8/11/2007 12:09:00 AM
Everything for a Reason

One of the questions that I repeatedly had to field this week was, “What it will be like to face the team that cut you?” It kind of threw me off at first but then realized that perhaps people don’t know what the circumstances were surrounding my exit from Hamilton. The fact is that I was never cut from the team, I asked for my release after the final game of the season since the organization and I weren’t seeing eye to eye regarding my future role on the team. The general manager was nice enough to accommodate me, and release me at that time when he didn’t have too since I would have been Hamilton property until February, when the free agent period began. What that did for me was allow me to feel around and gauge interest from other teams before the free agent period hit, and actually permitted me to sign with Edmonton prior to that period allowing them to make other moves knowing that one area of concern was taken care of early.
To be honest at that time, Hamilton was my first choice to return to since it was closest to home for me and I felt that we had a good nucleus of young talented, fast receivers in myself, D.J. Flick and Brock Ralph. Not to mention I had faith that Jason Maas would be able to beat his injuries and struggles or not, I loved playing with Jason. Of all of my years in the league thus far, Hamilton was the one place in spite of all of our struggles on the field, I felt the closest with those guys off of it. I really take pleasure in seeing so many of those guys that I’ve grown close with over that time there doing so well on their new teams and we all talk weekly still in support of each other. Airabin Justin, D.J. Flick and Tad Kornegay are doing great for Saskatchewan while Jason Goss and I are thrilled to be here in Edmonton.
It’s funny how high caliber players can be simply cast aside when a new regime comes into town really. While it’s wonderful that Hamilton is doing better now, and I’m sure it has a great deal to do with the new players that they’ve brought in, one still has to wonder how virtually everyone that made it out of there and onto another team is having success in their new roles on their new teams. Jaime Boreham and Wayne Smith as well for the Riders are two more that are the same guys that were there last year with us in Hamilton so what’s making us all play better now?
The short answer is we’re not better. Well, I shouldn’t speak for everyone…I’m no better than I was last year. Every year I come back in better shape, and the game slows down a bit but that’s about it. I’m the same player being asked to make plays in a new position, for a new organization, and a new quarterback, where I’m clicking with a new bunch of talented, high character teammates that I wouldn’t trade for anybody. And when I talk to D.J. Tad, and A.J. it’s the same deal over in Saskatchewan for them, we all seem to rave about how different it is. In this case change has been good, the staleness of what we’ve left in Hamilton had really become too much to bear for a lot of us I think, but you don’t realize that it’s stale until you leave and see what fresh feels like. Kudos to Brock, Tay Cody and Jujuan Armour for being able to battle through all of that and still be able to field a product that appeals to the new regime. And a lot of credit should go to Jason Maas for the slings and arrows that he’s taken, I was there for a lot of them last year, and nobody should have to go through that in my opinion.
So to answer the question, how will it feel to play the team that I left? It will be just as much fun as playing any other team for me, no more and no less. I don’t recognize this team that’s coming in here as the one that I left at all; there are just not enough familiar parts to it. These are a different bunch of Ticats, and they will certainly come in here with a nasty disposition intent to win what is a big game for both of us. I’ll enjoy playing against the few friends that I still have on that team and the few faces that I still recognize get respect from me for weathering the storm.
Aside from that, I’m indifferent to the whole situation and I’ll approach it as if I would any other game. I’m not trying to prove to the GM that he may have made a mistake, or to the new coach that I could have helped him win or anything of that sort. I’ll be out there flying around for the Eskimos because; everything happens for a reason, I’m completely blessed to be in the situation that I’m in, there is no place I’d rather be…and my team needs me.

KP8