Lack of practice reps could hurt Jason Fox's chance to impress Lions

This should have been a big off-season for Jason Fox, a chance to prove he has recovered from the knee injury that limited him as a rookie and that he's good enough to be the Lions' No. 3 offensive tackle this fall.

Instead, the NFL lockout has kept Fox from showing coaches how much he has progressed, and if the labor stoppage lingers it could cost him valuable practice reps as the Lions and other teams rush to get ready for the season.

"It's frustrating, but it's what it is," Fox said. "You can't complain, you deal with it and make the most of it, and when you get back that's your time to prove to the coaches that you haven't been slacking off, you still retained the offense, you're still out there and ready to compete. This is a different year for me. No. 1, it's not my rookie year, and No. 2, I'm coming in it fully healthy and not still dealing with a lingering knee issue."

Fox tore the patella tendon in his right knee during his senior season at Miami (Fla.) and played sparingly last year. He was inactive the first 12 games, played a goal-line series against the Packers in December and filled in at right tackle after Corey Hilliard hurt his knee in the third quarter of the Lions' season-ending win over the Vikings.

Time off has allowed his knee to heal fully, but he was happy to get back to work with teammates during player-led workouts this month.


(sacbee.com)