Ottawa Redblacks Thread

[jerrym]

The life of backup CFL player, Forrest Hightower in the offseason - Uber driver - symbolizes the working class nature of the CFL.

Forrest Hightower got behind the wheel of a 2015 Dodge Charger in the off-season, looking to earn a bit of extra income as an Uber driver back home in San Jose.
It certainly didn’t take away from his focus on making himself a better football player. As a guy who has sniffed out a job opening and put his nose to the grindstone to ensure he takes advantage of the opportunity, Hightower has hit the ground running in the Ottawa Redblacks’ training camp.
A 24-year-old defensive back who subbed in when necessary in 2015, Hightower has been drawing praise from coaches.
“He’s come here as a man on a mission,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell on Friday. “He wants to earn a starting job. He’s really worked hard. He was a good player for us last year, he was fighting to get on the roster. He’s physically ready to go and mentally you can tell he’s completely into it.”
Hightower says he came into camp believing he needed to improve.
“I didn’t think I was comfortable all the way last year,” he said. “Now I’ve gotten a feel for the game, I’ve played in some games. I can cut loose a bit. For me, it was more getting an understanding of the game. I came straight out of college — this was different, the field was bigger and there were different rules. It was a learning process, I had to adjust. Now, I have that aspect down so I can focus on myself and my ability to play.
“Things are starting to slow down for me. I still have a lot of work to do. I watch a lot of film on myself. I talk a lot with the older guys. (Teammate) Jerrell (Gavins) helps me a lot. We’re roommates right now and we look over film together.”
While he was home, Hightower did extensive 1-on-1 training, while also picking the brain of former Redblacks defensive back Brandyn Thompson, who doesn’t live far away.
More feedback comes from his teammates — there’s a good bond within Ottawa’s defensive backs, who were tagged as DBlock by their coach, Ike Charlton.
“We’re pretty tight,” said Hightower. “We eat together, we go to meetings early together, we discuss plays in the locker room and on the sidelines. We have a great bond.”
As for his off-season Uber experience, which he began doing in late December, Hightower said: “It was pretty cool. I needed the flexible hours. If I had to go to a job that was eight hours a day, I knew I’d be tired. I had to make sure that football came first.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...-for-redblacks