Why do the Kansas City Chiefs keep fullback Anthony Sherman? It’s not because of his play as a fullback because he only gets a few snaps a game doing that. It’s because of special teams.
I love listening Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub talk because you can tell he’s so passionate about special teams, which is an area of the game that fans don’t think about as being really important. It’s important to Toub.
Reading Toub talk about Sherman is great.
“He is the best fullback that I have ever coached as far as a special teams player/ fullback,” Toub said Monday of Sherman. “You know he is a four phase guy. He plays on all four phases. That is a rare thing in the NFL. If you look at fullbacks across the league, you will see a guy playing one or two phases. Maybe kick return and maybe a little bit of kickoff. He does it all. He plays on punt as well as punt return. His effort is great. He is a great leader and just to have him on the field it is important for all of the young guys.”
That’s awesome. I don’t know how many teams still carry fullbacks but it’s not all of them. It’s a position that’s being phased out in some offenses. Sherman doesn’t provide much offensive boost for the Chiefs, although he did convert a fourth down last week against the Bengals. What he does provide is a level of special teams play that has a master like Toub gushing about him.