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My brother Justin McCray Color Rush Jersey , 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, 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 https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Marwin-Evans-Jersey , 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, 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 Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , 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, are you freaking kidding me? Get that weak stuff outta my face, Anthony Barr. NEW YORK (AP) — Rob Gronkowski is a difficult man to stop.Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs.The latest example was Sunday night Aaron Ripkowski Color Rush Jersey , when the Patriots tight end had two key catches in the fourth quarter as New England edged the Chiefs 43-40.He has caught 76 TD passes from Tom Brady in his career.“He made a big play. He’s been making a lot of those his career,” Brady said. “I’ll keep throwing to him in the biggest moments.”Because of his knack for coming through when needed most, Gronkowski was the runaway choice as the NFL’s top tight end by a panel of 10 football writers for The Associated Press. The All-Pro received eight first-place votes in balloting released Friday.“He hasn’t played in all 16 games since 2011, but when he’s on the field he’s still essentially unstoppable,” said Minnesota-based AP Football Writer Dave Campbell.Kansas City’s Travis Kelce was second. He has 33 catches for 468 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs, who are off to a 5-1 start entering Sunday night’s matchup against Cincinnati.“Kelce is already just a notch behind Gronkowski and could top this list soon while playing in Kansas City’s high-flying offense with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball,” said New York-based AP Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr.Zach Ertz of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles was third. He leads tight ends with 48 catches for 480 yards.“One wonders if Wentz-Ertz will be a household combo along the lines of Brady-Gronk five years from now,” said Dallas-based AP Football Writer Schuyler Dixon. “It’s lofty company, but the pieces are in place.”Green Bay’s Jimmy Graham was fourth. He has 27 catches for 349 yards and a touchdown in his first season with the Packers.“Aaron Rodgers sure knows what to do with a tight end like Graham,” said Nashville-based AP Football Writer Teresa Walker.Graham edged out Carolina’s Greg Olsen, who has been dealing with injuries the past two seasons. After Olsen, Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph finished sixth.Tennessee’s Delanie Walker, who is also hurt and out for the season with a broken leg https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Demetri-Goodson-Jersey , still managed to finish seventh.“It’s a shame he is injured, and the flop of the Titans‘ offense has a lot to do with his absence,” said New York-based AP Football Writer Barry Wilner.Eric Ebron, who has six touchdowns, has been a bright spot for the Colts in his first season in Indianapolis. He finished eighth.“He’s become a go-to guy in the red zone for Andrew Luck,” Philadelphia-based AP Football Writer Rob Maaddi said.Veteran Jared Cook, who’s third among tight ends with 32 receptions, was ninth.“Might be the only bright spot in Oakland right now,” said Denver-based AP Football Writer Arnie Stapleton of the one-win Raiders.Rounding out the top 10 was San Francisco’s George Kittle. The 2017 fifth-round pick is tied for sixth among tight ends with 27 catches.“Kittle has emerged from being primarily a blocking tight end in college at Iowa to a real dual threat for the 49ers,” Bay Area-based AP Football Writer Josh Dubow said.