The Eagles wanted him for a long time. In Jon Ritchie the team saw a complete fullback with the requisite skills neccessary in the West Coast offense -- great blocker, excellent receiver and, of course, the "horns." See, the "horns" are characteristic of all the outstanding fullbacks.
"Imagine banging your head against the wall over and over," said Ritchie, who wears his "horns" proudly on his forehead. "That's what it's like being a fullback."
On Friday the Eagles got their guy. They locked up Ritchie for two years, they think they improved their fullback position greatly and now they face the 2003 season with what will be a very interesting series of scenarios in the backfield.
[A side note here: Ritchie's signing means the end of Cecil Martin as an Eagle, and for that it hurts on a personal level. Martin is one of the greatest guys to ever play here. He'll be missed.]
Andy Reid has played his fullback -- Martin, in this case -- about 8 percent of the snaps. Not very much. But in Ritchie, he's got a guy who is one of the best fullbacks in the league. He's a terrific blocker and pass catcher. And he's got the right mentality for the position. He's not here for the glory.
“I love that role. It’s the West Coast offense and you’re a little cog in the machine and this cog has a job which is to try to blow open some holes and help the tailback gain some great yardage, protect the quarterback in the passing game and every once in a while leak out and get a bone tossed your way," said Ritchie, who had 14 rushing attempts and 129 receptions in five seasons with the Raiders. "That’s all I know, that’s all I’ve done since going to college. That’s what I take pride in, doing my job to the best of my ability and I have a lot of fun with it."
So the Eagles upgrade the position. Big time, they think. Maybe, just maybe, you'll see the Eagles in more two-back sets with Ritchie and a halfback. Who that halfback will be is part of the looming question mark.
We all know Duce Staley enjoyed a welcome-back-to-prime-time season in 2002. He rushed for over 1,000 yards, was able to keep this offense moving during times of need. Staley's performance was strong.
But there's more to the halfback position in 2003 than just Staley. The Eagles are eager to get Correll Buckhalter back on the field. He showed so much promise in his rookie season of 2001, and then blew out his knee last spring and missed all of last year.
Buckhalter is said to be 100 percent after a year-long rehabilitation, after practicing and looking good for three weeks during the '02 campaign. He's ready to go.
There's also second-year man Brian Westbrook to consider, and I know I'm not alone when I say Westbrook can be very, very effective when he gets a chance to play. His quickness is undeniable. He is fast enough to play well at this level. He's a player.
Staley. Buckhalter. Westbrook. Ritchie. There's the possibility for a lot of combinations here, gang.
So which way will Reid go? He may have an idea right now, but it's almost impossible to accurately predict who Reid will go with, but you can be safe in assuming that the coaches want to see how Buckhalter looks in the spring mini-camps. He had a lot of get up and go in 2001 -- great acceleration through the hole, power, the ability to explode into the secondary. Buckhalter has a chance to be something special.
And in the overall picture here, the offense -- should Ritchie prove as good as he's billed -- just boosted its chances in short-yardage situations, near the end zone, in pass protection against the blitz. You can point to those areas in the last couple of years and instantly remember a few breakdowns -- not necessarily the fault of Martin, that's not fair -- and hope that Ritchie's presence improves performance.
I think the Ritchie signing signals another willingness by the Eagles to upgrade where they feel it's needed. I love this move. Ritchie's name has been bandied about out there for weeks. The rumor proved true. The Eagles wanted him. He wanted the Eagles.
That's why Ritchie was able to take the red eye flight to Philadelphia and arrive at the NovaCare Complex early Friday morning and have a deal wrapped up by the middle of that very afternoon. Sometimes, you just know when things are right, when the situation is perfect.
Ritchie has his badge of honor, his "horns" -- which are really calcium deposits built up from years of playing fullback. Ritchie said he grew his hair long and wore a skull cap last year to help ease the discomfort -- and the rep of being an outstanding player. Potentially, this means a ton to an offense that is always searching to run the ball more effectively and to protect Donovan McNabb against the blitz. Oh, and if McNabb has a check-down throw, he's got Ritchie there to make the play. The guy caught 45 passes in 1999, so he's got the ability. Oakland went to more three wide receiver sets the last few seasons and that meant less of Ritchie.
But now he's got a new lease on his NFL life. Ritchie is back near his Mechanicsburg, PA home with a team that he wanted to be with all along.
Sounds great. Sounds perfect. Sounds like the backfield is going to have a new look. More changes. They keep coming. Stay around for more.
