What exactly is an H-Back? (1 Viewer)

[SouthJersey]

I'm just wondering, does anyone know what exactly warrents the designation of an H-back?? All articles i read on Chris Cooley continually labels him as such. What is an H-back?How is it different from a TE, or RB, or FB?I'd be grateful for any enlightment on the subject.TIA(I did a search and couldn't find a previous thread on it....sorry if there already is one, i'd appreaciate the link)

 

[dgreen]

What is an H-back?

How is it different from a TE, or RB, or FB?

It's different from a TE or FB because it plays both positions. Cooley has also been used out wide a lot like a WR.Gibbs began using it when LT came into the league. He wanted another TE type player to help block. But, he also used the player in the backfield like a FB and puts him in motion a lot. Aside from the QB, the H-back has to know more about the offense than anyone else.

Mike Sellers is also playing H-back and they are both excelling at that position.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

An H-Back is basically a second TE that's lined up in different formations.

 

[Sanboy]

what it is ... a problem . from the fantasy stand piont years Titans listed Frank Wycheck as hb/te .. and he was listed as the # 1 on teh depth chart but Washington is listing Cooley as a # 1 HB and R.Royal as the # 1 Te making two different positions.. next year alot of leagues and sites are going to be listing Cooley as a Rb .. not TE .. basically becasue as long as Washington lists two seperate positions .. it makes Cooley NOT a TIGHT END just dumb if you ask me .

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

what it is ... a problem . from the fantasy stand piont

years Titans listed Frank Wycheck as hb/te .. and he was listed as the # 1 on teh depth chart

but Washington is listing

Cooley as a # 1 HB

and

R.Royal as the # 1 Te

making two different positions..

next year alot of leagues and sites are going to be listing Cooley as a Rb .. not TE ..

basically becasue as long as Washington lists two seperate positions .. it makes Cooley NOT a TIGHT END

just dumb if you ask me .

I disagree............he doesn't run the ball. If anything, he's a WR.

 

[Sanboy]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from ESPN and YAHOO and MFL a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus .. case closed basically i disagree . but this will come up more next year same goes for J.Wiggins .its all about the official teams depth chartsif they list the players as HB/TE .. its all good but if they list 2 seperate positions HB and Te . its not

 

[SouthJersey]

Good info. Thanks guys

 

[-OZ-]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

i disagree . but this will come up more next year

same goes for J.Wiggins .

its all about the official teams depth charts

if they list the players as HB/TE .. its all good

but if they list 2 seperate positions

HB and Te .

its not

Why can't Yahoo/MFL/ESPN simply list them as 2 seperate positions? Isn't this what Yahoo does right now?FWIW, as long as Cooley can fill in as a RB, in PPR leagues, he's going to be a good value, especially in less experienced leagues.

 

[dgreen]

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB ..

It's a hybrid of a FB AND a TE. "Hybrid" means it consists of two things.Cooley and Sellers wear FB numbers (47 and 45), for what it's worth. Cooley lines more as a TE and WR than he does as a FB. Sellers lines up more as a FB than he does a TE. If they are really thinking about listing Cooley as a RB next year, maybe enough emailing and complaining would get hime listed as a TE. If they currently list him as a TE then they can do it next year too.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

 

[dgreen]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

Hey, I just go off what I've heard. So, Winslow is most appropriately called an H-back? Why did Gibbs use him that way? And, was it still Gibbs' idea or was it Coryell's idea or does it date back even further?

 

[popeye.]

Fat, slow and with good hands.

 

[EdwardCat]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

i disagree . but this will come up more next year

same goes for J.Wiggins .

its all about the official teams depth charts

if they list the players as HB/TE .. its all good

but if they list 2 seperate positions

HB and Te .

its not

You mean variant of a FB and not hybrid. Cooley is a variant of a FB but is still more of a TE than anything. He won't lose that label.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

Hey, I just go off what I've heard. So, Winslow is most appropriately called an H-back? Why did Gibbs use him that way? And, was it still Gibbs' idea or was it Coryell's idea or does it date back even further?

Looking around, maybe you're right. I can't find anything that says for sure if KW lined up as Hback or a more traditional TE. I thought it went back to his SD days, but maybe not. Since I can't find anything to back this up, I'll apologize now.

 

[redman]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

Wrong. Winslow was a pure TE. The h-back was established by Gibbs in the early 80's as a direct response to Lawrence Taylor being in their division and wreaking havoc.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

Wrong. Winslow was a pure TE. The h-back was established by Gibbs in the early 80's as a direct response to Lawrence Taylor being in their division and wreaking havoc.

[i suck]See above for apology.

[/i suck]

 

[TommyGilmore]

http://experts.about.com/q/298/3512743.htm

 

[TommyGilmore]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

Uh, no.

 

[redman]

Gibbs began using it when LT Kellen Winslow I came into the league.

Kids.

Wrong. Winslow was a pure TE. The h-back was established by Gibbs in the early 80's as a direct response to Lawrence Taylor being in their division and wreaking havoc.

[i suck]See above for apology.

[/i suck]

My bad. Didn't see it.

 

[Revo]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

Uh, no.

Cooley is listed by the NFL as a FB in Pro Bowl voting......so Yahoo is certainly not wrong here.

 

[TommyGilmore]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

Uh, no.

Cooley is listed by the NFL as a FB in Pro Bowl voting......so Yahoo is certainly not wrong here.

1. I said "Uh, no" because:a] the explanation that "a HB is a HYBRID of a FB" is a non-sequitur (you can't be a hybrid of just one thing!)

and

b] Yahoo officially lists Cooley as BOTH a RB and a TE.

2. Cooley is also listed by the NFL as a TE on at least 2 official pages.

 

[valhallan]

The amount of miscommunication in this thread is staggering.I believe Sanboy is worried that his FF service provider will list Cooley as a RB only sometime in the future. That certainly is a valid concern if you're relying on him to be a TE in a dynasty league.

 

[Sanboy]

The amount of miscommunication in this thread is staggering.

I believe Sanboy is worried that his FF service provider will list Cooley as a RB only sometime in the future. That certainly is a valid concern if you're relying on him to be a TE in a dynasty league.

exactly and personally i am not worried

NEXT YEAR many of the BIG providers are going to be listing COOLEY as a RB

ESPN, YAHOO , MFL

if washington does away with the their depth chart of having 2 seperate positions listed

HB and Te . and list one position TE/HB like the titans used to do with Wycheck . then there will be no problems

it always makes me laugh when people cant read the post's .. this is FOR NEXT YEAR ...

 

[valhallan]

http://experts.about.com/q/298/3512743.htm

Winslow, Jr. and 3rd round pick or

Sean Taylor and Chris Cooley

Whew, methinks the 'Skins made the right call.

 

[dgreen]

NEXT YEAR many of the BIG providers are going to be listing COOLEY as a RB

ESPN, YAHOO , MFL

How do you know this?

if washington does away with the their depth chart of having 2 seperate positions listed

HB and Te . and list one position TE/HB like the titans used to do with Wycheck . then there will be no problems

But, Washington currently has a depth chart that you claim will cause certain services to list Cooley as a RB. Why don't these services list Cooley as a RB right now? If they make the distinction this year, I don't see why they wouldn't next year.

 

[redman]

Kind of hard to list a guy as a RB when he has zero carries, no?

 

[-OZ-]

Kind of hard to list a guy as a RB when he has zero carries, no?

Why?There's a lot of RBs without any carries.

Or did you mean that start?

 

[redman]

Kind of hard to list a guy as a RB when he has zero carries, no?

Why?There's a lot of RBs without any carries.

Or did you mean that start?

LOL! Yeah, that's what I meant.

 

[Sanboy]

all anyone has to do if you are a comish in a league .. send a e-mail to customer service abotu COOLEY position elegibilty for this year .. and the future . you will get the same response about " we have looked into it " and then they " will explain that if next year the teams still lists two ( 2 ) seperate positions HB and TE " the player listed as the HB will be grouped with Rb's and Fb's once again . i am only telling you what i have been told as for Rb who have zero carries not being listed as a RB .. LOL . give me a break . that is a terrible argument Larry Centers used to go games without getting a single carry .. but he would haul in 4 - 9 pass'es every game ( would that make him a WR ) .just because a guy doesnt run the ball .. that means nothing !

 

[redman]

as for Rb who have zero carries not being listed as a RB .. LOL . give me a break . that is a terrible argument

Larry Centers used to go games without getting a single carry .. but he would haul in 4 - 9 pass'es every game ( would that make him a WR ) .

just because a guy doesnt run the ball .. that means nothing !

I was waiting for this comment. It's called reality.

Centers never had fewer than 11 carries in a 16-game season, and that was at the end of his career in Buffalo. He averaged almost 40 carries per year for his career.

Moose Johnston averaged almost 30 carries per year until his injuries late in his career (last 3 years) changed that.

Tom Rathman averaged 60 carries per year.

Even guys who were more exclusively blocking backs like Mack Strong (15 carries per year) Lorenzo Neal (13 carries per year) and Justin Griffith (about 25 carries per year) get a consistent or measurable number of carries.

How many does Cooley have in a season and a half? Zero.

Sellers in 7.5 seasons? Two.

Sorry, but that tells you something. These guys aren't being used as FB's.

 

[Sanboy]

all anyone has to do if you are a comish in a league .. send a e-mail to customer service abotu COOLEY position elegibilty for this year .. and the future .

you will get the same response about " we have looked into it "

and then they " will explain that if next year the teams still lists two ( 2 ) seperate positions HB and TE " the player listed as the HB will be grouped with Rb's and Fb's

PLEASE READ AGAIN

 

[Trig2U]

That'd be a drag if the services start grouping H-Back's with RB/FB. Guys like Cooley and Wiggins have boosted the TE position the past couple of seasons, which has been really good for the fantasy game. Cooley is probably, what? the #6, #7 ranked TE out there? If he gets bumped over to RBs his value drops down to the 30-somethings at best. And the thing is, Cooley may be lining up sort of like a full back in some situations, but his role is basically the same as a TE in a "normal" formation. He works one side of the field catching short outlet passes or dropping back to help block.Our league rules group H-backs with TE, and if the scoring services don't jibe with that we'll have to adjust, and it'll hurt the position. I suggest anybodt interested in this issue petition your service to group H-backs with TE, not RB.

 

[norseman9375]

It would be silly to group them with RB's just because occasionally they line up at FB. We don't list RB's as WR's because they occasionally line up there. I can't base this on anything I've read, but I believe the actual HB position would be defined essentially as a TE lined up off the line of scrimmage. This position allows them to get into pass routes better or motion into a semi-FB position to run-block. That doesn't mean that a player that is listed as a HB won't occasionally line-up as a pure TE or a pure FB, it just means HB is his normal position. Again, I can't base this on any article by a professional, but to me this seems to be the most common way teams use players listed as a HB. The advantage of using a HB instead of a pure TE or FB is that offenses are able to conceal whether it is a pass or run formation until right before the snap. Just my opinion.

 

[Csonka4life]

Umm HB's are frankenstenian creations of Joe Gibbs. He loved to be able to line up 9 guys on the line and hand the ball off to Riggins, George Rogers, Terry Allen, etc...... They are essentially blocking tight ends though. As for the hand off theory, there are plenty of pure blocking fullbacks who virtually never to never get a hand off ie John Ritchie or the guy that Philly uses now.........

 

[diesel7982]

you dont have to agree.. that is the explanation i got from

ESPN and YAHOO and MFL

a HB is a HYBRID of a FB .. and FB's are RB 's in fantasy leageus ..

case closed basically

Uh, no.

Cooley is listed by the NFL as a FB in Pro Bowl voting......so Yahoo is certainly not wrong here.

So is Ricky Williams...whats your point? The probowl voting software is majorly screwed up.

 

[coolnerd]

Yahoo currently lists Cooley as both TE/RB. At least currently this hybrid situation works in the favor of his owner. Above average TE ranking and could keep you off the waiver wire on a heavy bye/short term injury week at RB. As far as what the position does it is probably correct.

 

[Bri]

here's a link to bookmark if ya think it might come up in your league

http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=15667

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

The tight end normally lines up next to the tackle on the line of scrimmage.

The H-back lines up off the line of scrimmage, technically in the backfield but more often in something close to a wing position, from which he often goes in motion. Tight ends and H-backs are used in generally similar ways (which is why H-backs are considered TEs for fantasy purposes). But to the extent there's a difference, TEs are usually better in-line blockers and H-backs are usually better receivers.

TEs are used in most formations. (The exceptions would be like a five-wide offense.) H-backs usually exist only in single-RB formations.

 

[Spartans Rule]

I can't base this on anything I've read, but I believe the actual HB position would be defined essentially as a TE lined up off the line of scrimmage.

This is what I've always thought too. It has always seemed to me that an H-Back is a TE lined up off the line, and the name difference exists for no other reason than that a Tight End who isn't on the line is no longer an End.That may be an oversimplification, but I don't think it's too far off.

 

[Bri]

Frank Wycheck was an H-back most of his career