A fullback in the making?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/06/2011 (5474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers released Jon Oosterhuis Saturday, it left an open spot on the roster.

There was no backup fullback hiding in the Bomber offices waiting to take over, and no immediate indication the team is looking elsewhere for a replacement heavy. The move left many wondering what the club was going to do moving forward.

Here’s where the plot thickens.

For those dialed into the Bombers roster, you know James Green as a backup defensive back, a Canadian who was originally brought in to help build the non-import depth. He saw some success on special teams last season, making 12 tackles in eight games (with a forced fumble), but eventually he had to shut his season down after a biceps tear. He was a fine player, but you wondered if his name would show up on one of those faceless player transactions during the winter months.

Turns out there was an off-season assignment for Green well before Oosterhuis failed his physical prior to training camp.

“They told me they liked my blocking skills on special teams last year, so they felt they could use me and my athletic ability at fullback,” Green said. “The club told me at the end of last year to put on some extra pounds and come in with the offence in mind.”

Sixteen extra notches on the scale later (putting him at 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, which is smallish by traditional fullback standards), the former University of Calgary safety is taking his turns in the Winnipeg backfield this training camp.

Green said re-programming his game has proven difficult.

“This goes against everything I’ve been taught the last few years,” he said, noting his last foray into an offence was as a junior college tailback. “Pass protection, block with the opposite arm, seal off the gaps as opposed to attacking the gaps — there are a whole bunch of things I’m trying to adjust to.”

Green’s biggest nemesis: Footwork.

In the Canadian game, the fullback plays less of a battering ram-type of role than is typically featured in the American version. The CFL fullback essentially has his hands full as an offensive lineman-type, creeping up to the line as either a blocker for pass protection or as some extra security for the run game.

The idea of asking a defensive player to switch to the other side of the ball is not a new one when it comes to the Bombers. Oosterhuis was once a defensive lineman and Bombers OL Chris Greaves, the 45th overall player taken in the 2010 CFL draft, was a defensive lineman at Western.

By rule, defensive players are the aggressor on the field. They are wired to flatten people, to hit players hard. Moving that mindset over to a blocking role makes some sense if said player can adjust to the new position quickly.

Winnipeg already likes what Green brings to the special teams group, so if he can add the fullback duties to his responsibilities the gig is his.

“He’s got a good chance to be on the roster as one of the better special teams players,” head coach Paul LaPolice said. “He fits some of the roles….(It) doesn’t have to be the primary fullback — we’re trying him out at that spot (even though) he is a little lighter than those guys — but he’ll hit you.”

Training camp continues today starting at 8:30 a.m. at Canad Inns Stadium.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca