Willie Taggart, the new Giants running backs coach, was more than willing to discuss the players he worked with this spring. But then, when asked about fullback Patrick Ricard, Taggart smiled and politely declined to provide any detailed analysis.
“He’s not in my room,” Taggart told The Post.
Of course he’s not. That sums up the Patrick Ricard experience as vividly as any collection of words.
Ricard reports to the tight end room, as his job description is far more aligned to that position group than to the size/speed requirements of those who make a living carrying the football. And, for the sake of accuracy, Ricard probably does not truly belong amongst a group of pass-catching tight ends. He could report to a room that says “Blockers Only” on the door and he might be the only one to gain entry. Perhaps Chris Manhertz, a tight end with 30 career receptions in 10 NFL seasons, would be there to greet Ricard.
Manhertz, a blocker first and foremost, is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. Ricard is 6-3 and 300 pounds, and the ball is in his hands about as often as a solar eclipse is viewed from the planet earth.
“We didn’t really have that last year, we had a tight end,” running back Tyrone Tracy said. “This year with an actual fullback, 300 pounds, like I mean, I’m gonna let him go to work, really.
“I told him, ‘You do what you do, I’m gonna make you right. I’m going to do my best to make sure I’m making you look good, because you’re 300 pounds. I know a lot of dudes aren’t going to want to block you, they aren’t going to want to be blocked by you.’ I told Pat, ‘Me and you are gonna make each other a lot of money.’ ”
We shall see about that one.
Ricard, 32, arrived to the Giants via a two-year contract worth $7.63 million, making him the highest-paid fullback in the league. It is not exactly a highly valued position around the NFL and most teams do not carry one on the roster.
Ricard’s first nine years in the NFL were with John Harbaugh and the Ravens and it was one of the most predictable signings around the league for Ricard to move to the Giants once Harbaugh was hired. It was part of a directive assistant general manager Brandon Brown called “building the bully” when referring to the marching orders Harbaugh passed down to the personnel departments.
“Pit bull mentality, as you will, where they may not all be in the trenches, but they bring something that’s different,” Brown said.
Ricard brings something different, alright.
In 132 career NFL games, Ricard has only 11 rushing attempts on his resume — one in the last three years. He has 49 career receptions but only four catches in the last two seasons.
“Yeah. I mean, that doesn’t bother me at all,” Ricard said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play with so many great backs and so many great quarterbacks who can run the ball to where as long as I am blocking and we are getting yards and we’re getting touchdowns, that’s all I care about. That’s all that matters.”
Indeed. In his two seasons running behind Ricard with the Ravens, Derrick Henry amassed 3,516 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns. Lamar Jackson’s rare athletic gifts made him the league’s most prolific running quarterback, with 6,522 rushing yards. Every yard was attained as Ricard’s teammate. He is called “Pancake Pat” for his ability to flatten defenders.
“It does not bother me if I don’t get the ball at all,” Ricard said. “Sometimes I’d rather have these other guys get the balls because they’re just, to be honest, they’re better. They’re more explosive. They can run a lot faster than me, you know, I’m 300 pounds. So, I’d rather have the ball in their hands and me blocking for them.
“But, yeah, sometimes it’s nice to get the ball and make a play for the team. But I’m OK with either option.”
Isaiah Likely shared the tight end room in Baltimore with Ricard and also came along with Harbaugh to the Giants. Likely calls Ricard “a great Swiss Army knife.”
Ricard was a defensive lineman at the University of Maine when the Ravens in 2017 signed him as an undrafted free agent. They moved him to fullback and he has been there ever since, bringing a defenders’ attack mindset to his job.
He is reunited not only with Harbaugh but also with Greg Roman, the new Giants senior offensive assistant. Roman was the tight ends coach and later the offensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2017-22 and is expected to orchestrate much of the Giants’ running game. That means he will unleash Ricard to serve up pancakes for a 10th NFL season.