Former Giants players, fans thrilled to see Patrick Ricard reinvigorate fullback position

Henry Hynoski watched the Giants’ first win of the season feeling an extra bit of pride. So did Charles Way.

The former Giants fullbacks obviously cheered for their former team. But what made them proud was seeing Patrick Ricard line up in the backfield to clear holes for the running backs, including a block that sprung a lane for Cam Skattebo’s first touchdown.

It reminded Hynoski, who won a Super Bowl in 2012, and Way their past was once again the Giants’ present. Fullbacks were once part of the Giants’ tradition, and now they’re back.

“It takes you back to the old days,” Hynoski told Newsday. “The Giants always relying on the ground-and-pound, pro-style type offense. Relying on that physicality.”

Way, who played from 1995-99, added that Ricard reminds us that football always goes in cyclical ways. Even as the NFL trended toward a more pass-happy league, there’s still a place for fullbacks to power teams leaning on their running game.

“We always come back around. We’re like cockroaches,” Way told Newsday. “You think you can get rid of us, but you can’t because you need us.”

Ricard didn’t just serve as lead blocker. He also provided an extra push on quarterback sneaks by Jaxon Dart. On at least two plays, Ricard motioned to run past Dart, then ran back behind him when the ball was snapped and shove the quarterback forward.

Call it the “Pancake Push” for the man nicknamed “Pancake Pat.” It’s part of the unselfish nature of the job and something that Ricard has thrived at doing in his career.

“I’ve done it all to the point where I can execute it at a really high level to where I feel like that’s like what [senior offensive assistant] G-Ro [Greg Roman] said about me,” Ricard said. “I’m like the spaghetti sauce on the offense. I’m like the secret sauce to where you put me in different spots to get the advantage.”

Coach John Harbaugh said this week that “nobody in the world can do some of the things that Pat Ricard can do.” It’s why the Giants signed Ricard, bringing him over from the Ravens to help build the Giants’ physical, run-first identity.

It also carries on a tradition for a franchise rich with fullbacks. Maurice Carthon was a valued player for Bill Parcells’ Super Bowl teams. Way kept that going in the 1990s. Madison Hedgecock played four seasons and was a key piece of Tom Coughlin’s first Super Bowl team in 2007-08.

Hynoski played from 2011-14 and said that Giants fans often tell him that seeing Ricard and Skattebo in the backfield reminds them of him and Ahmad Bradshaw. When he watched the season opener, he became an even bigger fan of Ricard.

“It puts a charge up your spine,” Hynoski said. “You get excited when you see that head snap back on a defender. You know that guy’s got some pop and it’s just really neat to watch that physicality develop.”

He and Way also marveled at Ricard’s size, which adds a different element to the position. Way played at 245 pounds and Hynoski played at 260 pounds. At 300 pounds, Ricard is built like a lineman yet nimble enough to line up at tight end.

Chuck Mercein, the grandfather of Giants long snapper Ben Mann, played fullback at 225 pounds for the franchise from 1965-67. So what would Mercein, 83, think of seeing Ricard go to work?

“He’d love to see that just to size him up a little bit,” Mann told Newsday. “He’s still in the gym, he still works out. He’d probably try to knock him around a little with no avail.”

Way said Ricard’s size is an asset since defenses utilize smaller linebackers than in Way’s era to better defend passing attacks. That will be key for a Giants unit that plans to lean heavily on the run game.

Yet two weeks into the season, Ricard already has been embraced by Giants fans. They were raised on appreciating great fullback play. Ricard, in turn, has appreciated a fan base that admires blue-collar, smash-mouth football.

“I think it’s more of just how excited they are to have a fullback and the way I play,” Ricard said. “I’m all for it, I love it. I’m [going to] continue to play hard and do whatever I can to help the Giants keep getting wins.”

He’ll also have admirers from men who know what that position requires. Way said he’s glad to see the fullback position return to the Giants’ running back room.

Hynoski hasn’t met Ricard yet but if he does, he’d shake his hand and tell him to keep up the good work. The old is new again and Hynoski respected Ricard and Harbaugh bringing back tradition the Giants are known for.

“I had to be a tone-setter back in the day, and he’s the tone-setter now,” Hynoski said of Ricard. “So it’s just coming full circle.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.