Ovie Mughelli on Falcons' QB battle, evolution of fullback, Derrick Henry's longevity
Yahoo Sports Daily hosts Caroline Fenton and Jason Fitz are joined by former NFL fullback and two-time All-Pro Ovie Mughelli to discuss the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback battle, evolution of the fullback position and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry's longevity. Watch the full episode of Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube or YahooSports.TV .
Video Transcript
Two-time all-pro NFL fullback, current man of many talents, Ovie Mughelli.
Thanks for being here.
All right, so give it to me, Ovie.
Who's gonna win the ga- the job?
Is it gonna be Penix or Tua down in Atlanta?
I do not have a dog in the fight, but I had a chance on the Falcons fan cruise the last year to hang out with Penix's parents, his family.
Great human being, great guy, and as a person who's always rooting for the, the underdog, as a fullback, you know, I'm just trying to make sure people who have talent get a chance to show their talent.
So I want Penix to be the guy so he can show everybody what's h- what he's got.
But realistically, as a 10-year NFL player, I know your best avail- your best ability is your availability.
And with Tua being able to, even this past Saturday, be able to go full go, and Penix still trying to get back to full health, I just don't see him getting the playing time initially that he wants because it's gonna be Tua's show, and this new regime wants to win now.
We've seen the fullback position evolve a lot in the NFL.
It seems like it's getting a comeback now, it's getting used more.
What do you see from current fullbacks?
Man, well, well Kyle Juszczyk i- is one of the, the greats.
I, I'm just a fan of what we do as the, the road graders, a- as the people movers.
And though I feel like they're trying to make it a more H-back situation, when I've talked to Todd Heap in Baltimore, Tony Gonzalez with the Falcons, they don't wanna do what we do.
It takes a special type of crazy to play fullback and to play it well.
We're, we're lobbying for our guy Lorenzo Neal to be the first true fullback to be in the NFL Hall of Fame, 'cause I think it's a travesty that you don't have a true blocking fullback in the NFL Hall of Fame for all that we've done.
But, I love the position.
It's slowly coming back, but I feel like the ratings, the, you know, the TV networks, they want the high-powered offenses, the multiple touchdowns, and so that five wide foolishness is gonna stay for a good little bit.
It feels like we're not talking enough about Derrick Henry, that everybody has that line of demarcation at 30 years old for running backs in the league.
Derrick Henry's 32 coming off of a 1,500-yard season.
How is he able to do this and play this position at such a high level at 32 years old?
I got to give this man his flowers.
I, I ended my NFL career at 32, not on purpose, injuries happened, but to be blessed to play 10 years in the NFL and at 32 be walking away, and this man's 32 and he's just getting started.
It's about how you take care of your body.
I started in the last two, three years of my life really, you know, getting to the point of the James Harrison and the Derrick Henrys where you're spending lots, hundreds of thousands of dollars on your body from the yoga to the nutrition to the supplements to the oxygen chambers, all that stuff.
I did it a little bit too late.
Derrick Henry's been doing that his whole career.
His body is his money maker and he treats it as such.
He has a chip on his shoulder despite already breaking multiple records, already proving that he's the best.
He still feels like, "They don't believe me."
You hear him in interviews, he has a chip on his shoulder because he wants to win more.
He wants to get a Super Bowl.
He wants to get a chance to get Lamar one.
So I feel like Derrick Henry is a guy you gotta watch out for.
Saquan, Bijan, these guys are all talented younger guys, but Derrick, he's a old man on a mission.
