Tag: Patrick Ricard

Here’s all seven Fat Guy Touchdowns scored in the 2019 season

More than ever in NFL history, the big guys are making it into the end zone! Here are all seven Fat Guy Touchdowns in the 2019 NFL season.

Most times, when an offensive lineman reports as eligible, opposing defenses don’t take it seriously. The 2019 NFL season is when that should change, or more defensive coordinators will be caught unaware. Because there has been a rash of Fat Guy Touchdowns scored this season — there had been six through the first 16 weeks of the season, and against the Buccaneers in Week 17, Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter dialed up this bit of magic — a 35-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo.

We stand in awe.

And yes, it is fair to say that the Bucs blew this coverage in all sorts of ways.

Would you like to see every Fat Guy Touchdown scored this season? Touchdown Wire has you covered there. Because, as John Madden said in The Replacements, “I love to see a fat guy score. Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance.”

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Happy Holidays! Here are all five Fat Guy Touchdowns from the 2019 season

Outside of Santa Claus, these five large dudes catching TD passes in the 2019 season have been the biggest win for jumbo guys in uniforms.

John Madden: I love to see a fat guy score.

Pat Summerall: Why?

John Madden: Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance.

That line from The Replacements has always held true. There are few things more extemporaneously joyful than when a huge dude in a football uniform scores a touchdown and gets, for a moment, the adulation usually reserved for the smaller skill-position guys. When the Bills scored a touchdown on a Josh Allen pass to 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle with one second left in the first half of Buffalo’s Week 16 tussle with the Patriots, it set a mark that hasn’t been set in a long time.

Because we know what you need at Touchdown Wire, we’re presenting all five Fat Guy Touchdowns right here.

Week 1: Ravens FB/DL Patrick Ricard

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

With 7:54 left in their 59-10 thrashing of the Dolphins, the Ravens dialed up this one-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Patrick Ricard. It was Jackson’s fifth passing touchdown on the day.

“It was my idea,” Harbaugh said. “My brother had his guy in San Francisco… I just thought that was a weapon, a dominant type guy, and he looked like a really good athlete. Then I asked him, he said he played it in high school, and the rest is history.”

Jim Harbaugh’s guy in San Francisco from 2011-2014 was Bruce Miller, a linebacker and defensive lineman at Central Florida who Harbaugh converted to a fullback after the 49ers took him in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. Ricard is no stranger to the end zone — the former Maine defensive lineman caught two touchdown passes in his rookie campaign of 2017, and he has eight receptions on 11 targets for 47 yards and that touchdown. Ricard has lined up all over the place for the Ravens in 2019 — 152 snaps in the backfield, 69 snaps inline, 47 in the slot, 20 as a wideout, and 134 on the defensive line.

So, if you see this play when the Ravens get their postseason going, don’t be surprised.

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2020 NFL Pro Bowl: Which Ravens should be selected

The Baltimore Ravens sit atop the NFL and with the 2020 Pro Bowl rosters to drop tonight, several players should get recognized for it.

The NFL is set to announce the 2020 Pro Bowl roster later this evening. And with the Baltimore Ravens sitting at 12-2 and leading several respective positions in fan voting, it got me wondering which players should actually make their way into the Pro Bowl this season?

Of course, the ultimate hope is Baltimore has to have all their players turn down the event as they prepare for Super Bowl LIV. But regardless, this is a golden opportunity for many players to get their very first Pro Bowl nod and for some others to continue their streak. So let’s take a look at the 13 Ravens players I believe should be selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

QB Lamar Jackson

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

A Pro Bowl appears to be nothing more than a formality at this stage. Jackson led every NFL player in fan votes by a wide margin. And given his MVP-caliber season on top of it, Jackson not making the cut would be worthy of a headline all its own.

But just in case anyone is unsure why Jackson should get a Pro Bowl nod, Neil Dutton went through all the Ravens franchise records Jackson has already set. Add to it breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record, leading the league in touchdown passes, TD% and QBR seems like good enough reasons by themselves for Jackson to get his first Pro Bowl nomination.

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Lamar Jackson topped all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken the NFL by storm, getting more fan votes for the Pro Bowl than any other player

As if anyone needed more reason to believe Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the NFL’s MVP, the people have spoken. At the end of Pro Bowl voting by fans, Jackson is not only the most voted-on quarterback but he also received more votes than any other player.

Jackson finished with 704,699 votes, beating second-placed Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson by more than 160,000 votes, according to a league press release.

The fan vote is just one portion of what determines if a player make the Pro Bowl, with players and coaches also getting to vote. Each section counts as 1/3 towards a player’s Pro Bowl nomination.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player to get a bunch of fan votes. Fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Mark Andrews, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., guard Marshal Yanda, kicker Justin Tucker and cornerback Marcus Peters all top their respective positions.

If the fan vote holds true, Baltimore will have seven players receive Pro Bowl nomination. Though the hope is the Ravens have to turn it down because they’re too busy practicing for Super Bowl LIV.

Report: Patrick Ricard’s contract extension worth $7.3 million

Ravens two-way player Patrick Ricard went from undrafted free agent to the second-highest-paid fullback in the league with his extension

From undrafted to a multi-millionaire, Baltimore Ravens fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard has played himself to better and better situations. The Ravens announced they inked Ricard to a two-year contract extension that will keep him signed through the 2021 season. But now we know how much it’ll cost Baltimore to keep the key two-way player.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ricard’s two-year contract extension is worth $7.3 million.

While the Ravens were likely to retain Ricard this offseason thanks to being a restricted free agent, they get an extra year and potentially at a steal. It’s unclear exactly how the contract will be split up, but $7.3 million for two years could be considered cheap for a player as important as Ricard.

The last time Baltimore had a fullback hit free agency, Kyle Juszczyk signed a record-setting four-year deal worth $21 million. Though Juszczyk was used far more in the Ravens’ passing attack than Ricard currently is, Juszczyk also didn’t play defense as well.

Don’t rule out an increased role for Ricard in the passing game either, as he has eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown this season. It took until Juszczyk’s third season with the Ravens before he became an impact receiver out of the backfield. Given Ricard is well known as “project Pat” for being developed into his current two-way role, he might take an extra year to reach the same level of productivity as Juszczyk had.

Regardless of if his role is ever increased, $3.65 million per year for a guy that plays offense, defense and special teams seems like a bargain.

Ravens sign FB/DL Patrick Ricard to a 2-year contact extension

The Baltimore Ravens have locked up fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard to an early contract extension through the 2021 season

The Baltimore Ravens have seen enough out of fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard this season. According to the team’s Twitter account, they’ve locked him up to a two-year contract extension that will keep him through the 2021 season. Ricard was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason. While likely to return for at least a season, Baltimore’s extension ensures they keep him for the near future.

Ricard is one of the few two-way players in the NFL, playing both on offense and defense. But that actually doesn’t do Ricard justice as he plays a significant number of snaps on special teams as well.

Sadly, what Ricard does for Baltimore doesn’t tend to show up on the stat sheet. Ricard has eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown while posting nine combined tackles, a pass defensed, one sack and two quarterback hits. While those stats are underwhelming for a guy getting a contract mid-season, the Ravens clearly feel he’s an asset on their roster.

He’s a big portion of Baltimore’s depth on the defensive line but he’s been a star at fullback. Ricard is a huge reason the Ravens have had such success on the ground, blocking the way for guys like Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and quarterback Lamar Jackson. A quick look at film from any game will show Ricard blowing up defenders and pushing them downfield, opening holes for big rushing yards. Ricard’s play has him headed towards his first Pro Bowl nomination, as he leads fan voting at fullback.

Baltimore has aimed to extend their pending free agents early when possible. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been able to lock up cornerback Tavon Young, kicker Justin Tucker, guard Marshal Yanda and wide receiver Willie Snead to extensions during the regular season. Ricard is just another in a line

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson leads all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Lamar Jackson is just one of six Ravens players to lead fan Pro Bowl voting at their respective positions, though Jackson leads all players

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been electric this season. Seemingly every week, Jackson is adding yet another amazing run or perfectly placed pass to his highlight reel. So it’s no wonder Jackson leads all players in voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl.

According to NFL.com, Jackson has 146,171 fan votes. In second place is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 116,325 fan votes. While fan votes are just one portion of the total process for determining who gets a Pro Bowl nomination, they show just how interesting NFL fans find Jackson and Baltimore’s offense this season.

Through 10 games, Jackson has thrown for 2,258 yards, 19 touchdown passes and just five interceptions for a 106.3 quarterback rating (ranks fourth in the NFL entering Week 12). But Jackson has also put up 781 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns so far this season as well. He’s well on his way to breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks, which would just be one of the records Jackson has shattered since coming into the NFL.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player impressing the fans this season, however. Fullback Patrick Ricard, cornerback Marcus Peters, tackle Orlando Brown, guard Marshal Yanda and kicker Justin Tucker lead their respective positions in voting as well.

Considering cornerback Marlon Humphrey, tackle Ronnie Stanley and safety Earl Thomas will likely receive quite a lot of player votes, Baltimore could reasonably put nine players into the Pro Bowl this season. But Ravens fans would ideally love it if Baltimore’s players had to skip the event in order to prepare for Super Bowl LIV.

6 Ravens who should go to their first Pro Bowl in 2020

While football is a team sport, several Ravens players have been playing at a high level. It might earn these six their first Pro Bowl nods.

The Baltimore Ravens are having a great season. They sit at 7-2 and have defeated some of the best teams in the NFL to get there. With a quarterback that is hot on the MVP trail, an offense that is seemingly too tough to defend and a defense that is improving rapidly every week, Baltimore looks like they’ll be going far this season.

For as much as football is a team sport, there are a bunch of individual Ravens players having stellar years that deserve to be recognized. With such a young roster, plenty of them have yet to get the notoriety on a national stage, but we’re here to fix that.

These six players very well could have earned their first Pro Bowl nominations with their play this season. Of course, you can always help by voting for your favorite Ravens players.

QB Lamar Jackson

Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images

We start off with the guy in the mix for the NFL’s MVP award. If Jackson doesn’t get a Pro Bowl nod this season, the league might just have to do away with the whole game.

Forget about the stats — though there are plenty to use as reasoning for Jackson to be in the Pro Bowl. Jackson has been electric on the field this season, both with his legs and arm. He’s made Pro Bowl players tackle thin air and he’s torched some solid secondaries. The NFL’s all-star game is supposed to highlight the best and most exciting players, and Jackson is the epitome.

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