Death of the FB

According to the stats I put up earlier, the fullback still has a vital role in today’s NFL. The number don’t lie as having a fullback in the backfield with the running back leads to more explosive plays, and a more efficient running game. I also showed that unfortunately more NFL teams seem to be moving on from the fullback in their offensive sets. This is disheartening, and I hope that my blog has demonstrated that the NFL is making a mistake in slowly doing away with a position that is the embodiment of toughness in the physical game of football.  Thank you for your time reading this blog, and I hope you learned something from it.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, wrote an article about superstar RB Adrian Peterson’s success when he has fullback Jerome Felton lead blocking for him last season. The numbers are very interesting, and show that the Minnesota Vikings running game benefited from having fullback Jerome Felton on the field.

According to the numbers:

Feeding Adrian Peterson

A breakdown of the Minnesota running back’s runs by formation:

According to Darren Heitner of Forbes, there are only 22 listed fullbacks in the NFL according to all 32 teams depth charts. That means about a 1/3 of the league doesn’t use a fullback at all in their offense. Heitner mentions that the Ravens actually have two fullbacks on their roster with Kyle Juszcyk, and Vonta Leach, while the high powered Denver Broncos don’t have a fullback on their team at all.  According to Heitner, he also states that the average career in the NFL lasts 3.55 seasons, and the average career of a fullback lasts 3.91 seasons. The shelf life on this grueling position is startling given the lack of quantity in the league today.

Breakdown of the number of players at each position in the NFL.

Lorenzo Neal, Mike Alstott, John Riggins. These were the guys who did the dirty work for running backs like Ladainian Tomlinson, and Cadillac Williams. Blowing guys out of the tackle box letting their teammates score. They don’t get put in the record books for their vital part in their teammates  accomplishments like LT’s record 31 touchdowns in a season, but their presence is felt on the gridiron. I want to explore the impact that they had on the game of football, and show why a rebirth of the position is needed.

Neal bulldozes a linebacker giving LT a clear path.