Kyle Knox is assuming nothing. He’s been around pro football long enough to realize the moment a guy gets comfy is also the moment he is most vulnerable.
It’s a great game but a cutthroat business, after all. And he’s lived it all in a nomadic career that has taken him from Fresno State to the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and now the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It was understandable then, that as a media scrum gathered around him after the first session of Bombers mini-camp Wednesday morning, that he wasn’t about to offer up his take on the prevailing theory he is the frontrunner to replace Khalil Bass at the middle linebacker spot.
Asked about the vacancy and the opportunity to patrol the middle of the Bombers linebacking corps, Knox quickly rattled off a team-first answer.
Kyle Knox at Mini-Camp April 26, 2017.
And pressed about being the leading contender for the gig, he added:
“That’s the coaches’ decision. I’m just going to play to the best of my ability.”
“There’s an opening, but it’s not my choice. I’m just going to play to the best of my ability and trust that the coach is going to put the best player in the right spot.”
Knox is one of seven linebackers at mini-camp, a list that also includes Nick Temple, who spent most of last year on the practice roster; Will Smith, who dressed for 11 games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season; Kyrie Wilson, who spent part of last year with the Oakland Raiders; George Stone, who led the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in tackles last year, as well as Brandon Alexander and Josh Celerin, who are more suited to playing defensive back or strong-side linebacker.
Knox does have an advantage of being familiar with defensive coordinator Richie Hall’s schemes but, again, knows that means absolutely nada when he steps on the field.
He spent a chunk of the offseason studying film, tipping his hat to the work that Hamilton’s Simoni Lawrence did in pass coverage and then reviewing his own tape of tackling techniques.
Nick Temple (left) and Kyle Knox at mini-camp April 26, 2017.
Described as an excellent sideline-to-sideline linebacker by others, Knox stiff-armed the chance to describe his individual game. So instead, he offered up his take on what a good middle linebacker would look like.
“A good linebacker never quits, is always physical and always vocal,” he said. “And he’s always accountable.”
“I know the MIC (middle linebacker) is one of the most physical positions and I’m here to set the physicality and show my teammates so we can play at a high level.”
That’s the next step now for Knox. He flashed enough in training camp last year to show he belonged, even after suffering through an injury in camp. In his 11 games as a Bomber, he showed enough on special teams to impress the coaches and offer, at the same time, a tease at what he could do as a starter.
All of this, indirectly, was part of the decision to let Bass hit free agency before he signed with Ottawa.
Still, flashing potential in April or May means nothing when the team is playing for real in July. What Knox wants more than ever is to grab that starting middle linebacker job and then settle in as reliable and accountable presence in the heart of the defence.
It’s about finding a football home, so to speak, in what is a transient profession.
“Every player is looking for that, especially in this career where we’re always bouncing around,” Knox said. “So, if you can find a place that wants you and you want to be there… that’s a great feeling. And I like it here.”
