Ferguson: The return of the fullback … and who doesn’t love fullbacks?

Once in a while I catch an old CFL game on television and my mind goes for a wander. As every good game does, the Canadian Football League has evolved with modern trends which makes it all that much more fun to look at the vintage jerseys, astro turf playing surfaces and classic names that used to define the game.

When I look deeper into classic games there is one aspect of the past that I wish today’s game embraced more.

The fullback.

Watch any game from the 1990’s, 1980’s and beyond, you are guaranteed to see a man as wide as he is tall with a neck roll and shoulder pads up to his ears. A hunchback of Notre Dame looking individual capable of perfect pass protection and the occasional punishing run between the tackles.

One of the most underrated mic’d up clips of Brett Favre’s NFL career is him calling fullback William Henderson “quasi-white shoes-modo” due to Henderson’s grueling appearance. The comment was born from love for the man who would protect his QB and earn the “hard yard” for over a decade.

People LOVE fullbacks.

They always have. Quarterbacks, coaches, fans, everyone. Nobody loves fullbacks more than teammates. Don’t believe me? Watch closely how excited teammates are to celebrate with the full back after making a play.

Alouettes FB JC Bealieu has made pass protection just a part of his game, as he and many other fullbacks have seen more touches this year in the pass-happy East Division.

Fullbacks are easy to love with their dogged work ethic and selfless assignment acceptance but the modern fullback is incredibly different from those bowling balls shaped characters from the middle-ages. Turn on a game today next to a game from 25 years ago and you wouldn’t be able to tell there is a fullback in the game.

No power formations – outside of short yardage and the goal line – fewer runs between the tackles and certainly less time with the ball in their hands on direct handoffs.

As Canadian football has evolved, the fullback that we imagine from those old games becomes increasingly extinct, replaced by a new modern fullback.

This player doesn’t have shoulder pads up to their ears or demand the football in short yardage. Instead they catch balls in the flat, run sneaky seam routes and this season, are surprisingly involved in the offensive game plan of many teams.

While watching every game this season it’s easy to fall in love with a player.

Sure, slotback TJ Thorpe makes a bunch of catches for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers one week, but will it continue? Nice to see Marken Michel get a bunch of targets last Friday in Vancouver, but will it last?

Several times this season I have thought that about Ottawa REDBLACKS Patrick Lavoie, Toronto Argonauts Declan Cross and Montreal Alouettes J.C. Beaulieu.

Sophomore FB Declan Cross has been a key part of the Toronto offence out of the backfield for an Argos team that hasn’t had a true fullback utilized in many years.

Nice to see a couple millennial-style fullbacks getting touches but is it just a matchup thing or are they really going to remain part of the plan moving forward? Halfway through the CFL season I can confirm the return of the – new style – fullback.

Many CFL GMs transition defensive lineman to fullback in hopes of creating a special teams ace and more physical blocker. Regardless of previous positional background, two aspects of the modern fullback remain unchanged from their predecessors.

First, fullbacks remain the motivational engine of football teams. Whether it’s veteran Rolly Lumbala being asked to get Wally Buono’s BC Lions right by the coach ahead of their Week 8 game in Regina or long time leaders Calvin McCarty in Edmonton and Rob Cote in Calgary being used by coaches to set an example of how to be a CFL player.

Second, CFL fullbacks must dominate on special teams in order to make and stay on a roster.

Names like Dakota Brush, Alexandre Dupuis, Brendan Gillanders, DJ Lalama, Isaac Lauzon, Pascal Lochard, Mike Miller, Christope Normand, John Rush, James Tuck, Carl-Olivier Prime and Nate O’Halloran might not get a ton of press, but doing your job on special teams effectively rarely merits attention.

They know that and most guys embrace the fact that their work will largely fly under the radar. That is until their special teams film leads to a chance on offence for a rare score zone touch. You just never know who might be the next CFL player to join the 2017 return of the – full-back.