Dennis McKnight wants to ‘tighten up’ B.C. Lions special teams technique

B.C. Lions

Dennis McKnight is the new special teams coordinator of the B.C. Lions and his first order of business is teaching his players better technique.

“Technique is everything. You can have a superior athlete with bad technique, you don’t have a good player. You can have an average athlete with superior technique, you got a chance. I take that over from O-line stuff. Technique is everything,” McKnight told the media in B.C. on Monday.

“I played these guys four times in the last two years and I’m not blowing smoke up their skirts, but this is a big, strong, fast, physical team. I love my guys in Hamilton — Tyler Ternowski, Ante (Litre) — they’re dogs, pit bulls. These guys are a different calibre. Now, if we can take this physicality that they have and tighten up the technique, we’re gonna be good.”

The CFL’s aggregate special teams rankings have the Lions in ninth place league-wide. B.C. is last or second-to-last is several key categories, including net punting, kickoff average, punt return, kickoff return, and opponent punt return.

This has taken a toll on the team’s offence and defence, both of which have the worst average starting field position in the CFL. On average, B.C.’s offence starts drives at their own 32-yard line, and the defence starts drives at the opposition’s 40-yard line.

Essentially, this means the Lions are giving up eight yards each time they and the opposition each record a possession. That doesn’t seem sustainable if the team wants to contend for the Grey Cup.

“I’m an offensive lineman by trade, so I coach special teams with an offensive line mentality. Special teams are the heart and soul of your team and you’ve gotta have that mentality, that mindset. There’s pressure. For special teams, every down is third-and-twenty,” said McKnight.

“It’s a high-pressure deal, but that’s what I think’s kept me young, so I love it.”

McKnight was hired to replace Cory McDiarmid, who was fired near the end of June. He joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats under similar circumstances in 2024, when the team fired Paul Boudreau after an 0-4 start. The Tiger-Cats went 7-7 over their remaining games but fell short of the playoffs, finishing last in the East Division standings.

As the Lions look to turn their season around, the native of Dallas, Texas wants his units to set the tone early and often.

“There an invisible guy at the start of every game, and he’s out there in the field somewhere. It’s the special teams job to capture him and bring him to our sideline, and that invisible guy is Mr. Momentum. That’s our job, now it’s up to the O and D to keep him, but we cannot let the other guys get Mr. Momentum first because it is hard to get back,” said McKnight.

“You’ve got base defence, nickel, dime, all this crap — the kickoff coverage is the first defensive unit. We’re the starters. We determine where the ball starts, so it’s that mindset that I’ve always had.”

The 66-year-old is a football lifer. He played 11 seasons in the NFL primarily with the San Diego Chargers, and has since spent close to 25 years coaching at the collegiate and professional levels.

Though he intended for this past season to be his last, McKnight found it impossible to stay away.

“I retired last year. I have three grandsons. I was good, I was happy with my body of work. Then football seasons starts, you’re watching the games, and I’m sitting there going, ‘Don’t lose leverage! Save the block! Don’t push him in the back!’” said McKnight.

“It never leaves you. I’ve got teammates, mentors of mine when I played with the Chargers who are 75 years old. We watch a game together, they’re like, ‘Punch him! Set back! Don’t reach!’ It never leaves you.”

The B.C. Lions (1-3) will visit the Edmonton Elks (4-1) at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday, July 17 with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The Lions are coming off a bye week, while the Elks dominated the Ottawa Redblacks in a 40-17 win at home.

The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for a high of 29 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver or 880 CHED in Edmonton.

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.