Kuhn graces NFL’s Top 100 – Overrated perhaps?

By Charly Hengen

John Kuhn is a fullback. However, John Kuhn has been listed as a running back. But I see him listed as a fullback. Damn. What’s the difference?

Rotoworld lists Kuhn as a running back. ESPN lists him as a fullback. The Green Bay Packers official website lists him as a fullback. So then that must mean he’s a fullback. Now here is the difference between a running back and a fullback.

A running back does just that, runs the ball, the majority of the time. The running back is usually about two spots behind the quarterback. If the QB calls a running play, the RB takes the ball and does his best to find a hole and get as many yards as he can. If the QB calls a passing play, the RB will stay fairly close to the QB and maybe do a play fake and block defenders so the QB can execute a passing play. The RB might also catch a few short passes too. This is one heck of a versatile position.

A fullback is immediately behind the QB. This position has two jobs. If it’s a running play, the FB will make a path for the RB and smash through defenders. If it’s a passing play, the FB will buddy up to the QB and block any defenders trying to obtain a sack. Those are the two primary jobs of a FB. However, if the FB is an athletic type, he might go into motion. What this means, is as the QB is calling out plays, the FB will stand up, and either run left or right, but not toward the defense. Once the ball is snapped, the FB will charge the line or a key defender and try to take him out, or he might possibly catch a short pass.

So now that we know the difference between the two, his peers chose Kuhn as #92 in the Top 100 NFL players for 2012.

From the comments and the “thumbs down” on the NFL site, it sounds like Kuhn was overrated. I pulled up his stats for the 2011-2012 season and Kuhn had six touchdowns, four of which were rushing and the other two came from passes. That doesn’t sound too bad for a guy who’s primary position is blocking, but let’s look at the year prior and compare the stats even more.

In 2010, Kuhn had 84 rushing attempts for a total of 281 yards. In 2011, he had 30 rushing attempts for a total of 78 yards. Huge difference. For both the 2010 and 2011 season, he had 15 receptions, however he had 20 more total yards received in 2010 than in 2011. I could continue to break down the last two years, but I’d like to get to my point. If you’d like to view Kuhn’s detailed stats, click here

So, as the remainder of the Top 100 NFL Players will be revealed in the next few weeks, I highly doubt I’ll be penciling in Kuhn for my fantasy team. For me, it’s just a risky move and one I’m not willing to make. I’ll keep my eye on top performers. Running backs such as Ray Rice, Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Arian Foster, Maurice Drew-Jones, Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden will be on my list along with many others for consideration.

What do you think of Kuhn being in the Top 100?