FLORHAM PARK, NJ – During the first week or two of camp in Cortland, rookie fullback Tommy Bohanon would walk by the media on his way to the locker room, whistling, waiting for someone to be interested in interviewing him, but he would often not be stopped. Well, things have changed.
This morning, the Jets were forced to put competing fullback Lex Hilliard on injured reserve after breaking his scapula during Tuesday’s practice. If you’re an avid reader of this site…or the Jets in general…you probably know by now that this pretty much guarantees the starting fullback position will belong to Bohanon, the seventh-round pick out of Wake Forest.
Looks like Bohanon might get the attention he was yearning for. Today, “T-Bo’s” locker was quite a popular spot to be at today. Yes, Jets fans we have a new “T-Bo” generating buzz. One reporter pointed out it’s a bit eerie to hear chanted by the fans in the stands.
“It kinda just started in college because it was easier to say T-Bo than Tommy.”
We’ll see soon whether or not the college nickname sticks in Florham Park.
Rex said during his press conference that he’d be comfortable starting Bohanon on opening day.
“I certainly would be,” Ryan said. “We’ll look at everyone out there, but he’s been impressive to me in these camp and in practices, so I feel good about him.”
Bohanon can feel the support. “I’ve been very involved in the offense so far and I feel like they have a lot of confidence in me to get the job done.”
He’s also getting support elsewhere. Bohanon says that having Josh Bush, his college teammate, has made the transition into the NFL easier.
The 22-year-old fullback said that Bush is the guy on the team he’d most like to hangout with on a deserted island. You should know by now that I will always ask at least one fun question. (He said Mark Sanchez would be most likely to rescue him from the island. “He has connections everywhere.”)
“He’s been there helping to show me the ropes a little bit because he was here a year before me,” Bohanon said. “It’s definitely something that’s helped me out a little bit.”
However, he’s quick to note the adjustments he’s had to make.
“Wake is a primarily spread offense, so I was getting out on routes a lot,” he said. “Here I’m doing a lot of lead blocking. I’m able to run the ball a little more out here and I’m still getting out on routes and catching the ball in the outfield as well.”
The speed of the game from the college level to the professional level dramatically changes, but Bohanon says he was prepared for that going into the preseason games.
“I think it’s what I’ve expected going through OTAs and minicamp and through camp,” Bohanon said. “So I’ve kind of adjusted to the speed of the game to the point that there weren’t too many surprises once we got into the game.”
Hopefully he’ll feel as comfortable going into Week 1.
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