Cox would be true fullback for Chiefs

Mike Cox was just like every other graduating high schooler heading off to college to play football. He wanted to be the star.

He was determined to be the ball carrier and not the blocker even though his coach at Georgia Tech, Chan Gailey, preferred him at fullback instead of tailback. Gailey, though, let the decision be Cox’s.

It didn’t take long for Cox to realize his football future was brighter as the blocker and not the runner.

“I think I lasted about two days at tailback at camp,” Cox said. “I figured I might as well ask the coaches to move to fullback before they made me move over there.”

His decision worked out for all parties involved and now, perhaps, the Chiefs. Cox went on to be a three-year starter for Gailey. He wasn’t selected in last weekend’s NFL draft but jumped at the chance to sign with the Chiefs afterward so he could be reunited with Gailey, Kansas City’s new offensive coordinator.

His arrival, plus the recent addition of Oliver Hoyte off waivers from Dallas, gives the Chiefs something they haven’t had since Herm Edwards arrived as head coach two years ago.

That would be a true fullback, one they didn’t have to convert from another position like Ronnie Cruz, Kris Wilson or Boomer Grigsby.

Cox was one of 17 undrafted players signed by the Chiefs and participating in Friday’s rookie camp at their Truman Sports Complex practice facility.

None of the 12 draft picks was invited, but the Chiefs had about 65 players participating, most on a tryout basis.

Cox is a throwback. At 252 pounds, he is big and strong enough to be an effective lead blocker for Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles or Kolby Smith.

Just as important to the Chiefs, he knows how to do it. That’s an important advantage in his bid for a roster spot.

“It’s the same thing we ran at Georgia Tech,” Cox said. “I remember it all exactly. I’ve got a big step up. I can go full speed all the time. I don’t have to worry about whether I’m doing everything right. That’s probably one of the hardest things about adjusting to the NFL is picking up the playbook. I’ve got most of it down already.”

The Chiefs want their fullback to be able to catch passes as well as block.

Cox caught 30 passes at Georgia Tech.

“He’s a true fullback, and he’s done it for us in this system,” Gailey said. “He knows the terminology. He understands the blocking schemes. We know all of his qualities, positive and negative.

“His role expanded as time went on for us. He was strictly a blocker when he first started playing, and the longer it went, the more we used him in different roles because he is a good athlete. There’s a tailback in that big body somewhere. You just have to find it.”

The Chiefs had no fullback when Gailey arrived in January. Wilson and Grigsby were about to become free agents, and the Chiefs had no intention of re-signing either one.

But Gailey wants to use a fullback as much as half the time, particularly on obvious running plays like short-yardage and goal-line.

“That was a little bit of a concern,” Gailey said. “We’ve got to find a fullback because we use one. If there’s not one available, we’ll adjust, but we would rather have one and use one.”

The Chiefs suffered at the position ever since losing Tony Richardson to free-agency two years ago. They tried Cruz, a converted tailback, until a knee injury forced him out.

Wilson had been a tight end and Grigsby a linebacker.

“It’s hard to find those guys,” Edwards said. “It’s tough when you’re trying to make a guy play a position he hasn’t played.

“It’s hard to draft a fullback. You look for them in college, and you don’t have them because most colleges spread out now. They throw the ball.”

To reach Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4875 or send e-mail to ateicher@kcstar.com