Hill Has Busy First Day
Monday, July 31, 2006
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
It didn’t take
Tye Hill long to get his first official welcome to the NFL both on and off the field.
Soon after his arrival to Rams Park to sign his five-year contract with the team, he entered his first defensive meeting. He was quickly prompted to partake in his first rookie performance.
As Hill belted out the R Kelly song “I Believe I Can Fly,” he was flanked by a barking Victor Adeyanju, the fourth-round draft choice out of Indiana. Needless to say, the performance didn’t go over too well with the veterans.
“They didn’t like the song,” Hill said, laughing. “I couldn’t think of a song to sing but somebody said I Believe I Can Fly so I just went with it. They didn’t like it.”
Most rookies stick to their school’s fight song when they are asked to perform, but Hill couldn’t come up with his.
“I can’t sing the school song because I don’t know it,” Hill said. “Don’t tell Clemson, but I don’t really know the fight song.”
While Hill’s performance piece in the meeting room didn’t go too well, he acquitted himself much better on the practice field Monday morning. Hill seemed to keep up with the pace of the workout and said he didn’t think he had any mental mistakes.
But that doesn’t mean that Hill’s first practice was without error. After having a solid showing in the earlier part of the workout against some of the receivers deeper on the depth chart, Hill got his official introduction to the big time when he was paired against all-everything receiver
Torry Holt.
“I jumped his route then he changed the route on me in the end zone and caught the ball,” Hill said. “Like I said, I didn’t have my feet under me and he was like ‘Welcome to the league rookie.’
“He got me. He got me a few times today. But he’s a Pro Bowler; he’ll be in the Hall of Fame. Going up against him will just make me better.”
For the most part, Hill’s debut was solid. He didn’t seem confused by any of the defensive schemes or drills that were thrown at him and even participated in most of the special teams drills.
Hill said Sunday night that he wasn’t too concerned with his knowledge of the defense not being up to par; rather he was more worried about his physical condition and being able to withstand the heat.
Coach Scott Linehan said Hill performed well in his first practice.
“Tye Hill got his first practice in, got his feet wet and he did just fine,” Linehan said. “He’s got a lot of things to get done. He’s going to do some extra conditioning when we have our conditioning practice and try to speed up his conditioning as well.”
Has Hill been absent from training camp much longer, he might have had a difficult time getting caught up. But it seems his ability to recall what he was doing in that time was where it needed to be on the first day.
Hill was not out of position, even on the plays where Holt might have beaten him deep and seemed to hold up well throughout the practice.
“Today I just wanted to get back physically ready and get my cardio right,” Hill said. “I didn’t want to have any mental errors; I don’t think I had any today. If I did, I will correct it for tonight’s practice. Basically, I just wanted to run and get my feet back under me and getting back into my stances to play corner.”
Hill’s arrival comes in the middle of one of the more heated training camp position battles. The cornerback spot has already had one contender,
Ron Bartell, move to safety to free up space. That move leaves Jerametrius Butler, Travis Fisher, Fakhir Brown, Hill, Dwight Anderson, DeJuan Groce and Kevin Timothee competing for spots.
It’s likely the Rams will keep five cornerbacks with the possibility of Bartell being the fifth as a sort of utility player in the secondary. Hill spent most of his first workout with the second-string defense as Brown, Fisher and Butler have emerged as the leaders in the race for starting jobs.
Hill will be worked almost exclusively as a cornerback before eventually getting a shot at nickel back when he has grown comfortable. With all of that competition waiting for him, Hill quickly went to work on playing catch up as he stayed after to catch some extra balls.
“I’m going to have to have some extra time,” Hill said. “I am going to have to study film a little more; I’m going to have to learn how to study pro film and stuff like that. I have to get that done while I’m a rookie.”
And while earning a starting job is a nice goal for this year, Hill has loftier things in mind for the near future.
“I’m trying to be a Pro Bowler in two years,” Hill said. “That’s the truth.”
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(placed after the article itself!): Sorry.
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