Jakob Johnson is causing a stir in the NFL as a fullback. Not only Troy Aikman is full of praise, Mark Nzeocha dubs him a freak of nature at ran.

Munich/Foxborough – The New England Patriots are no longer an underrated team. Head coach Bill Belichick’s men won their last five games: In the best football league on the planet, only the best teams manage such a series. There’s no question about it: the Patriots are back on track after a poor season.

An essential part of the current success is fullback Jakob Johnson. And this despite the fact that his position is almost extinct.

Dominant running game – also thanks to Jakob Johnson
Another factor is the running game. While it was still stagnant at the beginning of the season, it is now almost unstoppable.

Of course, the running backs Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden dominate the statistics. But in order for them to gain any yards at all, the way has to be blocked.

Besides the outstanding offensive line, the big gaps are also thanks to Johnson, who sometimes takes top-ranked linebackers out of a play. The Stuttgart native has stepped it up compared to last season.

Since week seven, a 54-13 loss to the New York Jets, the Patriots have run for 759 yards and scored eight touchdowns in four games. The perfect recipe to give a rookie like Mac Jones the best conditions for a win. There were more than 120 rushing yards for the third straight game in the 25-0 loss at the Atlanta Falcons.

Praise from the team – and the Hall of Fame

Even in his first year, Belichick said of Johnson that he was “the player who improved the most in my coaching career.” Yet Belichick didn’t really want him at first. “To me, he was the 92nd man on the 91-man roster. But he worked on himself every day, got better every day and earned his spot,” the 69-year-old said.

Before the game against the Cleveland Browns, where Johnson also did strong blocking work, his quarterback Mac Jones said of him, “He’s a great player. He always does what’s asked of him and makes very few mistakes. We’re incredibly fortunate to have him.”

At the same time, the 23-year-old appreciates the performance above all because he knows that the Stuttgart player rarely has anything to do with the ball: “Most of the time he’s not in the spotlight, which is due to his position, but that doesn’t bother him. He is always there where he is needed.”

Former quarterback and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman proves that the praise isn’t just phrases spoken from within the team. The three-time Super Bowl champion covered the Patriots’ game at the Falcons for “FOX” as an expert and even ran a compilation of the best plays.

About that, he said, “You don’t see that position as much anymore, or how Emmitt Smith and I used to benefit from it in the form of Daryl ‘Moose’ Johnston. It’s old school, but the Patriots believe in him, he’s doing a great job and he’s earned his spot.”

New ran pundit Mark Nzeocha is also full of praise. “Jakob has made a huge leap over the last three years, he has improved a lot in his understanding of the game – how to take angles to set his blocks, for example. The physicality is also on a new level. You can tell he’s having a lot of fun, that he’s arrived at the position. He plays with a certain swag,” Nzeocha said.

What Nzeocha notices is, “He’s a team player, you can see how excited he is, he’s always one of the first ones there when celebrating a touchdown. That’s very important, you’re popular in the team because of that.” His conclusion on the “Freak of Nature”: “He’s found a good niche at a position that’s dying out and a team that still really uses the fullback in the power offense. It’s the perfect spot for him. “

The first German in the Pro Bowl?

Which shows: Johnson doesn’t have to hide from the best fullbacks in the AFC like Patrick Ricard of the Baltimore Ravens or Alec Ingold of the Las Vegas Raiders by any stretch of the imagination.

The reward for this could be a nomination for the Pro Bowl. His predecessor at fullback for the Patriots, James Develin, was already nominated for the NFL All-Star Game. The Stuttgart native would thus probably finally follow in the big footsteps of the now 33-year-old, who ended his career in 2020.

In any case, his competition is not as great as at other positions. Only four other fullbacks are available in the AFC, another indication that the position is no longer the most modern. If Johnson receives more votes from fans, players, journalists and coaches than the four competitors, he will be awarded Pro Bowl honours.

The fact that his selection has a zero in all running statistics fits the picture only too well. The 26-year-old leaves the statistics to others, for him the team success is in the foreground.

That’s one of the reasons he’s been overlooked so far, but that’s changing. Not only because a Hall of Fame quarterback is praising him. But because of his outstanding performance as a new key player.