msommer said:
If what yoyu are saying is correct then both Whis and Mularkey should be quartered for not using him more last year
He was the top fullback in the draft. 4th round pick and FBs can go an entire draft without any at all being drafted.
He was a very good HS RB but when he got to Alabama and saw the competition to play RB, he was faced with beating out some of the best, transferring and losing a year of eligibility, or what? The what was he honored his commitment and asked the coach if he could play FB, beefed up, and did real well.
As far as talent he was exactly what your head jumps to when you think RB at Alabama but not their top best of best type. You probably know 20-30 RBs like him over the years. He was a talent.
He was adored, really one of their favorite players- the staff expected him to transfer to another school but his determination and honoring his commitment blew them away. They weight gain was done properly, he lived in the weight room and followed the trainer's advice. Henry tells an awesome story about going to Alabama and being 'thrown back' by noticing he was a FB. He lost track of him and assumed he was still a RB. When he was drafted, while on the radio with midday he realized he never even asked to go to Fowler's house. Fowler had texted or called to say congrats and can't wait to play together again and Henry just went. A room was ready for him and...that's so cool. Unspoken yet knew he could count on him.
He had like 4 receiving TDs and Amari Cooper had 3 his senior year, or 5 and 4 (the number was low) but the press wrote "had more receiving touchdowns than top WR Amari Cooper." (Fowler had like 15 catches, it was unimpressive but again...that sentence) Despite that being blown out of proportion, Cooper rolled with it and said tons of nice things about Fowler. A story of him learning the playbook and Fowler helping him.
I was furious they wasted a fourth on him. He was rated a sixth round prospect and that was considered very good for a FB. Battle was still unsigned and he did well at FB the year before. Then I read and got excited. I loved that he said he was happy he could help get Landon Collins to the Giants. I was confused and saw the trade got them an extra pick and...look at you, Fowler not taking in the praise for being drafted but shining it on your former teammate.
Totally "fell in love" with this guy after the draft. Everything ya read is just fantastic.
He was very much in the Titans plans-
Last year the Titans were to do a set of plays they referred to as F position. It was high school split end. FB, RB, WRs, TE would all take turns in the slot (sometimes the result of a shift) and that would pose a matchup problem as the D didn't know who would be there. It was in preseason games and I don't think used in week one but was used a number of times in week two. Week 3 or week 4, the Titans were about to win. Mariota's first game winning drive. It looked set up well. Klooooooooooooog came in at FB, Fowler was the RB and they were to pound it in for the W with the game clock running out. After the snap, the opposing DL quite literally beat every Titans OL off the snap. In a second, Fowler had nowhere to go. Klug took someone out and that was it. He ran right trying to find some room, then backed up and backed up.(time had run out, there was a second or so on the clock at the snap). He was gonna flip it but the defense saw that coming, he ran back some more and...30-35 yard loss. It was absolutely brutal looking.
Klug had blocked in preseason and every single rush play whether it was Fowler or Andrews running was a success. They called it the Jumbo package. This had stemmed from 2014 success too. This also got Whis creative and DE Blackson actually caught a TD pass as a TE last summer. Called back due to penalty but you saw his athleticism/
So back to that play- according to many this is when Whis was done. It may have taken a few weeks but they all saw it. Whis "lost it" and flipped out. Fowler barely played after. 6%? of plays. Klug didn't play FB again unless late in the year and I missed it. The guy from the Browns would never get another carry and he had been benched for a fumble so he wasn't even in the game. He changed the OL. He scrapped all of their spread type plays that the Baylor coach had come work with them on in camp. They went with a 3 TE set which dramatically impacted the # of plays WRs were in on. I didn't know then (it was an embarrassing last second play, people called for Whis' head on a platter but...) but looking back, it is obvious that was the end for Whis.
Because ya just gotta love the guy, Fowler became a ST beast and Mularkey would get him back in at FB. Mularkey was the TE coach and adored his TEs so it wasn't that much but he got back in at FB. Signing Turzilli, Yannick, and Tavai- this was all Mularkey taking over and trying to change Whis' mistakes. Spain in at G was a few weeks later.
Like Bia alluded to, I posted over n over my gripes Fowler wasn't in.
You can google Fowler and enjoy. There's so much. I'm very confident he will be adored, as every successful FB is, by the fan base soon enough.
