San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 On a post earlier was some discussion about fullbacks. As it turns out our own Corey McIntyre is a free agent and the Bills will likely be looking for an upgrade at this position. The top two free agent fullbacks according to ESPN's Scouts Inc are New England's Heath Evans and Arizona's Terrelle Smith. Both of them are top notch lead blockers. Neither has shown too much receiving ability although Evans had 3 catches for 59 yards in the final two weeks of 2008. Here's their scouting reports: Terrelle Smith: 2008 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 63 | Key Alert: None Comment: Smith is a blocking fullback who knows his role is to block, as opposed to carrying the ball and is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. He is a powerful blocker who hits with authority and punch. He excels in the lead kick-out block off tackle. He tends to struggle when he has to adjust and change directions on the move to make a block, but can blow up most linebackers when he is able to get a good bead on them. He does a good job of picking up the blitz in pass pro, will stick his nose into the block and hit squarely. He has struggled to stay healthy but, he brings an attitude to his game. He is the kind of blocking fullback hard-nosed running teams like. Heath Evans: 2008 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 68 | Key Alert: None Comment: Evans is an eight-year veteran who is a good combination of size, strength and athleticism. He is a hard-nosed player who will square up on linebackers on isolation blocks or cutting defenders on perimeter schemes. He has good foot agility, balance and quickness to searchlight moving targets in space. He is used primarily as a run-blocker, but has decent foot agility, quickness and balance with the ball in his hands. He isn't a quick-footed runner to make effective inline cuts, but has power to move the pile on contact. He is limited as a receiver out of the backfield with just average hand dexterity. He doesn't adjust or pluck the ball away from his body well nor show much run after the catch ability in the open field. Neither are game changers but probably both would be good upgrades. I intentionally left out Lorenzo Neal (38 years old) and Tony Richardson (37 years old) due to their age not fitting the profile of most teams in free agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billieve420 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I would like a FB who is not only good at blocking but is also a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball. The kid out of Syracuse Fiammetta would not be a bad pickup in the 6th-7th round. He had a pretty good week at the Senior bowl practices and would be a nice fit on this team. http://www.draftcountdown.com/scoutingrepo...y-Fiammetta.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 I would like a FB who is not only good at blocking but is also a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball. The kid out of Syracuse Fiammetta would not be a bad pickup in the 6th-7th round. He had a pretty good week at the Senior bowl practices and would be a nice fit on this team. http://www.draftcountdown.com/scoutingrepo...y-Fiammetta.php Yeah good call, the top two fullbacks last year were Owen Schmitt who went to Seattle in the 5th round and Peyton Hillis who went to Denver in the 7th round. Both those teams run pure west coast offenses and both players made nice contributions for late round rookies, especially Hillis who in 6 starts had 522 yards from scrimmage and 6 TDs. When Marshawn went down and was not available in week 17 versus the Pats, we rode Fred Jackson into the ground with a few appearances from Xavier Omon who the Bills obviously didn't trust in pass protection. Meanwhile due to injuries to Lamont Jordan, Benjarvus Green-Ellis, and Laurence Maroney, the Pats were effective with Sammy Morris and fullback Heath Evans. The Bills have two excellent running backs but we need more depth at tailback/fullback. A good fullback could also be a third running back in some situations. Not our primary area of need but definitely an area we need quality depth which we don't have right now. Fiammetta might be a great pick in rounds 5-7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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