Patient like a Fox

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This article was published 22/05/2024 (595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Bombers have developed a pattern with their American defensive tackles in recent years.

They find them, develop them, watch them produce and then let them leave.

It started with Steven Richardson (B.C. Lions, now retired), then it was Casey Sayles (Hamilton Tiger-Cats), and most recently it was Ricky Walker this past offseason.

Walker initially agreed to terms on a deal with the Calgary Stampeders before changing his mind and now appears to have moved on from the CFL.

“It’s a testament to (our scouting department) for finding these players that do well and then command a fair salary,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“If they keep finding guys of that ilk, sometimes the business side of things takes over which is unfortunate because all the guys you named are great teammates, too, that you’d love to have in the building. They really are. But, yeah, we seem to do fine in the end.”

If the Bombers are going to be fine this time around, chances are it will be because of Miles Fox.

The third-year pro is the favourite to land the starting gig after spending most of last season on the team’s practice roster. The 27-year-old from Atlanta, Ga., saw action in two games and recorded a sack and three tackles.

He initially broke into the CFL in 2022 with the B.C. Lions, where he played three games after earning a tryout with the Buffalo Bills.

Fox has had to wait a while for an opportunity to make an impact but the 6-1, 297-pounder isn’t complaining.

“I’ve needed to be patient my whole life. I just feel like God has put me in this situation and this is the perfect situation and I thank Him every day for that,” said Fox after Wednesday’s training camp session.

“I’ve waited my turn, I’m a student of the game and I just love going out there and working every single day. I’m one of the hardest workers and I love going out there, playing fast, and I feel like I can make a difference in this defence.”

Fox took the scenic route to the pros.

After four seasons at Old Dominion (2015-18), he took his talents to Wake Forest as a graduate transfer. He was supposed to be one and done at the ACC program, but injuries and the pandemic stretched out his NCAA career to seven total years.

“I had to go two years without football, I ruptured my plantar plate in my toe in 2018, came back from that, and then three days later I tore my Achilles in my other leg. I was forced to be patient, so, after that, I’ve just had a whole new level of gratitude when it comes to football and I take every day like it could be my last,” he said. “But everything falls together as it should. I got a lot of jokes about being the old man when I was at Wake Forest, though. One day it was my coach’s birthday, and he was like ‘I’m almost as old as you now.’”

Throughout his roller-coaster football journey, one of his biggest sources of motivation has remained the same: his younger brother Jackson who has autism. Fox is currently putting the finishing touches on a children’s book called Joyful Jamal that sheds light on daily challenges that children with autism face.

“At first, I didn’t really understand it, but as I get older, I’ve seen people not treat him right or him have trouble doing certain things and it’s given me a whole new level of empathy for that. I really love the autism community and you learn something new every single day,” said Fox.

“He can’t do certain things that I can do because he’s on the spectrum and he wasn’t able to play football. I just feel like I should always be my best because there’s always someone who wishes they could be in your shoes.”

Lawson out for a while

Canadian defensive tackle Cameron Lawson suffered a severe injury in Monday’s pre-season loss in Regina.

The third-year Bomber was placed on the six-game injured list on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be a little longer, I imagine,” said O’Shea.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be the full year or not but he’s definitely going to need the six and probably more than that. I would assume more than that.”

Without Lawson, expect second-year Canadian Tanner Schmekel to move up the depth chart behind veteran Jake Thomas.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31