 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
So it was with at least an undercurrent of surprise that reporters gathered around Tony Hunt's locker yesterday, to talk to the former Penn State star about how he won the roster battle at fullback only 2 weeks after being converted from halfback. This was 1 week after offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Hunt "splattered a little bit" in some aspects of his fullback debut, a preseason victory at New England.
Last week, Hunt seemed to be telling anyone who would listen that he was very much a work in progress - at one point, he said trying to predict how long it would take him to master playing fullback would be like him trying to tell a reporter how long it would take the reporter to become an astronaut.
But the 53-man roster blasted off over the weekend with Hunt aboard, so suddenly, it seemed, when he met with reporters after yesterday's practice, the scale of difficulties posed by moving from running back to fullback had been downgraded faster than Hurricane Gustav.
"I just didn't want people thinking it was going to be easy," Hunt said, when asked about his cautionary words of the previous week. "I know I'm going to make some mistakes. But I know myself; I think I'm a fast learner. Just going out a couple of games is enough, I think . . . make some mistakes, learn from 'em and be ready to go."
Andy Reid's fullbacks have carried the ball all of 49 times in 9 years, but who knows, with a back such as Hunt - a third-round draft choice in 2007, easily the most fluid runner the team has plugged into that hole - the job description could change slightly. The Birds used Hunt twice on third-and-short in his preseason fulback debut, and he converted both times.
"Other fullbacks haven't really been ballcarriers," said Hunt, who finished his Penn State career as the school's all-time leader in rushing attempts (654, for a No. 2 all-time 3,320 rushing yards). "I'm sure that plays a part in the whole situation."
The Eagles released former practice-squad fullback Jason Davis over the weekend. They cut rookie free agent Jed Collins, then signed him to the practice squad. Hunt's advantage over them might have been his strong special-teams play.
This was a big part of the coaches' dissatisfaction with former fullback Thomas Tapeh - he wasn't a special-teams standout. Hunt sure looks like he can be, on a team that is trying desperately to upgrade in that area. The Eagles ended up cutting linebacker Rocky Boiman and tight end Kris Wilson (who then was claimed off waivers by San Diego), two veterans they brought in during the offseason at least partly for their special-teams acumen.
Hunt was not a special-teams asset as a rookie, having never played on the units at Penn State. He quickly realized this was why he was inactive for eight games, and he decided he had to improve.
"There was a major emphasis put on special teams this year, and I think that was the area where I improved most," Hunt said. "At the end of the day, everything is still just football. Running, blocking and just being physical and just wanting to do it . . . if you've played football, you've tackled somebody before. You can get it done."
Other fullbacks have shaken loose across the league in the final cutdowns, but the Eagles really seem to think the Hunt experiment can work.
"He showed the ability to be a fullback," general manager Tom Heckert said over the weekend, after quoting Eagles coach Andy Reid's observation that Hunt improved from the New England game to the preseason finale, a loss to the Jets last Thursday. "After 2 weeks, he showed he has a chance to be a pretty good fullback."
Heckert said Hunt showed enthusiasm and aggressiveness, even if he needed some tutoring on angles and how to sustain blocks.
Heckert suggested Hunt might need to bulk up a bit from his listed 6-1, 227, but Hunt said yesterday he didn't think he wanted to try to do that during the season. He said he had spoken with Correll Buckhalter a bit about playing fullback at less-than-behemoth weight. Buckhalter, the 8-year veteran running back, has lined up at fullback in a pinch more than a few times over the years.
"He explained to me that it's not too much different from halfback, just as far as assignments. You're going to know the playbook pretty much from playing halfback. He was showing me . . . you have a little advantage in that you're not as big as most fullbacks but you're a little quicker, so you just really want to get up on guys fast, just hit 'em," Hunt said. "There's more to it, but you've really just got to want to go out and hit somebody."
Hunt said he did not spend Sunday wondering if some notable blocking-happy no-neck would get cut elsewhere and then prove too enticing for Heckert and Reid to pass up.
"I honestly don't get into all that at all," Hunt said. "I just don't do it. You'll stress yourself out. You can do whatever you want to do, it's not going to change any decisions anybody's going to make. You're just going to be sitting around worried. So when I get a day off, time off, I don't spend it doing stuff like that, reading message boards and things like that."
Hunt added that he was "glad that all that [indecision] is over, I'm just ready to go out and make the best out of the situation. I think it's a great chance to get on the field." *
|
|
|
|
|
|
REGIONAL SCOREBOARD
Latest Sports Blogs
TOP STORIES
Green
email this
print this
reprint or license this
Buy tickets online
