Analysis of Roster (Part 4)- The Fullbacks

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Fullback

Starter: Tony Richardson

Backups: Jason Davis

Key Losses: Jehuu Caulcrick

Analysis:

With Rex Ryan’s philosophy of an “all-weather” offense, the fullback is a very important position. The Jets ran the ball more than any other team in the NFL last season and also had the league’s highest rated rushing attack. Much of this success can be attributed to the Jets fantastic offensive line and a great tandem of running backs, but maybe the most overlooked person in this discussion is Jets full back Tony Richardson. Richardson has been playing in the league since 1995, and has been the lead blocker for Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Chester Taylor, Thomas Jones, and Adrian Peterson throughout his career- that’s quite the resume.

After the 2009 season ended, there were rumors that the 38 year old fullback was thinking about retirement.  However, in a Mike Tannenbaum conference call last week, Tannenbaum stated that he had spoke to Richardson and was assured that T-Rich wanted to play at least one more season. It was announced yesterday that Richardson agreed on a one-year deal with the Jets. Many people will see that the four time Pro-Bowler is 38 years old and think that he must only be a shade of his old self, but that just isn’t the case. Richardson was a huge contributor to the success of Thomas Jones’ season in 2009, in which Jones rushed for a career high 1,400 yards. T-Rich keeps himself in great shape and still looks and moves like most 25-30 year old players in the league.

Richardson has been mostly used as a blocking fullback throughout his career, so don’t expect him to get many touches next season. In 2009, T-Rich carried the ball only 7 times and caught 3 passes out of the backfield. This is fine for the Jets, because they have Shonn Greene, Leon Washington, and newly acquired LaDainian Tomlinson to carry the ball. In my opinion, Richardson looks like he could play in the NFL for another 5 seasons, but I expect that this season will probably be his last.

Before the Jets resigned Richardson, many Jets fans were speculating on a possible replacement for him since T-Rich’s return seemed questionable at best. The Jets front office seemed to be very high on practice squad player Jason Davis. In 2006, Jason Davis was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois. He has also spent time on the Raiders and the Bears before landing on the Jets practice squad.

Scout.com

Full Name: Jason Davis School: Illinois

Ht: 5-10        Wt: 225               40: 4.67

Pos:Triple threat fullback with a punishing and aggressive style. Fluid moving about the field, patient and displays good field vision. Stays square at the point and anchors in pass protection.  Physical and puts his shoulders into opponents as a lead blocker or ball carrier.  Waits for blocks to develop and works to find the running lanes.  Solid receiver out of the backfield.

Neg: Hesitant picking up assignments.

Analysis: An undersized yet athletic lead blocker, Davis works hard in all aspects and could be a good fit in a west coast offense.  Needs to improve his playing strength yet has potential at the next level.

Jason Davis has another year to learn and develop under Richardson. We’ll get a good look at him in the preseason now that Jehuu Caulcrick is no longer with the Jets. From what I’ve read, the Jets seem to be pretty high on Davis, so it’s possible he may get some looks in a regular season game in 2010. He definitely seems to be a physical type player, and will be interesting to watch him and see what can bring to the table.

Tags: Analysis of Roster 2010, Jason Davis, Tony Richardson