivers in the CFL. Factor in the efforts of several new receivers in this week’s mini-camp and it appears almost no one is safe.
The Ticats continue their three-day camp on Tuesday and cap things off Wednesday at McMaster University.
