A Lost Art

Football Digest, Dec, 2000 by Barry Wilner

The days of players who can do multiple jobs are fading into history, but the game still features some versatile performers, like Tampa Bay's Mike Alstott

WITH ALL OF THE THIRD-down backs, pooch punters, nickel backs, and slot receivers, isn't it refreshing when a little versatility makes its way onto an NFL field? If you look at the various all-star teams from last season, apparently the people who honor the best players in professional football feel the same way. Those voters weren't so enamored of the specialists, the guys who play specific downs and have but one duty. No, of preference were the performers who could handle several jobs.

But that shouldn't come as a surprise. Do-it-all players are a dying breed, making them all the more coveted.

So we should celebrate offensive linemen such as Bruce Matthews, who has played every position up front and made the Pro Bowl at most of them. And we should laud Jevon Kearse, not just for the excitement he has brought to the Tennessee Titans, but also for the way he can be used from various places in a defensive alignment.

Praise is due for Charles Woodson, who, in his third season, already is perhaps the best cornerback in the game. In addition to his cover and tackling abilities, he's a kick-return demon and could be a future threat at wide receiver.

Look at Mike Alstott, and at first glance you'll see a typical fullback, one who goes 6'1", 248 pounds. But look again, and you'll see someone who can run with the ball and catch it, as well as perform the blocking duties expected of a fullback. Look even further, and you'll notice a player with enough speed to get to the outside when everyone is expecting Larry Csonka-type bull-rushes.

And then there is Marshall Faulk, the most versatile running back in the game. The St. Louis Rams Pro Bowler is able to shatter opposing defenses with both his running and pass-catching skills. And even though he is best-known for his speed, he can also get tough inside yards and do a little blocking.

"They come in all shapes and sizes," says Marv Levy, who, while coaching the Buffalo Bills, had one of the league's most versatile running backs in Thurman Thomas and one of its best all-around linebackers in Cornelius Bennett. "If you find a smaller guy who also can run inside without wearing down, it's a bonus. And if you have the big player who can carry the ball inside and outside, show a burst of speed now and again, it keeps the defenses guessing."

Alstott and Faulk do just that. While Faulk is at his most dangerous on screen and flare passes, or simply heading downfield on pass routes, he's no slouch on draws and off-tackle runs either. As St. Louis' offensive coordinator last year, Martz devised an attack that was nearly impossible to stop. And now that he's the team's head coach, he hasn't changed his formula.

"When you have a weapon like Marshall, you get him the ball," Martz says. "He creates mismatches. He's too fast for a linebacker to handle in coverage, and if [the opponent] plays six or seven backs, we can overpower them on the run."

Faulk was just as versatile when he played for the Indianapolis Colts, but he wasn't surrounded by the likes of Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Az-Zahir Hakim. Nor did he have someone the caliber of Kurt Warner throwing to him or Orlando Pace blocking for him.

Still, even if Faulk had stayed with the Colts last year instead of signing with the Rams, he still could have been spectacular. After all, Indy's Edgerrin James was the top offensive rookie in the league, and Peyton Manning was nearly as prolific as Warner.

Figuring out how to utilize Alstott is a much more difficult task. There is the temptation to lock him into the role of a power back, but Alstott says that would be insulting. "I don't think any player wants to be identified as "just this, or just that.' I think we all pride ourselves on being able to do more than one thing," he says. "I might not be able to run like Warrick Dunn [his backfield partner on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers] or block like an offensive tackle or catch the ball like a Keyshawn Johnson, but if I can combine all of those things, I can be more effective."

Certainly the model for versatility in the last decade has been Deion Sanders. Considered the best cover cornerback in football and perhaps the best punt returner as well, Sanders also played wideout when he was on the Dallas Cowboys. One season, his offensive role nearly equaled his duties on defense and special teams.

"Deion is a different case," Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith says. "Hey, the guy played major league baseball, too. You don't see many like him."

Nowadays, you don't see nearly enough imitations, either. (If the Oakland Raiders ever decided to turn Woodson loose on the other side of the ball, he would be the only exception.) With all of the situational substitutions coaches insist on making, the demand for versatility would seem to have abated. But it really hasn't. As Bill Parcells always said when he was coaching, if a player "wants to go to the game," he can ensure that happens by "being multidimensional."