The limelight has been handed to the likes of Lamar Houston, Jacoby Ford, Rolando McClain and Jared Veldheer who stepped in as rookies and made an instant impact on the team and contributed to the turnaround. Although he wasn't a rookie, Marcel Reece, in his first year with the Raiders, hasn't drawn much attention from the fans and sports analysts, but will become a major issue for defenses for years to come.
What makes Reece such a special player is that at the position of fullback, very few plays are designed for the position. This is because their primary roll is to block for the RB. Though he has been criticized for his blocking, Reece is far from your typical FB. He is an extremely explosive offensive weapon which the NFL hasn't seen in this position in over 20 years.
Coming out of the backfield, Reece averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Not only is that is equivalent with Michael Bush, but it's a better average than Ray Rice, Reggie Bush, Dominic Rhodes and Rashard Mendenhall. Reece also runs a 4.4 in the 40 and that's carrying 240 lbs.
As a receiver, he ended the year averaging 13.3 yards per catch. What is ridiculous is that he had a better average than Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Mark Clayton and Hines Ward. Yes, he had fewer receptions and carries than those he is compared to, but that should let you know to some degree what he is capable of.
Marcel Reece is another cog in the machine that the Raiders are building. There are people throughout sports who come out of the woodwork to speak negatively about Al Davis and the Raiders. He has transformed the Raiders and the entire game of football in the process. His ideas are duplicated by every team in the NFL ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
