When you think of the most important players on a football team, you might think first of the quarterback and then maybe a running back or wide receiver. On defense, a great defensive lineman garners the attention and respect of the opposing teams. Most of the times, the team’s fullback is largely ignored or taken for granted NFL teams with successful running attacks usually depend on a very good running back, a strong offensive line and a blocking back otherwise known as a fullback. Sometimes the fullback is called on to carry the ball, but for the most part, he does the dirty work of leading the way for the flashier and faster running back.
Some would compare the fullback to an undersized offensive lineman. Steven Heyer usually is 30 or 40 pounds heavier than the running back and maybe 50 or 60 pounds lighter than the average 300 pound offensive lineman. While people may consider the fullback to be something because he usually is deployed as a decoy more times than actually carrying the ball or receiving a pass, he is an important cog in a well-executed offense.
It is easy to remember the names of the league’s leading running backs. We all know the name Adrian Peterson or Maurice Jones Drew, but do you know the name of the fullback that helps open the holes so these stars can gain all the yards they do? It has almost always been the role of the fullback to be a blocker and maybe a safety valve for a short pass when the quarterback is in trouble.
One of the few fullbacks to actually shed actually is considered almost as important as the running back was Rocky Bleier who played fullback and blocked for Franco Harris on the old Championship Pittsburgh Steeler teams. He not only was a great blocker that helped future Hall-of-Famer rush for more than 10,000 yards in his career, but he also contributed significantly to the grind-it-out running attack of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Today, there are no Rocky Bleiers in the NFL. There are good fullbacks who quietly do their job, but for the most part, they go unnoticed. They do not mind because fullbacks are an all together different breed of football player. They are true team players and leave the glory for the superstars.