Jason Fox eager to compete for starting job

BIRMINGHAM - Offensive tackle Jason Fox heard the draft rumors and tried to ignore them. Fox, a fourth-round draft pick last year out of the University of Miami, heard the rumblings that the Detroit Lions might select an offensive tackle in the first round.

"I try not to listen to that stuff, but you hear it,'' Fox said. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't hear that stuff. But they didn't draft a first-round tackle so I guess there's nothing worth talking about.''

One of the reasons there was talk about the Lions possibly taking a tackle is because of the possibly unsettled situation at that position. The Lions could either be set at that spot or have great upheaval - or anything in-between.

Left tackle Jeff Backus is coming off one of his best seasons, but he's on the final year of his contract and if he's allowed to hit free agency, he's going to get some offers. Right tackle Gosder Cherilus is coming off microfracture knee surgery which means there is a degree of uncertainty in his ability to fully recover. It's possible Backus will get re-signed and Cherilus will be just fine. It's also possible the Lions might need Fox to enter the picture.

"We've got a lot of great players on the offensive line and last year was a great learning experience for me. Guys like Jeff taught me a lot of things and now that I'm healthy, I expect to compete for a starting job,'' Fox said.

Fox wasn't competing for anything during his rookie season because a knee injury that had bothered him for his entire senior year continued to limit him. Fox didn't participate in Miami's bowl game because he had surgery on the knee, a move that he had hoped would ensure that he'd be healthy for his first NFL training camp.

"It lingered all last year. It never was 100 percent healthy,'' Fox said. "Now that I've crossed over that hump and I'm healthy again, it's a great feeling.''

Fox is taking part in the Lions' player-organized workouts at Birmingham Detroit Country Day. The Lions, who had 32 players participating today, will finish the four-day session Thursday. If the lockout continues into June, the Lions are expected to have another player-organized workout early that month.

Because he was missing development time during last year, Fox really wasn't a factor in possibly replacing the injurd Cherilus late in the season. That job went to Corey Hilliard.

"As an athlete, you always want to play. I'm a team guy and I'm going to root for whoever's out there, but at the same time, I never missed a game in college until the knee injury,'' Fox said. "I'm just a super competitive guy who wants to be out there helping his team. Last year's in the past and this is a brand new year.''

Fox said he's ready to do whatever is necessary to help the team, whether that's at left tackle, right tackle or even moving inside. The problem for Fox is that because of the current nine-week lockout, the Lions' coaching staff hasn't seen him in awhile.

"I think they're ready to see me 100 percent healthy, too,'' Fox said. "That's another reason I'm excited to get back. I want to prove what I can do and let them see me 100 percent healthy.''



(mlive.com)