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When Deion Sanders picked Marcel Reece as his team's fullback for the Pro Bowl, he made it clear to everyone watching that his team would not be utilizing Marcel Reece's game breaking abilities as a runner and receiver.
"We love him because he's not getting the ball," Sanders said of his selection of Reece. "All we want him to do is block, for that man over there," Sanders gestured to his Pro Bowl running back, Jamaal Charles. That wasn't exactly a positive mention for Reece, but could he have just be trying to downplay Reece's abilities as a form of gamesmanship?
"I talked to Deion after he said that," Reece told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's all part of the plan. Hopefully, we're going to catch the other team off guard."
Word has it Sanders' squad has been practicing a few trick plays this week to liven things up and it seems like a pretty good bet Reece is involved in a few of those plays.
Fullback is not a glamorous position and when you are on a team with all Pro Bowlers, it typically a good idea to get the ball in their hands. And that's just what the opposing team will be expecting.
Reece wears a lot of hats and is one of the most versatile players in the league. He can pass block, run block, act as a personal protector on special teams, carry the ball, and split out as a receiver. And lest anyone think he is just athletic "for a fullback", they should watch his 63-yard touchdown run against the Jets in week 14 in which he outran the entire Jets defense.
That's the kind of X-factor Reece brings to a team. He either gives the opposing defense one more thing to worry about to free up other players or he catches them sleeping and breaks off a big play.
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