Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox was amongst the most consistent players at his position in the NFL last year, and though he is still a newbie in league circles, that doesn’t mean he can’t get involved early in his career as it relates to leaving a lasting legacy.
Fox got his big break and took advantage of it last season, making it to the NFL. Now, he wants to help other young specialists try to achieve their dreams as well in the future, and help them discover the same love of the specialty side of the game that he did.
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A few folks reached out and got with Fox, and he put together a nice first small informal camp at a local high school as he confirmed when meeting with the media.
He said:
“Got a bunch of feedback. Got a lot of high school kids, got some college kids and a few middle school kids. Doing my first training thing this Sunday (June 13). I have about 15 high school kids that reached out, we got them in a group together. Hoping they all show up. At least 10 of them will.”
As for why, Fox said it’s something he considers to be important seeing as he wants to give young players the chance at connecting with an NFL player given it was something he wanted to do for years.
“I definitely wanted to give back. I was just thinking back to when I was a high school or middle school punter, how cool it would be to punt with Johnny Hekker or whoever the Rams punter was at the time in St. Louis. So yeah, I just wanted to do something like that.”
It’s a simple enough idea, but one that should resonate in a big way with the young players. Perhaps Fox will be able to turn this into a regular, bigger event in the future.
Fox Called on Young Players to Join Him
Fox took the league by storm last year when he was given his chance with the Lions, and managed to impress. As a result, it might be a bit of a shock to see such a player looking to connect with young players from outside the organization, but that’s just what Fox wants to do.
On Twitter, Fox recently put out the message that he is offering to help any young specialists to get better in the Detroit area, and to contact him in order to set something up.
This is an excellent gesture by Fox. Kicking and punting can be tough, as can finding the right instruction for such a football specialty. By getting help from Fox, anyone interested would be getting some first-rate instruction thanks to Fox simply wanting to help out and pay it forward.
Fox’s Career Stats
Since taking over the punting job for Sam Martin who departed in free agency a few offseasons back, Fox has been nothing if not dominant. He had to win an early season battle to earn the right to punt in camp, but once he overcame that, the sky was truthfully the limit. Early last season, Fox had some impressive numbers to his credit including a 50.3 average which was first in the NFL at the time. Additionally, Fox’s long punt of 67 yards early on was tied for the fifth-longest boot in the league, and he’s pinned 19 punts inside the 20 yard line, good for a tie in the sixth position in terms of his peer group at that stage.
With numbers like that, it’s clear the Lions have more than likely locked down their punting position well into the future. Clearly, Fox is interested in spreading the wealth and paying it forward for future generations, and it’s near to see him getting involved with doing so in such a big way.
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