The Knox family name has been prominent in Buffalo, NY for well over a century. Seymour Horace Knox made his fortune in five-and-dime stores which were eventually merged with similar stores owned by Frank Winfield Woolworth. Knox was an early board member of the Marine Trust Co. which became Marine Midland Bank. His grandson, Seymour H. Knox III, along with brother Northrup Knox and attorney Robert Swados, successfully applied for an NHL franchise for Buffalo which began play as the Sabres in 1970. Buffalo sports fans are now getting to know the latest Knox to arrive in town - one Dawson Knox - and they are liking what they see so far.
Dawson Knox hails from Brentwood, TN, where he played quarterback and wide receiver for Brentwood Academy. He suffered an ankle injury in his senior year and was overlooked by major college recruiters. He made the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) team as a walk-on, converted to the position of tight end and "red-shirted" for the 2015 season. Despite his impressive physical attributes (6 ft 4 in and 237 pounds), in three seasons with the Rebels, he caught an uninspiring 39 passes for just over 600 yards. After his junior season, Knox declared for the 2019 NFL draft and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 3rd round as the 96th overall pick. He had not scored a touchdown at any level of football since his junior year at Brentwood Academy. Until yesterday in Orchard Park.
Knox caught a one yard pass from Josh Allen in the first quarter yesterday afternoon - one of three catches he made - but his 49 yard reception late in the 4th quarter is what Bills fans will remember this morning. After giving up a 14-0 lead and now trailing 17-14 to the winless and desperate Cincinnati Bengals, Allen hit a wide open Knox near the left sideline. Knox proceeded to bowl over defenders and break tackles, taking the ball all the way to the Bengals 22 yard line. A few plays later, Frank Gore dived into the endzone with the winning score, sending 70,000 sun-baked Bills fans home happy.
Effective tight end play can benefit an NFL offence in may ways - some of them more noticeable than others. The recently retired Rob Gronkowski was the most prolific pass-catching tight end in recent history but he wasn't exactly known for his run blocking. Dawson Knox now has three NFL games under his belt and it seems clear that he can run routes, catch the ball and break tackles. Based on what the rookie tight end has shown so far and in particular his performance before the home fans yesterday, the story of the Knox name, well-known in Buffalo for business success, philanthropy and professional sports, has the beginnings of an exciting new chapter being written by Dawson Knox.
I have been to plenty of early season games in Orchard Park but none hotter than yesterday's. Without the breeze which provided some relief from time to time, the visitor side of the stadium would have been unbearable as it baked in the late summer sun all afternoon. As did the parking lot beforehand. The spectacular weather (and the Bills 2-0 start to the season) meant an early arriving crowd and an absolutely full stadium with no empty seats to be seen. My new seats at the 44 yard line, 23 rows above the visitor bench were everything I expected in terms of sight lines and the civility with which older, long-standing season ticket holders enjoy their afternoon of football. No drunk or disorderly behaviour in section 111, that's for sure. Both teams scored touchdowns at each end of the field and we had an excellent vantage point for every snap of the game.
Next Sunday's game will present a monumentally larger challenge for the Bills than any of their opponents have through the first three games. Amazingly, the Patriots seem to have an even stronger team this season and could easily go 16-0. I know that my seats are highly desireable - particularly for fans of the visiting team. With both the Bills and Patriots at 3-0, interest in Sunday's game is as high as it could be for any week 4 game. So high in fact that within a couple of hours of the end of the game yesterday, my tickets which have been listed on NFL TicketExchange for a few weeks now, sold for almost $800 CAD for the pair. I hope that the Bills make me wish I had gone to the game.
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