Jonnu Smith Is The Answer To The Power Run Game

The Patriots let fullback Jakob Johnson go in the offseason as they were getting away from the fullback position. At the time they still had Jonnu Smith and Dalton Keene. Even with going away from the position, at the time they had two guys who could fill the role if needed.

Now the Patriots have just Jonnu and have no idea what to do with their need for fullback. Before anyone says Jonnu is a tight end, Jakob Johnson was a tight end in Germany before coming to the Patriots. Furthermore Smith is an H-back which is just a more athletic fullback.

I wrote an article on how to use Jonnu in the passing game earlier in the season. I guess it's only fitting that I have to talk about him in the run blocking game.

People are trying to figure out how the Patriots utilize the power run without a fullback and it's quite simple. Either have Smith lineup as the fullback, send him in motion from the H-back spot to the fullback spot, or have Smith block inside between the guard and tackle and have the back run behind him. They should also be finding ways to have Smith as the second back on shotgun run plays.

I'm not an offensive coordinator, so I'm not gonna guess when to call plays. With Jonnu one needs to know he's an H-back and have a basic understanding of that position. And a smart play caller will utilize the play action to keep defenses guessing.

Using Jonnu Smith should not be rocket science but yet people are making it complicated. As long as the Patriots have a tight end on the practice squad they should be fine. The Patriots just have to show some signs of competence with knowledge of the H-back position.