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23	September 2019

Fleur�s lone season as offensive coo

The fullback position may be diminishing Kenny Clark Jersey , but when you have a running back that can run, catch, and pass block like Williams, why not put your best assets on the field?"Packers Film RoomPackers Film Room: Is Jamaal Williams Green Bay�s best fullback?The fullback position may be diminishing, but when you have a running back that can run, catch, and pass block like Williams, why not put your best assets on the field?CSTShareTweetShareSharePackers Film Room: Is Jamaal Williams Green Bay�s best fullback?My brother, a longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan, got me into fullbacks.He was a fullback himself for the Vermont division IV 8-man varsity football team in the early 2000�s on a squad that didn�t lose a game in four years, so the fullback position was cool in my eyes.If you�re able to put two (Tampa Bay early 2000�s) and two (fullback) together, you�ll see an early influence; Mike Alstott.With the cowboy collar and glove-less hands, Alstott was the best of both worlds: a nasty lead blocker and punishing runner.Unfortunately for everyone, Alstott retired in 2006, and so did the early 2000�s style of play.Spread offenses have taken over and pushed the traditional fullback out of the league.That doesn�t mean that all is lost for the fullback Reggie White Jersey White , however.Particularly in Green Bay.Enter Jamaal Williams.I can feel the eyes rolling back in your head � just stay with me here.It�s the offseason and I was cooped up inside for four days straight so let�s turn our collective minds to the unorthodox.Green Bay used Lance Kendricks as their de facto fullback last year, with mixed results.While Kendricks never took a handoff and was never in the backfield in the shotgun, he would occasionally peel out for a pass but was predominantly a blocker for the running back behind him.Notice I didn�t say lead blocker.Kendricks very rarely was asked to block at the point of attack, instead acting as the split man sealing the backside edge in zone splits or going to the weak side.Kendricks was okay with these assignments � as good as any tight end can be reasonably expected to be, anyway.He usually got in the way of his defender, which is more than we can say about Jimmy Graham (more on that later this winter). I think Jamaal Williams could make this block 10/10 times.Kendricks isn�t hitting a blitzing LB or a lineman, and he shouldn�t be asked to because he�ll lose those battles more often than not. Pretty much anyone can manage to make this kind of block:Williams would be no exception here.Now I�m not projecting Williams to be a road grader.Williams is a very capable running back who seeks out contact with every run; this is a guy who likes the physical side of his position.I mean...There�s some nasty in this kid.Don�t let his charming smile and consistently sunny demeanor fool you; Williams is a physical specimen and he�s proven himself more than capable as a pass blocker.He not only has the willingness to block, which many backs do not, he also has the technical skills and knowledge of blocking schemes already under wraps.This play in week one resulted in a 50 yard gain for Davante Adams, and the drive ended with a touchdown which helped the Packers come back from their huge deficit:It�s beautiful. He gets low on contact, absorbs the hit and quickly resets his feet, while working his hands back inside to maintain proper positioning.This was a game-changing block.This wasn�t a one-time occurrence, either.This one might be my favorite blitz pickups of the year:Jamaal leans into his punch a bit too much, but it�s such a forceful strike it knocks the linebacker off his line.What�s really impressive though is the alertness and effort; he knows his man is going to keep going after Rodgers, so he immediately picks himself up and goes back for another block.If Lucas Patrick didn�t stop blocking all of a sudden http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-antonio-morrison-jersey , Rodgers would have had a lane to step up into.Offensive linemen love it when their defender jumps to bat a pass; it�s an easy opportunity to put someone on the ground.Williams isn�t a lineman but he gets a glimpse of that feeling anyway against the Rams with this block:Remember how I said the block against the Jets was my favorite? I think I lied. This one makes me feel things:I could go on and on about his pass blocking. And I will!It�s legitimately fun to watch, and I want to drive my point home; the guy has decent pass blocking footwork, powerful first contact, and a will to finish his blocks until his defender is either in the ground or driven so far back he�s picking up an overpriced Bud Light on the upper deck.Watch the extension and the left foot following through in this block:He knows he has an opportunity to pancake a guy and he takes full advantage.Pancaking not an option? Not a problem.Williams displays an advanced-for-his-position knowledge of the dynamics of a pocket, and will use a blitzing defender�s path of travel against himself to wash the defender away like he�s in an oxi-clean commercial.I can hear a little voice saying �target acquired...target locked� when he goes to pickup a blitzer.If Williams ever sees time at fullback, not everything is going to be pass protection and backside cut blocks.Plays like the following are going to be the biggest question mark:Having never been used as a run blocker in the professional level, the ability to lock on to an inside linebacker and not give up ground will be difficult.Kendricks doesn�t have to plow his guy over, but he does need to have a wide and low base in order to not give up ground and plug Aaron Jones� running lane.As luck would have it, there�s precedent in the Green Bay coaching staff for having two quality running backs on the field at the same time.Matt LaFleur played around with the idea last year with the Titans, as he had thunder and lightning on his team with Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry.With a thin receiving corps why not have two of your top offensive weapons on the field at the same time?The fact that they play the same position shouldn�t matter, as the league has seen a huge jump in the usage of running backs as wide receivers.Just as basketball has embraced position-less basketball, a playmaker is a playmaker and a team should field the most skilled talent on the field at any given time.Having Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones on the field gives you two viable threats running or receiving with the ability to line them up pretty much anywhere.Both can run and catch, and I think one has the ability to block with the best of �em.Next week I�ll get into how the Packers could utilize two-back sets and add a new flavor to the bland soup that has become the Green Bay offense.Oh, and I lied to you yet again, sorry - this is definitely my favorite block. I mean Geronimo Allison Jersey White , are you freaking kidding me? Get that weak stuff outta my face, Anthony Barr. As the Green Bay Packers watch the NFC Championship Game from home this January, they do so with some optimism.There will be plenty of continuity on defense with the return of Mike Pettine to the coaching staff, while a fresh offensive system may give the unit its necessary jump-start. An integral part of the offense next season will be the emergence of skill position players. Between slot receivers, tight ends, and running backs, the Packers will not only be looking to add impact athletes but better scheme around the ones they already have.Today�s musings look into the last time Green Bay had three top-45 draft selections to help with acquiring such talent, while taking a look at the possible return of a forgotten tight end.The Packers are in rare air with three relatively high draft picks.Much has been made about Green Bay owning a second first-round pick in the 2018 draft, but it has been a long time since the Packers have had three selections before pick 45. In fact, the last time was 1980. However, it was not an unusual occurrence for the Packers to have such an advantageous slate of picks in the decade leading up to it. While Green Bay has not been overly lucky in these instances as seen below, it did net one future Hall of Famer. The franchise is hoping for more of a 2017 New Orleans Saints-like draft this April to get back to winning ways.Most Recent Packers Draft History with Three Top-45 selectionsYearPick 1Pick 2Pick 3YearPick 1Pick 2Pick 3Could Marcedes Lewis be back in a green and gold uniform next season?After just three catches on four targets in 2018, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Lewis would be finding a home elsewhere in the offseason. But with the appointing of Lewis� former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to the same post in Green Bay, the door for an exceptional in-line blocker like Lewis cracked back open. As APC�s Peter Bukowski recently tweeted, there could be a fit for Lewis on the Packers next season if he is willing to return. He might even be a better fit now than he appeared to be when he signed last offseason Montravius Adams Jersey , given the Packers� few tight ends under contract and Lewis� experience with Hackett�s offensive philosophy. Michael Cohen of The Athletic also mentioned that the teacher and pupil have remained in touch. If the Packers retain Jimmy Graham and Lewis, it would give the team an opportunity to groom an eventual heir at the position, such as one of Iowa�s all-around duo of Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson.Plan on having a strong cold-weather running game next seasonPersonally, I have been clamoring for the Packers to add a speedy, scat back for years. And after watching 2018 playoff teams employ dynamic, undersized playmakers out of the backfield like Darren Sproles, Tyreek Hill, Tarik Cohen, and to some extent Alvin Kamara, I remain intrigued by the possibility of acquiring the type of player Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy really never sought out. However, if the recent backs utilized by Hackett and Matt LaFleur are any indication, expect the Packers to be more inclined to grind it out with their running backs.Hackett�s main backs in Jacksonville as the OC were Leonard Fournette and Chris Ivory, and LaFleur also employed backs with power. LaFleur�s system was noticeably effective with both Todd Gurley and Derrick Henry. Gurley jumped from 885 yards, six touchdowns, and 3.2 yards per carry in 2016 to 1 Aaron Ripkowski Jersey White ,305 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 4.7 yards per carry in 2017, LaFleur�s lone season as offensive coordinator in Los Angeles. That kind of instant production was not an outlier. In his single season with Tennessee, LaFleur helped Derrick Henry emerge from being a change-of-pace back to a game-changer. In his third season, Henry almost doubled his yardage on the ground from his first two years combined, while posting his highest average per carry (4.7). His 12 touchdowns in 2018 also was a giant leap from his five scores in each of the two prior seasons.LaFleur�s influence in the running game should be favorable for Aaron Jones, who was an all-too-often covered-up weapon. But perhaps Jamaal Williams should be equally excited due to his physical running style. As the weather gets colder next fall, expect the Packers to run with a purpose.