Good mileage as a fullback. (I-Formation).

I represent a sharp left turn in the positional evolution of the fullback. Football fans of the past marveled at the acceleration and top speed of Jim Brown's scoring jaunts, while current Raiders fans struggle to recall if I've ever tallied a touchdown.

Pete Banaszak and Marv Hubbard paved the Oakland fullback road by rumbling for scores and driving the ball and the glory straight into the hearts of the Raiders' faithful. These man-machines, along with the likes of Larry Csonka, John Riggins and Franco Harris, chugged down opposing defenses' turnpikes. They often carried the football, and much of the offensive load.

In my first years of football, a fullback's job description included similar glory. When I applied for the position in sixth grade, I was tooled into a Spartan muscle car with a cargo bed--kind of like a souped-up Chevy El Camino. I enjoyed the open road for a while--hauling the rock with success through high school.

And then it happened. I was sent to the shop for massive bodywork upon entering college. The game was changing---defenses now had turbo boost. I had to obey different traffic signals or be left in the dust.

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