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Chicago Bears Need to Drop the Fullback Plan

By William "Wild Bill" Ingalls

Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins fullback Darrel Young (36) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins fullback Darrel Young (36) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Wednesday, the Chicago Bears signed fullback Darrel Young in an attempt to truly run a ground and pound offense. While Young is a versatile player with the ability to catch out of the backfield and also be used on the goal line, the Bears are making a mistake giving him a roster spot.

While smash mouth football was responsible for most of the Bears’ success in the pre-Super Bowl era and during  the 1980’s, the NFL has simply moved on. Gone are the days of wishbone sets, and in are spread sets where teams throw 35+ times a game. NFL teams can no longer spare a roster spot for a lead blocker who has an above average ability to run the football.

This isn’t a dig at Young by any means. If the NFL still valued a power run game as it used to prior to the mid 2000’s, Young would be a hot commodity. Not only is he a strong lead blocker, but his ball skills are certainly above average for a fullback. This also isn’t a dig at John Fox and Dowell Loggians trying to run a ground and pound offense. With a running back trio of Jeremy Langford, Jordan Howard, and Ka’Deem Carey, there is plenty of reason to believe the Bears can effectively wear down defenses with the run game all the while setting up the home run ball to either Alshon Jeffery or Kevin White.

So if Young is a solid fullback and a ground and pound system is a reasonable, why are the Bears making a mistake in signing Young? Simply put, the Bears have the means to run ground and pound without having to sacrifice a roster spot on a one dimensional fullback.

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For starters, looking at the Bears’ training camp roster one thing incredibly clear- the Bears have plenty of tight ends eight to be exact. After attending training camp on the 1st of August, it was also clear that they aren’t all receivers. In fact, the Bears were using the likes of Tony Moeaki, Ben Scruggs, and Khari Lee as fullbacks. Of course there is no way the Bears will have that many tight ends on the final roster, but they could perhaps carry an extra tight end who could also double as a lead blocker. The fact of the matter is that the Bears can use a fullback without sacrificing a roster spot for one.

The value of a single roster spot could ultimately be the difference in a team’s season, especially considering how injury plagued the Bears have been the past few seasons. It would be rather embarrassing if a young talent like Daniel Braverman went on to achieve success with another team because the Bears cut him in favor of a fullback which could have been filled by another player.

Fox bringing in a fullback before the first roster cut is controversial but palatable. However, dedicating one of the crucial 53 roster spots to a fullback is borderline insanity in today’s NFL.

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