No Place Like Home

There’s no place like home.

Those were the thoughts of Neil King, who signed with the team he grew up cheering for two days after free agency this year.

After spending the first three years of his CFL career in Hamilton, learning the tricks of his trade, there was no doubt King was determined to do all in his power to make sure his move was the right thing to do.

When the Edmonton Eskimos final roster was announced, King was able to make his determination count.

He not only made the roster but emerged as the team’s starting safety.

There’s few brothers who can say they’ve played for the same CFL team, but Neil followed in the footsteps of his older brother Ryan, who is in his fifth year as a long snapper with the Edmonton Eskimos.

From Bev Facey High School in Sherwood Park to St. Mary’s University and now at the pro level, the brothers are now doing battle together with the Green and Gold.

Neil wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sitting in the stands, watching and cheering for the team and now wearing the uniform on the field naturally means a lot to King.

“It was a real good training camp,” said King. “We all progressed real well. I just focused on the playbook and tried to get better every day.”

Coming back to play for a team in the city he was born in was always something in the back of King’s mind as he gained experience in the CFL game for his first three years with the Tiger-Cats.

“Here it is,” said King. “Being in Hamilton for three years, I was definitely looking forward to finishing up that contract and getting a chance to come home and play with the Eskimos. It’s something I’ve always definitely had in mind and I’m just pumped to be here.”

Having an unofficial player agent in the form of his brother Ryan, already a veteran with the team, made the magnetic draw back to Edmonton even stronger.

It’s no secret Ryan lobbied about what an asset Neil would be to the Eskimos.

“Ryan has been one of the biggest supporters of me and one of the biggest influences for me during my football career. We’re both pretty tight and we talked after every game when I was in Hamilton. I know, after I was making plays and doing good things in Hamilton, he’d always bring it up to the coaches and kinda push my name across the desk a bit.”

Even in free agency, Saskatchewan did make a serious pitch for King’s services.

“I’m glad I was able to come home,” said King. “They were definitely involved, but at the end of the day …

“There’s a ton of chemistry with this team,” said King. “With Cord (Parks) here, we really do have an experienced secondary. It’s very key to have everybody see the same picture within a play and act accordingly. It’s going to be a really fun year. We have a lot of experience in the backfield and I can’t wait to get this going.”

It’s taken very little time for King to figure out the defensive line will play a key role in determining just how well the team will do this season.

“These guys up front are just animals,” said King. “It does make things a lot easier for us when the quarterback doesn’t have much time because there’s a lot of pressure in his face. It definitely goes hand in hand. When we’re able to lock down in the secondary on the receivers, it makes it easier for the guys up front.

“It’s going to be a good year. We’ve been waiting a long time for this, so it’ll be exciting.”