Touchdown punctuates Hill's career

Once a running back, always a running back.

The last time that Atlanta Falcons cornerback Tye Hill had that much open space to work in front might have been his freshman year at Clemson when the former Woodland High School star still had aspirations of being a running back.

Hill's 62-yard interception return for a touchdown in Atlanta's 31-17 win over Washington last Sunday showed off the skills that made him one of the most highly sought-after recruits out of high school.

So, when Washington quarterback Jason Campbell's pass bounced off the pads of tight end Fred Davis and into the waiting arms of Hill, he knew what do with it.

Hill pivoted, weaved his way back down the field, picked up a couple of blocks and cut back on Campbell, the last remaining defender, and eased into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.

"I just wanted to show everyone that I could still do it," Hill said. "I had flashbacks to my running back days at Woodland and my freshman year at Clemson. Believe me, there were some doubters out there, including some of my teammates. They were giving me a hard time about it during the film session on Monday because they said they didn't realize I was that fast."

For the record, Hill was a member of Clemson's track team and in 2004 was the ACC's 100 meters outdoor champion, winning the event in a time of 10.29 seconds. Hill played just one season at running back at Clemson before switching to cornerback. His best game was a 105-yard performance against North Carolina.

"It's not something you forget how to do just because you haven't done it in a while," Hill said. "It's like riding a bicycle. All those years at running back paid off for me."

To say that this has been a strange season for the former first-round draft pick would be an understatement.

After a promising rookie season with St. Louis in 2006, when he had 50 tackles and three interceptions, Hill spent the last two injury-plagued seasons watching the Rams become one of the worst teams in the NFL.

A recurring knee injury forced Hill to miss 20 games over the past two seasons.

"The last two seasons with the Rams, I was basically playing on one leg," Hill said. "I couldn't do the things I knew I was capable of doing because of my knee. People thought I'd lost it or I was a bust because I was a first-round pick. There was a lot of criticism. What people didn't realize was that I was as frustrated as the coaches and fans were."

A week before the start of the regular season, Hill was traded to the Falcons for a seventh-round draft pick.

"I was stunned," Hill said. "Actually, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay in St. Louis because I wanted to be there when things turned around. I wanted to be a part of that rebuilding process."

But after getting to Atlanta, Hill quickly changed his mind.

"They wanted me and that felt great," Hill said. "People forget that Atlanta had the 12th or 13th pick the year I was drafted, but traded out of the first round. The Falcons kept telling me they were going to draft me, so I guess it was my destiny to end up in Atlanta."

Hill's knee was still an issue and he spent the better part of a month rehabbing it in Atlanta.

"It was still bothering me," Hill said. "I didn't have full mobility and the doctors and trainers realized I didn't have a full range of motion. They worked with me and in a couple of weeks I could tell the difference. It was like night and day."

By the end of September, Hill declared himself ready to play and had a meeting with Atlanta head coach Mike Smith.

"I wanted to find out what my role was going to be," Hill said. "I didn't want to sit on the bench. It's one thing to miss a game when you're injured, but another to sit out when you're healthy."

Smith didn't want to rush Hill back onto the field, but when cornerback Brian Williams was placed on the injured reserve list, Hill saw his first action against Dallas.

The following week, he made his first start against New Orleans in a nationally televised game on Monday night. He made four tackles, but got beat for a touchdown.

"I had played in just one Monday Night game in St. Louis, so this was a big deal for me," Hill said."

But Hill's interception and touchdown last week, got the attention of the Falcons coaching staff and the fans.

"Tye continues to progress," Smith told the media earlier in the week. "That was a big play for him on the 62-yard interception return and he's continuing to become more comfortable in our system and we are continuing to become more comfortable with Tye."

Hill hopes that Atlanta will be his final stop in the NFL.

"I love it here," Hill said. "I'm so glad to be back in the South near my family. It takes them about four hours to drive here from St. George, so they've been able to see every home game. This is where I want to end my career."