You want the worst blocking TE in the NFL to be our fullback?
Maybe.
Josh McDaniels: “There’s a lot that goes into playing tight end. You’re a pass receiver, you’re a run blocker, you’re a pass protector. There’s a lot of things that could change on a single play,” he said. “We ask them to read things in the coverage. Their responsibilities in the running game could certainly change based on the fronts or the looks we get. So, there’s a lot of challenges to that position [...] They have a ton of things that we put on their plate each week.”
Availability might be the defining trait for tight end Ryan Izzo in his second year with the Patriots
Izzo was a red shirted late round pick. How many late round red shirts even make the team year two? Yet we're mad because he's not good enough to be an NFL starter and replace Gronk.
After the first miss in preseason where he gained the reputation for poor hands, Izzo has actually been OK as a receiver. Yes he messes up blocking assignments. He does seem the worst TE blocker in the league. But maybe fullback simplifies his assignments, so the game slows down for him. Izzo settled down the week LaCosse got most of the snaps, and had his best game.
I thought Izzo blocked well Thursday night from the fullback position. He had some huge whiffs, particularly from the edge where even Aikman seemed to wonder how long the Patriots expected Izzo to block in that situation. The truth is Izzo should not be playing more than 20-25 snaps a game as #2-3 TE, and he has taken a hit because the position hasn't gone as the team had planned.
How would Byron Cowhart or J. Williams have done with this much responsibility? Playing 98% of the offensive snaps. Come one. Anyway I don't see this a Jordan Richard/Jake Bequette situation. By reading the board it's feels like dump Izzo, but I think he has a future, and will be our fullback.
