School of hard Knox

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This article was published 11/08/2016 (3700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the duration of training camp and six weeks into the season, the skills Kyle Knox possessed as a linebacker were largely shrouded in mystery.

Even after his first CFL game in Week 7, where he recorded two special teams tackles, questions still remain. What’s certain is his ability to fly around the field. His speed and athleticism were apparent last Wednesday in his limited time on the field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Perhaps most telling is the faith the Bombers have shown in the Knox. The club clearly thought highly enough of the 27-year-old former New Orleans Saint to keep him around through a third of the season on the injured list.

For Knox, it’s a second chance to play the game he loves after bouncing around the NFL for a few years. Last with the Dallas Cowboys for a three-day stint just over a year ago, Knox was suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, leaving him without a team and, ultimately, a lost season of football.

“It was amazing, truly, truly invigorating,” said Knox of his first action in a long while. “For me to come out and play fast and show my teammates that I’m here and want to play with you guys and to make that first tackle, I really felt that it shifted the momentum for the whole team.”

Dealing with a knee injury, Knox took mental reps as the Bombers threw out live bullets over the last two months. The former Fresno State star could often be seen standing 30 to 40 yards back from the play, moving as if he was in pads.

“My dad used to always tell me that this game is 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical,” said Knox. “Your body can only take you so far, but if you have that instinct to see where a play is going through film, or if you already have the plays on your side of the ball beaten into your muscle memory, instead of trying to read and react, you just react. There’s no more read. That’s how you make plays.”

Former NFL and CFL linebacker and current Blue Bombers linebacker coach Glen Young believes in the abilities Knox holds. He said at this point, it’s just a matter of Knox tuning his thought process to match that ability.

“The injury holds you back, so now mentally he’s recovering (from that),” said Young. “Your mind goes there for the most part, so if you can start coming out (at practice) without your mind going to the injury, then you start to learn and focus on the play. He’s coming to that point.”

Mental focus appears to be something Knox draws on. He wasn’t too concerned with the 2½-hour wait prior to kickoff last week in his first game of the season. Instead of getting jacked up with his teammates, Knox was preparing himself in the soulfully serene.

“I like listening to my Smokey Robinson, a little bit of Al Green, chilling at my locker and relaxing,” he said. “But as soon as a hit is delivered, me on kickoff, if someone hits me or I hit them, that’s my wake-up. It gets the adrenaline going.”

His time at linebacker has yet to come, but as many Bombers have experienced this year, that time is one injury away.

“With the amount of injuries we have accumulated this season and the way we like to change players around, coach is going to put me in whatever position is going to help the team,” said Knox. “I’m going to use my athletic ability to try and contribute the best that I can. I’m just ready to play.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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