McKnight Watch
Is Joe McKnight going to be a true tailback this season or a receiving back?
"A lot of that's on him,'' offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "It depends how fast he matures and how he handles the pounding. It took Reggie (Bush) three years. We'll have to monitor that.
"Joe is a tough kid."
McKnight is going to have a tough time becoming an every down back at this point. Purportedly, he is much tougher at this age and size than say Reggie Bush. 20+ touches a game is not in his near future. He is along the lines of a Marshal Faulk (also a Bayou kid), so he'll get there quicker than Reggie did. He will create some intriguing mismatches early on in his career if he is deployed in pass-ready downs from either a backfield, slot or split out launch point. There should be a lot of "long hand offs" and wheel, fly and seam routes where his speed, agility and hands can be maximized against cover backers and dropping ends. Once he becomes a regular target, defenses will apply safeties and corners, opening up avenues for tight ends and wide outs.