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News July 25, 2018

48-Hour Primer | TOR vs WPG

@EdTaitWFC

The point is to stay focused and locked in to what is directly in front, not reminisce or look too far ahead. Football players speak repeatedly about living in the moment, after all, and it’s not just talk, but an unofficial commandment.

Jovan Santos-Knox follows that edict religiously. But to understand where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker is in this moment – fourth in the Canadian Football League in tackles, among the leaders in defensive plays, and making an early season case as an all-star – you must rewind, even if just a little bit.

A year ago, Santos-Knox was carving out a place on the Bombers special-teams units, before making his first CFL start in last September’s Banjo Bowl. And before that? He was working at a GNC store in Connecticut when his dad pushed him to head to a Bombers free agent camp in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“You know what? I think about the ‘What if?’ all the time,” began Santos-Knox in a chat with bluebombers.comon Wednesday. “That was the greatest nine-hour drive, from Connecticut to North Carolina, I’ve ever made in my life, the greatest $100 I’ve ever spent for a tryout in my life.

“I don’t know where I’d be right now if I didn’t make that drive. I’ll just say I’m happy with that decision and that it’s crazy how much your life can change in a year. The year before I got signed I was working a regular 9-to-5 job. And now I’m a part of this defence doing what I love and every day getting the chance to step out on the field… there’s no better feeling for a kid at heart like me.”

Santos-Knox flashed his potential last fall when thrust into the starting lineup. But he’s taken another massive step forward this year while surrounded by vets like Maurice Leggett, Ian Wild, Chandler Fenner, and of course, veteran Adam Bighill.

“I see a young guy that’s willing to work extremely hard and not overlook the small details,” said Bighill of Santos-Knox. “That’s where it starts: the willingness to do whatever it takes to be the best.”

Ask Santos-Knox, meanwhile, about the influence of Bighill on his game and, well, the final syllables of the question are still hanging in the air when he jumps in to answer.

“Oh… so much. Bigs is such a great mentor for me,” Santos-Knox explained. “For a guy my age to have a guy with so much experience in the CFL, NFL and football in general right beside me… he pulls me aside when we have breaks at practice to get extra work. He’ll be saying, ‘Let’s do this…’ When we’re in film he’s sitting right next to me and he’ll say, ‘Jovan, this is the read. This is what you should be looking at.’

“It’s made me feel so much more comfortable and made my job so much easier. My comfort level this year has a lot to do with having that guy next to me. He’s like having another coach on the field and it’s an honour to be playing with him. I don’t want to let him down and I’m always trying to go 100 miles per hour out there because he’s going to be doing the same.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has spoken on more than one occasion this year about the next step of the club’s second-year CFLers like Brandon Alexander, Cory Johnson and Drew Wolitarsky. But when asked about Santos-Knox on Wednesday, O’Shea – who doesn’t throw around praise just for the sake of an obligatory sound bite – raved about the sophomore linebacker.

And that’s saying something, given that’s the position he played en route to a hall-of-fame career.

“I would say very early on you knew he was going to be a special type of player, not just athletically, but with his energy level and his sheer excitement about being on the field and playing football,” said O’Shea. “Even from the first or second game of playing special teams, his understanding of leadership is higher than most young guys.

“There are certain things about Jovan Santos-Knox that just makes him really exciting to be around. Watch him when someone else makes a play on the football field… look at his face and see how excited he is. Couple that with he’s a damn good football player. Those combinations are hard to beat.”

The Bombers believe there’s more to come with Santos-Knox, too. He’s made just 14 career starts, after all, and the three-down game is just now starting to become second nature.

“Last year, my first start, I was just nervous,” he said. “I just didn’t want to let my brothers down. I wanted to make sure I did everything right and not mess up my assignments. Looking back at that… I was new to the CFL. It was all fresh. From then to now I’m a lot more comfortable. I’m a lot more comfortable with myself and what I do on the field.

“And the more comfortable I get out there, the more fun you guys will see me have out there. When everything is clicking and guys around me are making plays, I get excited. I can’t hold that in. I show it out there. If you were to have seen me back in my college or high-school days, I was the same way. I play with a lot of enthusiasm out there and I hope guys feed off that.”

BOMBERS REPORT | July 25, 2018

The Bombers completed their final full practice today in advance of Friday’s home game against the Argonauts. Here are some notes and quotes from today…

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:

The Bombers held a closed practice on Wednesday, so any updates regarding who might replace Adarius Bowman in the receiving corps won’t be made official until the depth chart is released Thursday morning.

Bowman was traded on Monday to the Montreal Alouettes for a conditional draft pick in 2019 and on Tuesday, former NFLer Kenbrell Thompkins got all the work with the No. 1 offence.

BACKFIELD IN MOTION:

The Argos could be lining up a new tailback against the Bombers on Friday, as both James Wilder, Jr. and former NFLer Dexter McCluster left practice with leg issues. If they both can’t go, Brandon Burks and Martese Jackson would be options.

 

 

Asked if that news would affect the Bombers game plan, head coach Mike O’Shea offered this:

“Until we line up I don’t speculate about who is going to be in and who isn’t. I’m assuming they like their depth like we like our depth. I’m assuming that if somebody is out of the game the next guy in is quite capable and a pro and very excited to get the opportunity. So, I don’t think that will change anything for us.”