Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
Twelve games into the 2013 season, one thing is for certain: there’s no shortage of rookie talent in Hamilton.
Safety Neil King is just the latest first-year Ticat to have an immediate impact in his first start, tallying a sack, four tackles, and a special teams tackle in Hamilton’s 28–26 victory over the Alouettes in Moncton last Saturday.
“Like I said before, he’s kind of an old school player,” said Coach Kent Austin, citing King’s tenacity and his nonstop effort between the whistles. “You watch him run guys down on returns: It’s that competitive drive to make plays. He has that.”
King may have made his first start this past weekend, but as Austin alludes to, he’s been making plays – especially on special teams all season long.
“Just starting on defence isn’t always enough,” King said. “Having the ability to play special teams and make an impact that way is just as important as making a big play on defence.”
An Edmonton native, King has served in a back-up role to fellow Canadian rookie Courtney Stephen for much of the season while playing specials. Canadian defensive backs are a valuable commodity in the CFL, and in Stephen and King, the Tiger-Cats appear to have at least two with their best years still ahead of them.
“We’re very comfortable now, and in the future, in Neil’s ability to be a free safety in this league,” Austin said. “We have the depth we’re looking for in those two guys.”
Having played his CIS ball at Saint Mary’s – a mere three hours from Moncton Stadium – King was able to make his debut with a now-and-then teammate as kicker Brett Lauther also made his first start on Saturday. For King, being able to share that moment with a close friend was like a dream come true.
“To share this with Brett was incredible,” he said. “We had some buddies from Saint Mary’s that were at the game so it was just an amazing experience.”
“You always get a little nervous before the game, I definitely had some butterflies,” King continued. “But you just need to have the confidence that you know what you’re doing out there.”
Confidence is something King has in bunches, though it’s mostly of the quiet, unassuming variety. Of course, there was nothing unassuming about King’s first career sack on Josh Neiswander, with the 190-pound DB coming clean off the edge and celebrating with a flurry of fist pumps.
“Oh man, that was huge,” King said, his permanent smile growing wider. “Everybody’s running expecting to get the sack, I was just the fortunate one who came off the edge clean and made the big hit. It was one of those things where all the stars aligned.”
He may attribute it to luck, but it’s clear to both his coaches and keen observers that all of King’s success this year has come from a place of pure effort.
“He has unbelievable effort, he really loves the game,” said Austin. “He plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played. I really believe he’s going to have a long and great career.”
