Jets Rookie Makes Rare Position SwitchArticle Tools Sponsored ByBy KAREN CROUSEPublished: August 16, 2006<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Aug. 15 ? To ask Stacy Tutt to take a snap from center would have been comical, a visual gag along the lines of someone trying to punch in a number on a cellphone while wearing an oven mitt.Skip to next paragraphJohn Dunn for The New York TimesStacy Tutt played quarterback at Richmond last season and passed for 2,219 yards, but he is trying to earn a spot on the Jets as a fullback.N.F.L.Tutt, who threw for 2,219 yards last season as a senior at Richmond, was participating in drills with his new team, the Jets, earlier this week with his left hand and palm swathed in tape. He had an injury that he was not at liberty to identify.Practicing was cumbersome but it was not out of the question for Tutt, a right-hander who could face long stretches without touching the ball at his new position, fullback. It is a major role reversal, dishing out hits instead of dodging them at quarterback, but Tutt seems happy to give it a try.?If they asked me to play tight end or kicker, I would,? he said. ?I was open to anything,? he added.The 24-year-old Tutt, who signed as a free agent in May, said he did not know of another player who had transformed himself to an N.F.L. fullback from a college quarterback. That goes to show how young he is. In 1962, a junior quarterback at Ole Miss named Perry Lee Dunn was thrust into emergency duty at fullback after a wave of injuries hit the position.After returning to quarterback for his senior season, Dunn was drafted in 1964 by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round ? six rounds ahead of Roger Staubach ? to play fullback. Dunn lasted six seasons in the N.F.L.?It?s just hard to do,? Dunn, a semiretired pipeline inspector, said in a telephone interview. ?It takes a special kind of athlete.?Tutt qualifies on that count. He played two games at receiver last season for the Division I-AA Spiders; in three others, he ran for more than 100 yards and passed for more than 150.?He was our best athlete,? Richmond Coach Dave Clawson said in a telephone interview. He added, ?Part of the reason we moved Stacy to receiver is we were trying to get him in the open space because we thought he was capable of doing so many good things.?Dunn carried nearly 220 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame during his N.F.L. career. Tutt stands 6-1 and weighs 233 pounds. Dunn said hitting people came more naturally to him than one might expect.?I looked for contact when I was playing quarterback,? he said.Tutt?s mind-set was similar at Richmond, where he finished his four-year career with 5,318 passing yards and 6,872 yards of total offense. ?I didn?t avoid contact,? he said. ?I didn?t run out of bounds or slide or anything as a quarterback.?Dunn said that to him, the position switch was not a stretch, as quarterbacks are responsible for knowing everybody?s assignments. It did prove to be a real stretch for some of his muscles, lining up in a three-point stance instead of under center.?To start off from a three-point stance, you have to develop your butt muscles,? he said. ?That was nothing but getting in a different form of shape. That was the hardest part for me.?You can?t teach an old quarterback new techniques overnight. ?I?ve been playing quarterback since I was in high school, so, especially at this level, it?s tough,? Tutt said, adding, ?I?m just coming out here every day trying to apply what I?ve learned in the classroom to the field and see how it goes.?He has been hit hard in training camp by the reality of what he is being asked to do. ?I?ve taken a few shots,? Tutt said, smiling, ?but I?ve always gotten back up.?Then there are the blows delivered to the ego. Not everybody used to taking every snap can adjust to taking orders.?Mentally, you have to make that sacrifice,? Dunn said. ?You can?t let your ego get in the way.?Tutt said: ?It?s a different mind-set. I?m adjusting to it.?Clawson said Tutt had the right attitude to succeed. ?Stacy has an ego,? he said, ?but his ego is more fueled by his desire to win.?Eric Mangini, the Jets? first-year coach, seems to like what he has seen from Tutt.?Athletically, he brings a lot of things to the table and he has good size,? Mangini said. ?He?s smart, obviously having seen the world as a quarterback for a long time. It gives him an even deeper understanding of how things work. Combine that with his work ethic and his selflessness, it?s an encouraging package.?</div>
Hmmm 6'1" 223 does sound a little skimpy for a FB. Not totally, but I think he needs a little added weight.
It's 233...and not necessairily.There are numerous Fullbacks in the league in the 230's or below like Tony Richardson, Jerald Sowell (Our Former Fullback), BJ Askew (Our 'projected' starter this year)....Now if he felt like adding weight would help him though im all for it, but personally id rather him try to keep the quickness to also be more of a weapon in the passing game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Aug 16 2006, 05:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It's 233...and not necessairily.There are numerous Fullbacks in the league in the 230's or below like Tony Richardson, Jerald Sowell (Our Former Fullback), BJ Askew (Our 'projected' starter this year)....Now if he felt like adding weight would help him though im all for it, but personally id rather him try to keep the quickness to also be more of a weapon in the passing game.</div>233 is Smallish, but as a rookie it's not bad. Usually the big guys aren't big coming out of college, they add 20 pounds over the first couple years in the league.
