Tony Hunt, meet Michael Bush

There's not a whole lot going on right now, so I will give you a rundown of the stuff that I can find.
Here we go,

This is probably beating a dead horse, but Tony Hunt and Michael Bush have a whole lot in common. Both have the football pedigree, and are frustrated about being moved from runningback to fullback.

We are down to 75, and have another 22 to go by the end of the day Satuday.

Reggie Brown is eager to get out there and play, but isn't making any promises.

Donovan McNabb graces the regional cover of Sports Illustrated. Allegedly there is a curse that goes along with being on the cover of SI, but I don't know its ramifications. Here's Donovan's take on making the cover.

Off season acquisition Chris Clemons won't be playing in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Jets.

That's it for now, I'm off for my morning pick me up.

GO BIRDS!!!

Fullbacks

Yesterday I had posted that Philadelphia can waive goodbye to Tony Hunt, and that moving him to fullback was a bad idea for the Eagles and Hunt. It would seem that I am in the minority on this one. People think that moving Hunt to fullback is a great idea, and they have a number of reasons for it. I didn't really explain why I think that it is a bad idea. Today I will explain the reasoning behing my position on the matter.

Before going any further I believe that it is necessary to elaborate on the fullback position in the Eagles offense. It's a thankless and brutal position. To quote Bloghead "Fullback is an entirely different beast." former Eagle Jon RitchieTheir primary responsibility is pass protection. Then run blocking. On rare occasions they might be called upon to catch a pass out of the back field or run it up the gut.

Here are some reasons why moving Tony Hunt to fullback is a bad idea. He is going to have to put on more weight. Pass protection is a very physical aspect of the game, and takes a very serious tole on the body. Being that his primary role as a fullback would be to pick up blitzers, he would need to bulk up in order to withstand the physical demands of constant blocking. Then there's the possibility that he would lose some speed and agility due to his increased weight.

If the Eagles plan is to have Hunt replace Buckhalter in the coming years, then sign him to the practice squad. His ability is not going to be utilized at the fullback position. When was the last time you saw a fullback take a handoff, and the cut back across the field, and then outrun the defense for a 51 yard touchdown? This is would appear to be an attempt keeping him on the team. They like what he has done on Special teams, but we don't keep 4 running backs, so they are giving him a chance to make the team at another position. No one so far has been a clear choice at the position. In summation Tony Hunt's talent would be severly under utilized as a fullback, and possibly eliminated by the need increase in size.

Sources:

Tony Hunt isn't surprised!

Klecko is no longer a fullback

"He's a fullback," said Hunt. "That's an entirely different position."

Tony Hunt:

Ht: 6'1"

Wt: 233

Age: 23

Experience: 2nd Season

College: Penn State

I'm sure that this wasn't what he expected his NFL career to be like so far......

He's got the college football pedigree. Star runningback at a Big Ten conference school (Penn State). Second on their all time yardage list. And now he's taking snaps at Fullback.

That's right, the 2nd all-time leading rusher in Penn State history is taking snaps at Fullback with the first team offense with the Eagles. He's got decent size for a fullback, but I'm pretty sure that he would need to bulk up some more in order to assume the position. In the Eagles offensive scheme the Fullback is for intents and purposes nothing more than a blocker. They need to be able to pick up the blitzer, or clear a hole for Westbrook to run through. They occassionally catch a pass out of the backfield, or run the ball up the middle, but not with regularity.

I had made a passing comment about moving Hunt to fullback in a previous post, but he's a halfback, and he showed it in the last Thursday preseason game with Carolina. Especially in the 50 yard TD run to take the lead. Hunt took the handoff over the right side, and then cut it back all-the-way back across the field, and took it to the endzone. However he hasn't shown very much of that ability since being drafted. Besides, It would appear that the Eagles roster has been filled at runningback by: Westbrook, Buchalter, and Booker. Leaving Tony Hunt and Ryan Moats as the odd men out. However, Hunt has been getting noticed on special teams. Combine that with the the fact that no one has stepped up to assume the role of fullback, and that explains why he has been given the opportunity to make the 53 man roster.

Tony Hunt is an every down kind of halfback, and gets better as the games moves on. This doesn't make him a fit with the Eagles, and so I say to you, Tony Hunt, "Happy Trails!" I just don't see him being able to make the transition to fullback from halfback, and he shouldn't have to either. He's better suited at halfback, and should get picked up by another team if let go.

I had never seen him play in college, but from what I have seen of him, and read (albeit very little) ton Hunt seems to be opposed to the switch. This could be recipe for disaster for the Eagles, and Hunt.