Fansided Dawson Knox article - vision training and learning to catch balls from Josh

[CorkScrewHill]

https://fansided.com/2022/07/20/dawson-knox-bills-projections-free-agency-2023/

He discusses his pre-NFL days, how 99 throw power is underselling Josh, and his eye training with a sports vision performance consultant (I didn't even know there was such a thing.

 

Good read.

[eball]

Thanks for posting this.  Good read; Knox is going to be viewed as a star in this league after 2022.  He’s also a prominent reason why I’m not wringing my hands over the Bills’ lack of boundary WR depth.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[StHustle]

Beane needs to figure out how to get this done before the season. Knox isn’t signing that Njoku deal if he has a better season than last which is very much possible and I’d even say probable.

[Big Turk]

Clear that Allen isn't the only one going high tech to help him improve his game during the offseason.  Really impressive to watch these guys who are self-driven and who want to get better and spend offseasons busting their asses to d so.

[aceman_16]

Nice read...thank you.

[Alphadawg7]

27 minutes ago, StHustle said:

Beane needs to figure out how to get this done before the season. Knox isn’t signing that Njoku deal if he has a better season than last which is very much possible and I’d even say probable.

To be honest, I am not expecting statistically to see a big jump from Knox.  That is NOT a knock on him by any means.  We just have a LOT of mouths to feed this year and Josh loves to spread the ball around, plus I think Davis is going to break out.

 

We also went undefeated the rest of the season and had dominant offensive performances all the way up to the KC heartbreaker once we started running the football consistently.  So I fully expect our run game to be more involved throughout the year.

 

And now we also added James Cook who is gonna take more targets away too, not to mention OJ Howard should see some too.

 

So as good as I believe Knox is and will be, I’m not seeing a big statistical jump just solely by the amount of weapons we have and my expectation of the run game being more consistently involved throughout the season.  

 

I would love to lock Knox up though early just in case though.  
 

Edited July 21, 2022 by Alphadawg7

[stevewin]

Quote

Based out of Irvine, Calif., Harrison’s team hosted Knox on a daily basis in 2021 for six weeks before giving him tools through an app to continue working on eye-hand coordination with their mobile program

Six weeks daily seems like a crazy long time to me - that's some commitment

 

[BuffaloBill]

26 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Clear that Allen isn't the only one going high tech to help him improve his game during the offseason.  Really impressive to watch these guys who are self-driven and who want to get better and spend offseasons busting their asses to d so.

 

 

 

Team culture matters. 

[StHustle]

24 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

To be honest, I am not expecting statistically to see a big jump from Knox.  That is NOT a knock on him by any means.  We just have a LOT of mouths to feed this year and Josh loves to spread the ball around, plus I think Davis is going to break out.

 

We also went undefeated the rest of the season and had dominant offensive performances all the way up to the KC heartbreaker once we started running the football consistently.  So I fully expect our run game to be more involved throughout the year.

 

And now we also added James Cook who is gonna take more targets away too, not to mention OJ Howard should see some too.

 

So as good as I believe Knox is and will be, I’m not seeing a big statistical jump just solely by the amount of weapons we have and my expectation of the run game being more consistently involved throughout the season.  

 

I would love to lock Knox up though early just in case though.  
 

If he doesn’t resign before the season…they will make sure he doesn’t have a crazy year…so yeah you’re right

 

If his targets aren’t intentionally limited…I can see him having more yards and receptions but not as many touchdowns. Leading the league again in TDS would be a tough feat

[Alphadawg7]

2 minutes ago, StHustle said:

If he doesn’t resign before the season…they will make sure he doesn’t have a crazy year…so yeah you’re right

 

If his targets aren’t intentionally limited…I can see him having more yards and receptions but not as many touchdowns. Leading the league again in TDS would be a tough feat

Yeah he’s fully capable of a bigger season, maybe even a big season if he was in position to get a nice target share.  But with Diggs, Davis, and Crowder along with Cook, Howard and McKenzie seeing some targets to go along with a run game we likely implement more, I just don’t see him getting enough targets to be anything more than a 500-600 yard season, if that.  
 

Now if someone gets hurt, or maybe Dorsey is allergic to running like Daboll was for 3/4 of the season, then it certainly raises his target potential and what his ceiling will be.

 

So I would much rather wrap him up sooner rather than later to be safe.  

[RyanC883]

26 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Yeah he’s fully capable of a bigger season, maybe even a big season if he was in position to get a nice target share.  But with Diggs, Davis, and Crowder along with Cook, Howard and McKenzie seeing some targets to go along with a run game we likely implement more, I just don’t see him getting enough targets to be anything more than a 500-600 yard season, if that.  
 

Now if someone gets hurt, or maybe Dorsey is allergic to running like Daboll was for 3/4 of the season, then it certainly raises his target potential and what his ceiling will be.

 

So I would much rather wrap him up sooner rather than later to be safe.  

 

agree with you points.  Also, even if his season is statistically worse or even, other scouts will notice his catching, his work ethic, and likely sign him to something big based on what he likely becomes with more targets.  As you said, I'd love to wrap him up sooner rather than later.  Also, if we have an injury and Knox plays a bigger role, his numbers could be insane.  

[TheBrownBear]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

To be honest, I am not expecting statistically to see a big jump from Knox.  That is NOT a knock on him by any means.  We just have a LOT of mouths to feed this year and Josh loves to spread the ball around, plus I think Davis is going to break out.
 

Don't worry.  Josh will just throw for 7000 yards.

[stevewin]

5 minutes ago, TheBrownBear said:

Don't worry.  Josh will just throw for 7000 yards.

The NFL should increase the field length to 120 yards for Josh's stats

[Kwai San]

All hail Fort Knox.  What a conundrum for the Bills salary wise on Knox.  All in all it is AMAZING the work he has put in and the improvement he has made.

 

Go Bills

[Einstein's Dog]

3 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Yeah he’s fully capable of a bigger season, maybe even a big season if he was in position to get a nice target share.  But with Diggs, Davis, and Crowder along with Cook, Howard and McKenzie seeing some targets to go along with a run game we likely implement more, I just don’t see him getting enough targets to be anything more than a 500-600 yard season, if that.  
 

Now if someone gets hurt, or maybe Dorsey is allergic to running like Daboll was for 3/4 of the season, then it certainly raises his target potential and what his ceiling will be.

 

So I would much rather wrap him up sooner rather than later to be safe.  

Yes, sooner rather than later.  The oft quoted stats are only part of it.  Knox's improved blocking was a key component in the improved end of season run game.

 

One benefit of drafting  and developing a raw prospect is being able to negotiate a deal while they are still on their rookie contract.  This scenario fits Knox like a glove.   Extend him now to a fair market deal, with guaranteed money and it's hard for anyone to turn down.  Especially one who likes the organization, players, and his role with the team.  Knox should be a core player in the future of the Bills.

[Alphadawg7]

3 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

Yes, sooner rather than later.  The oft quoted stats are only part of it.  Knox's improved blocking was a key component in the improved end of season run game.

 

One benefit of drafting  and developing a raw prospect is being able to negotiate a deal while they are still on their rookie contract.  This scenario fits Knox like a glove.   Extend him now to a fair market deal, with guaranteed money and it's hard for anyone to turn down.  Especially one who likes the organization, players, and his role with the team.  Knox should be a core player in the future of the Bills.

Yeah, agree with all these additional points as well

[Einstein's Dog]

7 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Yeah, agree with all these additional points as well

A problem is figuring out what a fair deal is for Knox. 

 

J Smith and D Njoku just got over $50M and around $30M guaranteed for four years.    Knox seems to me to be in that range but those two deals seem outside the norm.  The franchise tag right now is under 11M.

[HOUSE]

Knox is all keyed up for the new deal, isn't it great ?

[AuntieEm]

22 hours ago, RyanC883 said:

 

agree with you points.  Also, even if his season is statistically worse or even, other scouts will notice his catching, his work ethic, and likely sign him to something big based on what he likely becomes with more targets.  As you said, I'd love to wrap him up sooner rather than later.  Also, if we have an injury and Knox plays a bigger role, his numbers could be insane.  

 

   To be honest I really don't think his priority is getting a huge new deal I really think he will sign a team friendly deal.  His developing his skills as a TE will make him a good amount of money over a decent length career.  Being on a team with Josh and his ability to spread the ball around so well can certainly extend a career longer than being the workhorse as the top target on a different team.  Might make more on the deal initially but if it shortens the career was it the better deal? I'd rather be at a well stocked party everyone eating having a good time than having the best steak buffet as others are scavenging for scraps of food that fell on the ground from th buffet.