Congrats, Sione! Well deserved! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/lPNJruX3gZ
— Joey Johns (@Joey_Johns4) May 1, 2016
Congrats, Jarrod! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/CvWrn1j0V0
— Joey Johns (@Joey_Johns4) May 1, 2016
Any idea of the Saints FB or Jags S situation?
Have some guys at those positions
That sounds like a cranky take on their odds
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He didn't say they have dudes at those positions. Houma and Wilson are dudes.
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Just guys
April 30th, 2016 at 10:09 PM ^
Touché
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The Saints have two fullbacks on their roster. One is a third-year guy named Austin Johnson from Tennessee who played in ten games last year and started one. He had 4 carries for 9 yards and a TD, plus 5 catches for 30 yards. The other guy is a second-year player from Kansas named Toben Opurum, who played in two games last year. Both players were linebackers in college, although Johnson played some fullback during his first couple seasons before moving full-time to defense.
I'm a Saints fan and its been a revolving door at fullback recently, Austin Johnson got some time last year and they signed Toben Opurum this offseason. Sean Payton likes to get the ball to the fullback in the redzone and will handoff in short yardage situations even without those players being dynamic at all so Sione has a real shot here as neither fullback on the roster has a skill set beyond blocking.
April 30th, 2016 at 10:33 PM ^
Saints fan here too and SO excited they got Houma. He has a great shot in NOLA given his skill set and Payton's willingness to use a FB. I expect him to make it.
The Jaguars basically have three starting safeties on their roster. Jonathan Cyprien and Josh Evans have each been starting there for the past three seasons. They also signed Tashaun Gipson from the Browns, who started the past three seasons for Cleveland.
Wilson probably won't make the roster. Gipson is a lock to start at FS and Jalen Ramsey will probably be the primary backup there. There is already a battle at SS between Cyprien/Sample and maybe Josh Evans. Jags will probably roll with:
SS: Cyprien, Sample
FS: Gipson, Evans
The good news is Cyprien and Sample are nothing special, so maybe the Jags try to keep him around on the practice squad.
You think Ramsey will be the backup FS? I think he'll be busy starting at corner. I doubt they try to use him at two positions as a rookie.
If only Brady would've red shirted Sione!
April 30th, 2016 at 11:18 PM ^
why? he's in the nfl now
I wanted him to have another year with Harbaugh.
April 30th, 2016 at 11:26 PM ^
FB isn't really a redshirt position.
I disagree. Michigan fullbacks have generally redshirted, save for the Rodriguez years when he was pretty unconventional with his FB use.
congratulations to those two great men. well earned
One of the many delights of this past season was watching Sione burst through (penetrate?) the opponent's unsuspecting front seven on a fullback dive with his manly mane gloriously trailing in the wind. If only for another year of eligibility, sighhhh…
Shallman's turn now?
Khalid Hill's
Did you watch Shallman this spring? He seems very disinterested in playing fullback.
He would be about 6-7 deep on the RB depth chart. If Harbaugh sees something there, and that is not a spot to be scoffed at. Houma is taking us back to the days of Aaron Shea and I want to say Askew, who was a "tweener," but also the firt FB taken and had a couple good pay days. I get it. If a player absolutely does not want the position, transfer to a smaller school where you may or may not shine at your desired position. However, open your damn eyes and ask someone other than immediate family what your ceiling is.
I'm convinced Sione is going to stick somewhere. Just seems like the kind of player who will carve out a nice, quiet career in the NFL
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most NFL teams don't use a roster spot for FB. he's gna have to be a special teams ace; hoping he sticks tho.
I don't think that's true. Plenty of teams have fullbacks. There are 32 active fullbacks in the NFL right now. Teams do generally just carry one, though.
I really hope Jarrod Wilson makes it in the NFL.
April 30th, 2016 at 10:00 PM ^
I'm bullish on Houma and Kerridge making it in the NFL. Their skillset isn't the sort of thing people look for in the draft, and the game has evolved significantly, but when you come down to it a lot of teams still need a guy to be a backfield run-blocker, and they can do it. Seems likely they'll find a place to catch on, see the field a decent amount, and scratch out a career for a couple of years.
Really, nobody knows who any fullbacks are in the NFL, because they all came into the league as guys like Kerridge and Houma.
April 30th, 2016 at 10:36 PM ^
Good luck to them both. Houma seems more likely to stick in NO, but I could see Wilson getting a practice squad/late preseason signing with a team dealing with injuries.
April 30th, 2016 at 10:38 PM ^
Mario Ojemudia to the Ravens.
April 30th, 2016 at 10:40 PM ^
Last fullback I really recall being a beast was big badass Lorenzo Neal. Blocked for 1000+ yard rushers for 11 straight seasons, career lasted 16 fucking years in the NFL. The dude was a monster. Here's hoping Houma gets a bit of that going on.
Great post! This guy was a beast. I love the unsung heroes like FB and loved watching guys like BJ Askew (as a DB) and Kevin Dudley and now Houma! It helps that my friend played rugby with humas brother at Utah and they are legit good people. Hope he can be the next Neal!
On a slightly related note, Neal's son signed with Purdue to play DT in this year's class (LINK).
Interesting read. I am certain the bloodlines had a lot to do with that, but bloodline are a completely different issue than nepotism. As was the case here, obviously no one performed to the level of their respective fathers, but having that competitive gene that separates you from all those with the exact measurements, I'd go the same way.
Houma is a diamond in the rough. He should make his new team very happy.
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I think Houma will play in the NFL for a while. Less teams use FBs now but he can play. If he can catch on in NO, even if they don't keep him forever, he can be a FB in the league that teams know they pick up and plug in right away. Good team guy, hard-nosed dude. He's got a great shot.
These are the kind of guys that really benefit from playing for Harbaugh in terms of getting a shot at the NFL.
Guys like Peppers are going to make it regardless, but there is a whole next level of guys that really benefit from being coached by Harbaugh's staff.
Also believe Harbaugh may be helping them behind the scenes with his NFL relationships. Imagine what the Michigan NFL stampede will look like in 3 years. NFLU is almost built!