Tillman is back — as Hamilton consultant

[sj-roc]

Given he's being hired as a consultant that could mean many things. It could be little more than a part time gig where Austin could call on him when he needs an extra resource for any number of activities or when he needs a sounding board or for access to Tillman's network of contacts.

I recall what happened when Jacques came back here from Edmonton. At the time he was officially billed as receivers coach but it was widely believed (on here at least) that he was a de facto OC in all but name, and that this arrangement was at least partly because it was believed that would mean Edmonton would still be on the hook for his salary or at least some part of it through the original duration of his Esks contract.

I wonder if Hamilton is following a similar recipe here which would entail Tillman taking on more responsibility than the Ticats are letting on. Certainly KA is wearing a lot of hats so it's not difficult to imagine Tillman sharing a good chunk of that workload.

[Toppy Vann]

Given he's being hired as a consultant that could mean many things. It could be little more than a part time gig where Austin could call on him when he needs an extra resource for any number of activities or when he needs a sounding board or for access to Tillman's network of contacts.

I recall what happened when Jacques came back here from Edmonton. At the time he was officially billed as receivers coach but it was widely believed (on here at least) that he was a de facto OC in all but name, and that this arrangement was at least partly because it was believed that would mean Edmonton would still be on the hook for his salary or at least some part of it through the original duration of his Esks contract.

I wonder if Hamilton is following a similar recipe here which would entail Tillman taking on more responsibility than the Ticats are letting on. Certainly KA is wearing a lot of hats so it's not difficult to imagine Tillman sharing a good chunk of that workload.

This might be very plausible as he did have one year left on his contract and I doubt the Esks fired him for cause (as that in court in Canada is a hard one unless the person commits a serious offense such as stealing or falsifying things. To fire him for cause for not moving to Edmonton is plausible but might not be winnable if the fired person sues you.

If TLK is right with his speculation, the consultant role might be just that for now - pay low and that gets deducted from the money the Esks will still pay as you must take steps to mitigate the loss by seeking work even if it does not make you fully back to where you were before. Austin and Tillman have a very good working relationship and maybe ET wants to be in the east to be closer to his father with Alzheimer's - the issue with not being in Edmonton much but living in Regina must have really alienated the Esks as that is a slap in their face given the rivalry with the Riders.

I'm happy to see McManus get the Director title. That could put him on a trajectory to a GM role possibly.

[sj-roc]

The guy must have 9 lives. He's on his 7th team. If Austin trusts him, fair enough. But I like the TiCats less than I did yesterday.

At first I thought you miscounted but the G&M article I quoted in the OP forgot — as did I myself at the time — that he also worked in Montreal during their Concordes era. So that means Cgy & Wpg are the only two CFL cities for which he hasn't worked. I suppose I should say "in which", but then I'd have to add Edm to that list, no?

[Blitz]

Kent Austin is no dummy. I'm sure he did his due deligence before hiring Tillman.

Tillman has three Grey Cups with three different teams and only the Edmonton situation was unsuccessful. I have always considered the Saskatchewan off-field incident, as an isolated one, with no other evidence to say it was a pattern of behavior. I viewed it as both a legal and medical one, as earlier that day, he had been acting 'loopy' and was sent home from the Board of Directors meeting.

Its hard to understand what happened with Tillman in Edmonton. The trade of a successful starting quarterback had been done by Tillman before and successful. Tillman thought it would work again and he would get a lot of SMS room with the trade along with the draft choice. It didn't work out this time, it was very unpopular in Edmonton, Tillman didn't live in the city or attend most away games, and a couple of his moves didn't make sense. He left Edmonton under a wave of criticism, which included the new management team in Edmonton, who should have shut up because they look stupid themselves now after getting finded for annoucing the signing of Odell Willis four minutes after the opening of free agency.

Tillman and Austin have worked successfully together and the new management team in Hamilton all know each other well. It should be a good basis for a good working arrangement and potential success.

I have no grudge to bear against Tillman and hope the move works out well for him and for Hamilton. I think it would be cool to see a B.C. Hamilton Grey Cup this year and like in '64 our defense acts as 'Headhunters' to win another Grey Cup.

[Blitz]

Kent Austin is no dummy. I'm sure he did his due deligence before hiring Tillman.

Tillman has three Grey Cups with three different teams and only the Edmonton situation was unsuccessful. I have always considered the Saskatchewan off-field incident, as an isolated one, with no other evidence to say it was a pattern of behavior. I viewed it as both a legal and medical one, as earlier that day, he had been acting 'loopy' and was sent home from the Board of Directors meeting.

Its hard to understand what happened with Tillman in Edmonton. The trade of a successful starting quarterback had been done by Tillman before with positive results.. Tillman thought it would work again and he would get a lot of SMS room with the trade along with the draft choice. It didn't work out this time, it was very unpopular in Edmonton, Tillman didn't live in the city or attend most away games, and a couple of his moves didn't make sense. He left Edmonton under a wave of criticism, which included the new management team in Edmonton, who should have shut up because they look stupid themselves now after getting finded for annoucing the signing of Odell Willis four minutes after the opening of free agency.

Tillman and Austin have worked successfully together and the new management team in Hamilton all know each other well. It should be a good basis for a good working arrangement and potential success.

I have no grudge to bear against Tillman and hope the move works out well for him and for Hamilton. I think it would be cool to see a B.C. Hamilton Grey Cup this year and like in '64 our defense acts as 'Headhunters' to win another Grey Cup.

[Sir Purrcival]

The Sask. incident might have been a one off but IMO that wasn't the behaviour that was the most troubling. ET has a marked tendency of liking the limelight a little too much and having some real difficulty (again my opinion) with being straight with people. It was a problem in Ottawa as I recall, there were certainly issues in Sask with him and various Rider forums and he seemed to have a real issue with consistency in Edmonton. In short, he doesn't inspire that much trust and after three rather tumultuous sojourns with 3 teams, at some point, you have to think he may bring more negative than positive. As for the 3 Grey Cups, some credit where credit it due but lets not forget that the BC Cup was a long shot and that the ensuing years were rather grim. The Toronto Cup was with Doug Flutie at the helm with a team that was already a defending Grey Cup Champion and last but not least, the Rider Cup was won against a Winnipeg team playing a QB that had never started and ultimately never made it in the CFL as anything more than a somewhat serviceable backup. His teams overall win loss record is barely over 50% in the reg. season and that stat includes a powerhouse Toronto team that he didn't assemble. The fact that for whatever reason, he has never lasted more than 3 years with any team speaks for itself and that is despite Grey Cup victories.

In short, Tillman's act has run stale. Most people who have followed the league for a long time have seen the pattern in his behaviour and without a doubt, he is one of the most controversial figures in the CFL. I simply don't give him credit for being the Wunderkin of the CFL. It seems that his success has been short lived in many cases and almost as much about fortuitousness as his actual skills. Still if he is just a consultant, he may have some limited value. Hopefully however, Austin will manage him as well as the team. To do otherwise is to invite longer term problems.

[Belize City Lion]

Regardless of what you think of Tillman, he's got a respectable resume. Hiring him as a "consultant" keeps him out of the spotlight. He likely has great chemistry with Austin and Danny Mac. If they share the same philosophy on how to build a winner, that's a lot of talent on the same page in the front office. I think it was a low risk-high reward situation for the Tiger Cats. Good move, IMHO.

[the-real-hugo]

I recall what happened when Jacques came back here from Edmonton. At the time he was officially billed as receivers coach but it was widely believed (on here at least) that he was a de facto OC in all but name, and that this arrangement was at least partly because it was believed that would mean Edmonton would still be on the hook for his salary or at least some part of it through the original duration of his Esks contract.

I wonder if Hamilton is following a similar recipe here which would entail Tillman taking on more responsibility than the Ticats are letting on. Certainly KA is wearing a lot of hats so it's not difficult to imagine Tillman sharing a good chunk of that workload.

At the time ET was fired, one Edmonton reporter (sorry can't remember who but I think it was Terry Jones) had stated that ET's contract allowed Edmonton to terminate at a reduced rate (some believe 1/3 of what was left on the contract). This would be considered a final outright buyout, allowing Tillman to pursue other football options including the CFL. I don't think ET is anything more than an diverse rolodex for the Tiger-Cats at this time (and a good one considering his contacts). I believe he will be paid based on his role with Hamilton, not with a supplemental paycheque from Edmonton.

[Toppy Vann]

I recall what happened when Jacques came back here from Edmonton. At the time he was officially billed as receivers coach but it was widely believed (on here at least) that he was a de facto OC in all but name, and that this arrangement was at least partly because it was believed that would mean Edmonton would still be on the hook for his salary or at least some part of it through the original duration of his Esks contract.

I wonder if Hamilton is following a similar recipe here which would entail Tillman taking on more responsibility than the Ticats are letting on. Certainly KA is wearing a lot of hats so it's not difficult to imagine Tillman sharing a good chunk of that workload.

At the time ET was fired, one Edmonton reporter (sorry can't remember who but I think it was Terry Jones) had stated that ET's contract allowed Edmonton to terminate at a reduced rate (some believe 1/3 of what was left on the contract). This would be considered a final outright buyout, allowing Tillman to pursue other football options including the CFL. I don't think ET is anything more than an diverse rolodex for the Tiger-Cats at this time (and a good one considering his contacts). I believe he will be paid based on his role with Hamilton, not with a supplemental paycheque from Edmonton.

Not sure you have that quite right but if you are that would change what is normal in a fixed contract termination which is like this:
If a contract is 3 years and the person is fired with a year left - all that is owed will be 1 year. Some contracts might provide for lump sum at a reduced rate but I'd be surprised if the contract would allow the team to force that on the terminated employee.

But if your recollection is right then the buyout if 1 year was left would be 4 months. Wow if that is the case. Not many people would sign on for that but he is a confident person.

I am amazed that the Esks didn't give him an ultimatum. Move here FT or leave. I'd go as far as suggesting to the GM in absentia that I am considering failure to appear and work FT in this city - repudiation of contract - meaning there is no pay out. Now I don't know all the ins and outs here but I am one that thinks GMs not living FT in their communities is not growing the game!

Brian Burke with the Canucks is my model for being in the community. He helped rebuild the fan base and community and business support here. He was everywhere with business - very well liked. Supported the Lions - spoke at events and was known by everyone.

[the-real-hugo]

I wish I could find something on the net to support it, swear I saw it...but again, that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, Hamilton has added an asset when it comes to contacts & experience in the game. For Tillman, this is an opportunity to ease back into the game and re-establish himself after the Edmonton fiasco. Best case scenario for ET. For the new GM in Hamilton it's nice support.

edit - I did find a quote from Len Rhodes stating that Eric Tillman was to be paid the final year of his contract, so I have to believe this is the accurate statement. Apologies folks.

[Toppy Vann]

I wish I could find something on the net to support it, swear I saw it...but again, that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, Hamilton has added an asset when it comes to contacts & experience in the game. For Tillman, this is an opportunity to ease back into the game and re-establish himself after the Edmonton fiasco. Best case scenario for ET. For the new GM in Hamilton it's nice support.

edit - I did find a quote from Len Rhodes stating that Eric Tillman was to be paid the final year of his contract, so I have to believe this is the accurate statement. Apologies folks.

No need to apologize. I was thinking you must missed a very minor point and made it sound like they had a deal up front to pay far less if they fired him than a normal contract would require. It is minor in the scheme of things.

What I am not sure about with the Ticats will be the adverse effects of being out of the Hamilton for their games. I don't know the area but it sounds almost like Buffalo in Toronto where players will feel with the travel - all games are road games.

I have no doubts that Austin will do a good job but as a CFL HC he has a very small body of work behind him - but that is not to diminish or take away from what he did with the Riders. Now we know that what goes around - comes around. Tillman let Austin out of his contract and now a favour is returned - although I suspect that Austin is doing this for football reasons - not based on the quality of their former working relationship or feeling he owes ET. Not many GMs would let a successful HC walk from his contract.