History repeats itself for former Eskimos lineman
Washington dealt to Als with Manziel one year after being cut by Edmonton
Tony Washington can be forgiven if he feels like he’s been here before.
One year ago this week, the hulking offensive tackle was playing in what was his final game with the Edmonton Eskimos before being released.
Fast-forward to this week, and the 6-foot-7, 318-pound Abilene Christian product found himself changing teams once again.
“Same exact time. Same exact situation,” Washington said following his first walk-through as a member of the Montreal Alouettes following Sunday’s blockbuster trade with the Hamilton TigerCats for high-profile quarterback Johnny Manziel.
“I was just talking with my wife about that. It’s funny. Same exact time.”
Six games into the 2017 regular season, Washington was released by the Eskimos after spending three seasons protecting quarterback Mike Reilly’s blind side.
But the 32-year-old native of New Orleans didn’t wait even a full day before being scooped up by the Tiger-Cats.
“You could kind of see the writing on the wall a little bit,” said Washington, who was replaced in Edmonton by Colin Kelly, an American tackle with ties to new Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland.
“Which was fine, whatever. It’s a business, they’ve got their guys. New GMs come in and bring in their guys and it is what it is.
“But this Hamilton one was a bit of a blind side.”
Especially considering how Hamilton’s fortunes began turning around with the arrival of Washington, who left a 6-0 Eskimos group to join a Ticats squad that was 0-6. Both teams went 6-6 from there on out.
“That was collective throughout the whole team,” Washington said of the Ticats turnaround. “I think the vibe had changed, and when you start to see different guys come into the locker-room, guys change their approach to how they practice and play.
“You add a few guys here and there, and yeah, you get a team that turns it around.”
And now, a year later, he’s being tasked to help do it all over again with an Alouettes club that has started the 2018 season-14 and in the same basement where they ’ve finished the last two seasons.
“I’ve been playing pretty good and been a pretty good anchor for the line, so that was a complete shock when I got that phone call,” said Washington, who was traded alongside Manziel and fellow O-lineman Landon Rice in exchange for speedy receiver Chris Williams, Canadian defensive end Jamaal Westerman and Montreal’s first-round draft picks in 2020 and ’21.
“But Hamilton needed some things on defence, they needed another wide receiver, and Montreal needed a tackle.”
And while Manziel isn’t expected to get in for starter Vernon Adams Jr. for more than a snap or two in Thursday’s game against Edmonton at Percival Molson Stadium (5:30 p.m., TSN, ESPN+, 630 CHED), Washington is moving right into the starting role at left tackle.
“Honestly, man, it’s just playing in so many different systems, you just pick it up,” said Washington, who hasn’t even had time for a new photo. His old Eskimos photo appears next to his name on the Alouettes website.
“It’s the same thing, it’s just called different things. There are little nuances here and there that you have to know in each offence, but for the most part, everybody’s running the same exact thing.
“It’s challenging. Yesterday, I got a pretty good glimpse at hearing the new calls and the way that they protect. But watching the film, I didn’t really feel like I was out of place.”
This time around, at least, Washington has a couple of old teammates along for the ride, one of whom has a way to taking the spotlight.
“He’s a great guy, I was going to say I love him,” Washington said of Manziel, who was kept from the media gathered at Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. “He’s funny, he’s relaxed, he’s humble. He’s real laid-back, man.
“He gets the back-and-forth, because I’ve been messing with him since the day he stepped in. And nothing changes for me, I’m always going to play around. I don’t care who you are. Since the day he stepped in there, I’d give him crap.”
And, who knows? Depending on how it plays out, one day Washington might be telling his grandchildren that Johnny Football was part of the big Tony Washington trade?
“Yeah, right? It’s Tony Washington and Johnny got lucky,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m not worried about all the media stuff. He’s the name and I’m just here to play ball.”