SB Nation - Quinn Johnson

LSU 31 - Auburn 10: Second Thoughts

Richard Pittman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:23:05 -0000

Auburn safety Zac Etheridge (4) picks up a big personal foul for hitting a defenseless receiver, keeping LSU's first drive alive, which ultimately resulted in a touchdown. For what it's worth, I think it was a bad call. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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I meant to post this yesterday, but never quite got around to it. I watched the game yesterday morning, through the magic of Tivo. The whole thing takes about 1 1/2 hours when you fast forward through the commercials, halftime, and the time between plays. Anyway, as usual, I was looking for specific things.

In particular, when LSU had the ball, I was looking for true freshman fullback Dominique Allen. He got the start, and it was his first playing time of the year. He was in the game as the fullback whenever LSU was in the I-formation. He was in on running plays and on play action passes, and was always a blocker.

Back when Dominique Allen signed, he was expected to contribute immediately at the fullback spot vacated by the graduated Quinn Johnson, but he reported a bit out of shape and proved not to be ready to handle the rigors of the college game yet. The job has been manned by walk-on converted offensive linemen James Stampley and Richard Dugas. They struggled to keep up with the speed of the position, as they are converted linemen and not the kinds of athletes you typically want in the backfield.

Allen slowly worked his way back into the good graces of the coaches and following the bye week word got out that he would see playing time. He got the start and was our primary fullback. To be honest, he struggled. He did not always find someone to block and did not always get an effective block on the person he found.

It will be a process with him, I'm sure. A lot of young men, seeing their first action, do not perform as well as they would like. He will get another chance to improve his game against Tulane before we get to what Poseur has described as "Graduation Day", our November 7 matchup against Bama here in Tuscaloosa.

When Dominique Allen was not in the game, I watched the offensive line. They performed better than they had previously, though they are still not getting much actual push. I'll leave it there.

Interestingly, on Russell Shepard's big run, the left side of the line was operating with a strange lineup. Instead ofCiron Black at left tackle and Josh Dworaczyk at left guard, Dworaczyk was at left tackle and Will Blackwell was at guard. Black was out of the game temporarily (he would return later, so if it was because of injury it was only minor). Will Blackwell got the key block that sprung Shepard.

There was an interesting discussion on one message board about whether that was really a great run by Shepard, or whether he just ran through a hole provided by his linemen and did what any reasonably fast runner would have done? After watching it on replay, I am of the school of thought that (even though the blocking was good) Shepard was the engine that made that play go.

While Blackwell and T-Bob Hebert gave him a little crease to go through, it was definitely not a huge hole. I think it was the kind of blocking job where Charles Scott would have been able to hit the hole but not fit through it. He probably would have pushed it forward for a nice 8-10 yard gain. Maybe he would have been able to break it bigger, but then he would have been caught before getting to the end zone. Without naming names, some other of our running backs may not have ever seen that hole or may not have gone to it aggressively enough to get through it before it closed.

So give Shep credit for that run. He saw the hole, got through it quickly, and then was GONE. Give the left side of the offensive line credit for doing a nice job, but Russell Shepard made that a big play.

Defensively, I watched our line again. I will say they played the Auburn offensive line to a tie, but I can't say much more than that. Drake Nevis had a big play getting a sack and forcing a fumble, but for the most part we were only able to get to Chris Todd when we blitzed. Al Woods made a really nice play early in the game, and Josh Downslooks like he is going to be a star in a year or so.

Other than that, I don't have much to say about our defense. They played very well, particularly the back 7.

Class of 2009: FB Dominique Allen

Richard Pittman — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:24 -0000

via image.cdnl3.xosnetwork.com

Fullback Dominique Allen of Henry County High School in Paris, Tennessee, may actually be the first member of the Class of 2009 you actually see on the field during a game. From the moment he committed, the expectation was there that he could be our starting fullback for the 2009 season. It's not so much that he is that great, though he is a solid player. The issue is that with the departure of former starting fullback Quinn Johnson, the LSU roster is left devoid of blocking fullbacks.

College Football News recently took a stab at filling out our 2-deep depth chart. At fullback, they listed Stevan Ridley and Richard Dugas. If Ridley is a fullback, it is more in the "Jacob Hester" mold than in the "Quinn Johnson" mold, meaning he's more of a ball carrier than a lead blocker. Richard Dugas is a converted walk-on offensive lineman. And what's more, both are coming off of injuries, and Ridley's was particularly serious.

That is to say, the fullback position is a spot where a true freshman may be able to come to the team and immediately make a contribution. Of course, I wouldn't expect Dominique Allen or anyone else to light up the stat sheet from the fullback position, but there is a rather clear path to getting on the field if you can be a lead blocker from the fullback position.

Can Dominique Allen be that lead blocker? It's hard to say really. I like his film a lot. He is a big, strong kid at 5'11" and 250#. His relatively short stature is actually a benefit at the fullback position, as it allows him to get low on taller linebackers. What you look for in a blocking back are, in my opinion, strength and size (obviously), but also quickness. It does not help to be able to put a linebacker on his back if you can't get to him before he moves out of the way. You can't be a lumbering brute and be a fullback. Allen is pretty nimble for a 250# guy. I am confident that he has the athleticism to be a fullback (not that this says much really).

There is plenty of film of Dominique Allen running over people and/or dragging high school tacklers with him. Obviously you like to see this in a fullback. There is also film of him making a nice catch out of the backfield on a deep route. There is also surprisingly good film of him cutting through holes, changing direction, and running for daylight with good speed. He is not simply a straight-ahead runner, at least at the high school level. This made him a very productive runner in high school, running for over 4,000 yards and over 80 touchdowns at Henry County High School.

While I don't really expect Allen to ever be a primary running back at LSU, this is encouraging to me because it shows that he will have the agility to go and block a man even if he has to change directions and chase him down in order to do so.

What we do not really see is a lot of film of him blocking. There is some, which is unusual for high school film (even of a fullback), but it is not much, and he does not appear (as of his junior year at least) to really be the kind of bulldozing blocker you want to see. With the ball in his hands, he plays with speed and power. When he blocks, he is a bit more tentative. There is not much film of him running over would-be tacklers as a blocker. There is a little of that, but I wish there was more.

If he can get that part of the fullback position down cold before September 5, 2009, you could see a lot of Dominique Allen quickly.

2010 Recruiting: The Little Guys, Part 2 of 2

Richard Pittman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:30:09 -0000

Recruiting is the life blood of college athletics. You just can't keep up on the field if you don't keep up on the phones, in the high school coaches' offices, and perhaps most importantly of all, in the recruiting film room. Just as important as getting that stud 5-star who is going to be a first round pick is finding that under rated 3-star that the competition does not want. Where would the 2003 team have been without Jack Hunt, Corey Webster, and Chad Lavalais, none of whom were highly recruited? Where would the 2007 team have been without Jacob Hester, who a lot of LSU fans were upset ever got an offer from LSU?

This is why I never question who the staff chooses to offer. Sure, sometimes they make a call that ends up backfiring, like the decision not to seriously pursue Dez Bryant, the Louisiana native who committed to Oklahoma State in 2007 and is only one of the 2 or 3 best receivers in the country now. Rumor has it that the staff was worried about his grades. Looks like a bad call now, but in general we lay people really have to rely on the coaches to get the best recruiting class they could have gotten. While they may not have gotten everyone they wanted, we just have to trust that they made the best decisions about which players to take among the ones who wanted to come.

We took a look at some of the players LSU took commitments from yesterday. Today, we continue this, and some of the players we look at are the dark horses; the ones who aren't necessarily getting lots of attention, including my personal favorite recruit in this class so far: Sam Gibson.

I really like this kid. Sam Gibson is the 6'1" 205# quarterback for the best high school football team in the state of Alabama, Prattville High School. He plays quarterback for his high school, and in some ways he is an insurance policy in case Zach Lee chooses to play professional baseball instead of football. But more likely, Sam Gibson is going to find a home most likely on defense, either as a safety or as an undersized linebacker. He is a nice athlete, though not an eye-popping one like a Russell Shepard. The strength of his game is his intelligence. This is a kid who, despite not being a real natural at quarterback, managed to start at quarterback for one of the best high school football programs in the country, running a spread, winning the state championship as a junior. This is a kid who is going to find a way to help the team. He is the sort of kid who, no matter what the depth chart looks like, no matter what position he ends up at, he will figure out how to make himself valuable. That may be at wide receiver. It may be at safety. It may be at linebacker. Even if he has to bulk up and become a tight end or a fullback, he will figure out how to get on the field.

We searched high and low to find wide receiver Justin Hunter out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. LSU has not, in the past, recruited the mid-Atlantic states very heavily, but after getting Sam Montgomery out of the Carolinas last year, we moved even further north and tried to get commitments from a number of Virginia prospects. Justin Hunter is the one who said, "Yes." Hunter has a good wide receiver build at 6'4" though he will have to get significantly bigger than his current 185# at that height. He is a phenomenal athlete, boasting a 41" vertical leap and 4.4-4.5 speed. He looks a little raw in his videos, and I don't really think he plays as fast as his athleticism would suggest. He is also going to try to be a 2-sport athlete, as he is a standout in track and field as a jumper. This may limit how he is able to change his body into a football frame, as he may resist adding upper body strength if he's going to be a jumper in track. Still, his athleticism and his 6'4" height and long arms make him impossible to pass up and a highly coveted prospect.

Dutchtown safety Eric Reid is not a sleeper. He has long been considered one of the top in-state prospects in this class. Eric Reid is an easy kid to root for. He is a very good student, with a GPA listed above 4.0 due to honors-level classes and an ACT much higher than is typical for an athlete. If there is one area where this class is really looking very good right now, it is at defensive back, with Reid, Ronnie Vinson, Sam Gibson, and Tharold Simon all projecting to be either safeties or corners. More may come, as this is a position where it pays to over-recruit, as defensive backs make good special teams players. Reid is probably not quite as athletic as Vinson or Simon, but he is another prospect who is not afraid to hit, and who has benefited from outstanding coaching to this point. He is also an LSU legacy, as his father was a track star at LSU.

So far, the only running back formally and publicly committed to LSU is fullback Brandon Worleof Troup High School in LaGrange, Georgia. Worle is a really big kid at 6'0" and 245#, and he runs like a truck. He is projected to be a blocking back, but perhaps more in the mold of a Quinn Johnson, who could be trusted with the ball in his hands. He is not merely a big lumberer who can hit. He is also a pretty impressive athlete, with good quickness. He is not going to juke a linebacker out of his uniform, but if he has to change directions to get through a hole, he can do that. What I really like about him is that his videoshows him actually blocking, and let me assure you he is not afraid to deliver that hit. He will probably never have a 100-yard game at LSU, but I imagine that the guys he's blocking for might, and he might get a few touchdowns while he's here. And like Quinn Johnson, he might get a pass on a fake punt.

Wide receiver Mike Davis of Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas, is kind of a forgotten man. He was one of LSU's very first commitments to this class. This is the kid whose highlight video I criticized for being poorly produced and showing virtually nothing useful about the player. I still maintain that's true. We know almost nothing about Mike Davis that is actually reliable. He self-reports a 4.38 40-yard-dash. He measures a little small for a receiver, but he is highly respected by the recruiting media, earning 4-star status on both Rivals and Scout. He's a mystery, but he was at least very productive, catching 58 passes for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. He is surrounded by talent at Skyline, as they have at least 3 players who will sign with BCS institutions in February. I am not criticizing him as a prospect, merely confessing to ignorance. LSU watchers will be all over the Skyline games this year, and I imagine we'll know a lot more about him as a player in a couple months.

Quizzing the prophesies; seven-round mock drafts or the existance Manbearpig?

Kirkendall — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:25:23 -0000

Geoff Hobson writes "the Bengals could get as many as the maximum of four" compensatory picks. The last time the Bengals had 11 draft picks was in 2004; a draft class with Robert Geathers and Chris Perry as the only remaining players -- Madieu Williams, Landon Johnson, Stacy Andrews, Caleb Miller and Keiwan Ratliff were also in this class.

Quiz: What's more scientifically accurate: a seven-round mock draft, or Al Gore's argument against Manbearpig?

Football Experts ran a seven-round mock draft. The Bengals drafted B.J. Raji (defensive tackle), Max Unger (offensive line), Shonn Greene (running back), Jason Watkins (offensive line), Kyle Moore (defensive end), Quinn Johnson (full back), Worrell Williams (MLB). PFT mocks the Bengals drafting Andre Smith | So does MVN.

However, there's still those that think the Seahawks will pick Michael Crabtree, which benefits Cincinnati. Clark Judge has the Lions picking Matthew Stafford, the Seahawks picking Crabtree allowing the Bengals the second best offensive tackle in the draft. The one worry that the Oakland Raiders could have targeting Crabtree in the draft, is the Cincinnati Bengals. Oddly enough, we worry about that too.

Former Bengals tackle Willie Anderson still isn't considering retirement -- and the Ravens appear to be keeping him. "I might be a 14-year guy, but I've never thought about retiring," Anderson said. "As long as I can bend my knees, move my feet, don't get my quarterback killed and don't embarrass myself, I'm going to play, and I want to show people I'm still an elite tackle."

So, a pissing war is starting on James Walker's ESPN blog. He posts a Browns view of Steelers fans, and then follows that up with Steelers fans rebuttals. Both posts are titled, "who gives a damn".

Everette Brown performed at FSU's Pro Day on Monday. Linebacker coaches from the Dolphins, Jaguars and Eagles showed up, but the Bengals? Not reportedly. The point is that he's a high prospect that has been included in mock drafts that the Bengals could select. Is he even on our radar? The Steelers were all over OSU's Pro Day.

One of my coworkers sent me this this morning, a Bob and Tom prank call that is effing classic.

Paul Daugherty asks "What's the point" about the US Pole Dance Championship. Since when did anything have to have a point? Well.

Cowboys Draft 2009: Time for the Annual Moose Call

Rafael Vela — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:34:30 -0000

The F in F-back has meant failure the past few seasons.

The F-back refers to a player, usually a tight end, who lines up at various places along the line of scrimmage. Sometimes the F-back is on the line as a true tight end. Other times, he lines up outside the tight end as a wingback. Most of the time, the F-back flexes into the backfield and acts as a fullback, leading the tailback up the middle on run plays.

It's the failure to execute this final responsibility which doomed Anthony Fasano in Dallas. He was solid playing on the line, but his inability to engage and move inside linebackers, coupled with Deon Anderson's '07 injury problems, meant the Cowboys had to use Jason Witten as their f-back and put Fasano on the line.

This ran counter to the team's wishes. Witten was the better down-the-field option, so putting him in the backfield diminished his receiving talents.

Last year, Tony Curtis got his shot at as F-back, while rookie Martellus Bennett started as a pure tight end. Curtis' inability to function as a lead blocker saw Bennett getting more and more reps as F-back as the season progressed. After the bye, Dallas relied a lot on diamond formation popularized by Mike Sherman's Packers, where Witten and Bennett would line up as offset-I fullbacks, one to each side of the line. At the snap, they could either dash upfield on patterns or both lead the running back inside.

Dallas did not offer Curtis a tender last week, meaning the team will again look for a blocking tight end or, perhaps, a true fullback.

Spread offense have proliferated in college football and have greatly diminished the number of fullbacks sent to the pros. This is the main reason why Dallas has stocked up on tight ends in recent years. This year sees a handful of legitimate fullback prospects available. They're led in some order by LSU's Quinn Johnson and Syracuse's Tony Fiammetta.

Johnson is a true blunt instrument, a vicious lead blocker. That skill alone may prompt the Cowboys to call his name draft weekend. He is rather one dimensional, from all published reports. His 40 times fall in the 4.85 range and he lacks great hands.

Fiammetta has the more complete game and may also draw serious Cowboys attention. He blocks well, though not as well as Johnson. He is faster, shiftier and a far better receiver. Given that any fullback would have to play special teams, I'd prefer Fiammetta, who times in the 4.6 range.

Stories on fullbacks often draw groans from the blogging faithful. Fullback lacks sex appeal. That said, I find the circumstantial evidence for a fullback pick quite strong. Dallas will surely improve its run percentage this year. Curtis is gone, meaning Deon Anderson is the lone lead blocker on roster. Anderson's game plateaued last year. He's an okay blocker, but you would never compare his blocking skills to Moose Johnston's for Robert Newhouse's. And Anderson did little with the handful of short yardage carries he received. He's not bad, but it's not that difficult to find better.

Dallas currently has five picks in the 4th, 5th and 6th rounds. That total will likely rise by two when supplemental picks are awarded. For those reasons, I strongly suspect Dallas will select one of Johnson, Fiammetta or Georgia's Brannan Southerland somewhere in the late 4th or in the 5th round.

Fullbacks: Not much of a long look back, brief look forward

Fooch — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:00:08 -0000

This was not much of a year for the fullback position in the 49ers offense. In the Martz offense, the fullback is really not much of a factor, so it was not all that surprising to see Frank Gore's compatriot Moran Norris get the axe before the season. Given the relative lack of a traditional fullback in 2008, most of this discussion is going to center on options for 2009. If the move to a more meat and potatoes running-heavy game is what will happen, a strong fullback is in order.

Zak Keasey started out as the fullback, but suffered a season ending injury in October that came pretty lose to eliminating the fullback position from the lineup. Keasey doesn't fit the traditional mold of the smashing fullback as he's been more of a special teams guy throughout his career. He seemed to make some strides, but a torn bicep ended his season in mid-October. Keasey is an exclusive rights free agent, which means that if the 49ers tender him a contract, he has to sign it. If he chooses not to he has to sit out the season. I'd say that of all the potential certainties this offseason, Keasey being resigned is probably highest.

Michael Robinson filled the role off and on in 2008 but he is clearly not the answer at fullback. In 2009 I think the second biggest certainty is that he won't be the fullback. He will be used in some two-back formations, but not as the traditional lead-blocking fullback.

Sean Ryan was signed as a tight end, but fit into a bit of an H-back role that included some work as a fullback. At most he might get brought back for training camp, but barring injuries, his chances of making the squad (if he's even re-signed) are pretty slim.

As this list shows, it was a pretty quiet year for fullbacks. Since the offseason began, folks have definitely clamored for the need for a fullback.

Free Agency
A quick look at free agent targets over at WalterFootball.com indicates some very attractive options, if the 49ers decide to look in that direction. In a fitting irony, Moran Norris is back on the market and I'd imagine the 49ers might make a play for him. Frank Gore had his best year in 2006 running behind Norris and I'd imagine the cost would not be all that much. Of course, fullbacks in general aren't a high paid group, so that's not as much of an issue.

The hiring of Jimmy Raye makes Tony Richardson an intriguing option, even at the age of 37. Richardson was the fullback for Raye in Kansas City, although those rushing attacks were pretty much crap. More importantly (and more cherry picking on my part), Richardson was the fullback in New Jersey this year and Thomas Jones had the biggest year of his career. It might be a coincidence, but in my head I'll just say it's because of Richardson...ok maybe not. Over at Rotoworld yesterday, they posted some interesting commentary about Richardson. They mentioned that he intended to play two more years and the Jets have not contacted him about a new deal. In their commentary on it, Rotoworld said:

New 49ers OC Jimmy Raye and Richardson's history dates back to their days in Kansas City, so it's only natural that he'd consider following Raye to San Fran. Richardson, 37 has a lot of game left and could help Frank Gore.

Lorenzo Neal is also an intriguing option, given the help he provided Ladanian Tomlinson in past years. Leonard Weaver is great up in Seattle, but I'd expect the Seahawks to lock him up.

Draft
Although I personally would prefer a veteran option at fullback, there are some solid options in the draft. I would suspect the 49ers go with a veteran and continue developing Keasey, but maybe they go the youth route. Although not quite a consensus, the top five fullbacks in no particular order include:

1. Brannan Sutherland, Georgia
2. Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse
3. Quinn Johnson, LSU
4. Eric Kettani, Navy
5. Conredge Collins, Pittsburgh

It's still early, but some extended mock drafts have fullbacks around in the 5th round and later, so it's not something that has to be addressed early on. And of course shouldn't be addressed early on.

Poll

Who will be the starting fullback next season?

Zak Keasey

55 votes

Moran Norris

93 votes

Tony Richardson

78 votes

Other free agent (please specify)

40 votes

2009 draft pick

27 votes

Other

8 votes

301 votes | Poll has closed