A fullback vacancy remains in Oakland

By Anthony Carroll  |   Monday, July 03, 2006  |  Comments( 14 )

Oakland Raiders
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"I run my head into people. That's basically my job description."

Jon Ritchie, a 46-game starter with the Silver and Black, identified and carried out his job description in his time in Oakland. Very quietly, from 1998 through 2001, Ritchie played an essential role in the fruition of a 38-26 record over those four years. The 6-2, 250-pounder consistently put his bloody head forward, blocking for Napoleon Kaufman, Tyrone Wheatley, and Charlie Garner in his time with the Raiders.

However, with the sudden departure of Ritchie prior to the 2003 campaign, Oakland's fullback slot took a major hit. Despite Zack Crockett's presence, fullback became a less-than-notable blocking asset on gameday. From 2003 to 2005--Ritchie's first three seasons in Philadelphia--the deficiency at fullback showed. Oakland compiled a 13-35 record, ranking 16th, 32nd, and 29th respectively in the rushing column.

In 2006, it will be up to a core of unknowns to break that trend.

Currently, only one player is listed as a true fullback on Oakland's roster. That man is the brother of quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, Zach. Like his brother, the 245-pound back attended Washington, where he started three years with the team. A former linebacker, Tuiasosopo carried the ball 98 times in his collegiate career for 305 yards. More importantly, however, he was praised for his outstanding blocking at Washington, becoming a team captain while receiving several Pac-10 honors.

With little depth at the fullback slot for the Raiders, Tuiasosopo could earn himself considerable playing time in 2006. Eleven-year veteran Zack Crockett is an effective short-yardage rusher; however, his lead-blocking efficiency is questionable at times, clearing the path for the emergence of a hard-nosed lead blocker.

Beyond Tuiasosopo sit a pair of prospects discreetly listed within the running back partitions of the roster--John Paul Foschi and Joe Hall.

Foschi, a 24-year-old second-year player from Georgia Tech, started five games last season. Listed at 6-4, 270 pounds, Foschi has the ability to play both tight end and fullback; however, with already an overabundance of depth at tight end, he will likely remain as a fullback in 2006. Last season, he contributed with six catches for 37 yards, good for a per-catch average of 6.2 yards. However, in 44 collegiate starts at Georgia Tech, Foschi recorded 41 receptions, the majority of which came from the tight end position. Entering just his second professional season, Foschi is an attractive prospect in Oakland; however, blocking dominance is something that may develop slowly for the 270-pounder.

The last option in Oakland is 293-pound halfback, Joe Hall. Hall undoubtedly possesses the size to line up and lead block at fullback. However, astoundingly, in 19 games of action with Kansas State, Hall lined up as a running back, taking 160 carries downfield for 864 yards (5.4 yards-per-carry) and nine touchdowns. Signed as an undrafted free agent by St. Louis, Hall was eventually released and signed by the Chiefs in 2003. Under the Kansas City Chiefs' regime, the massive runner was listed as a fullback before his release prior to the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Finally, on April 18th, the Raiders inked the 26-year-old to a one-year contract with a base salary of $275,000. On the whole, the acquisition of Hall is beyond interesting for the Oakland Raiders. With an offensive lineman's size and running back's background, Hall is almost forced into the fullback slot.

With a roster deficient of dominant blocking fullbacks, one of the three listed alternatives may find themselves with increased reps in 2006. For the time being, Zach Tuiasosopo--followed by John Paul Foschi--appears to be the best option to perform the task at hand. Finally, Joe Hall, who is yet to handle a single carry in his NFL career, is the most intriguing of the bundle.

For now, however, the job characterized by the description "run your head into people" will remain vacant in Oakland until one of the options steps up.

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Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 14  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Raiderusmaximus		11:41 AM
07/03/2006
Zach Crockett is certainly one of the best fullbacks. However, I would like to see a rookie used and blow it up at fullback. We...
No.2
korey		01:01 PM
07/03/2006
with all these fullbacks and me being a huge raider fan which one is best for knocking a LB on his butt and protecting and...
No.3
Blastin		02:04 PM
07/03/2006
Great article. These guys excite me, expecially with potential for a 290lb FB to blow up holes. Wow! We will have to see how...
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