Pancake Pat blocking for Skat.
Like the sound of that, New York Giants fans? That is a likelihood the New York Giants have created by signing former Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard to lead block for a backfield that includes head-banging running back Cam Skattebo.
The Giants gave Ricard a market-setting two-year, $7.63 million contract this week, making his $3.815 million average annual value the most ever paid to a fullback.
Why did they do that? Because Ricard is a 6-foot-3, 300-pound wrecking ball who has been named to the Pro Bowl six times in nine seasons.
“I’ve garnished the nickname Pancake Pat because I pride myself in how physical I am, the point of attack and pancaking defenders, and if I can continue to do that, that’s all I care about,” Ricard said. “It does not bother me if I don’t get the ball at all. 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. I’m 300 pounds. So, I’d rather have the ball in their hands and me blocking for them.”
‘Physicality all over the place’
Ricard was, of course, asked what it would be like blocking for Skattebo, a player who spent time as a kid running into telephone poles for fun.
“It’s going to look like a lot of yards and a lot of touchdowns,” Ricard said. “It’s going to be just physicality all over the place. It’s going to just be exactly what the people want to see.”
What does Ricard know about Skattebo?
“I loved watching him last year, and I was just thinking to myself, I’m like, man, that guy has a lot of fun. And you can just tell by how he plays and the juice he brings to the team,” Ricard said. “I’ve had a couple conversations with him. He was recruiting me to come here. I’m close with Jermaine Eluemunor, both in the same draft class in Baltimore. Jermaine was FaceTiming me, and right in the background there’s Skatt just saying what’s up to me. So, I’m excited to work with them and get to know him more.”
Jermaine Eluemunor, salesman
When he wasn’t getting himself fitted for a fancy suit, it seems Eluemunor spent some time recruiting his former Ravens teammate.
“If you look at Jermaine’s journey, I mean he’s trying to find a home, kind of bouncing around, and that whole time, I was in Baltimore for the last nine years. He’s kind of bouncing around, and I’m in Baltimore, and for us to now finally be together again is just a full-circle moment,” Ricard said.
“And he was just telling me how great this place is and how much I’m going to love it and how much I’m going to love my teammates, the city. And he couldn’t have said anything better about this place. So, I’m just excited to be with him once again and to enjoy and see what the city is all about.”
A career rooted in defense
Ricard wasn’t always a fullback. He played defensive tackle at Maine, and split time his first two seasons in Baltimore between offense and defense. he has been a full-time fullback since 2019. How does having been a defensive tackle help him now?
“I think it’s the physical part of defense. Defense, you’re always on the attack. You’re always trying to be as physical as you can. You have to beat a offensive linemen. You have to chase down a quarterback. You have to do all these things to where for me playing fullback, I think it translated really well, on top of also understanding how defenses work, how a defensive line, how a front plays, how their gaps sound, how they blitz, how they pass rush, and I think I was able to take all those things that I learned from playing defense and use it in my game on offense,” Ricard said.
“And I think that helped me really understand and really learn, because I didn’t play offense in college. So for me to try to block and play in an offense against the best in the world, it was a huge learning curve, and I was just thankful for great coaches to help me, and the coaches here now, Coach [John] Harbaugh and Coach [Greg] Roman. So, I’m just grateful to be back with them again and continue my journey with them.”
Following his coach
In the end, Ricard just wanted to be wherever the only NFL head coach he has ever played for was.
“I’m just very grateful for Coach Harbaugh. I mean, he’s been in my corner my whole career. He’s believed in me,” Ricard said. “And as soon as I saw he got the job here, I was definitely interested. I even told him, like, look, if you were coaching a Pop Warner football team, I’m interested. I’m there doing something. I don’t even know if I’m like the water boy, you know what I’m saying?
“So, as soon as he was interested in me coming here, I was all in. I was just ready to just sign the contract and let’s get going.”
Ricard admitted that the Cleveland Browns, now coached by former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, tried to sway him.
“Ultimately, I made the decision to sign here. Felt like it was a better fit for me and my family, I felt like my history with Harbaugh,” Ricard said. “I obviously love Coach Monken, with him for the last three years now, I think it was. And just a ton of respect for him, and I know he’s going to do a lot of great things there. So I’m excited for the Browns, but I’m more excited for the Giants.”
Giants fans are excited for some Pancake Pat highlights.
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