Alec Ingold is more than a fullback, he's positionless

Aug 11, 2021 at 02:03 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

Alec Ingold told the media Wednesday that "you're not going to write a lot of stories about what a fullback does on a day-to-day basis."

Which obviously prompted me to want to write this story about what Alec Ingold provides to the Raiders at the fullback position.

"I have to master the fundamentals of my role," said Ingold. "My role on this team is making a four-yard run into six yards. A three-yard catch into a five-yard catch. Giving Derek Carr half a second longer [in the pocket]. So when I'm on the field, I'm trying to make everyone else better. I'm trying to help people.

"It's a gritty position that not a whole lot of people don't like to do because you don't get your name written about all the time. ...It's not glamorous, it's not fun, there's not a lot of stories written about it but that keeps the offense on schedule."

Ingold has certainly helped a lot of teammates going into his third season with the Raiders, especially his quarterback Derek Carr. As an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin, Ingold's role in the offense has continued to grow and shape him into a remarkable weapon. In his sophomore season, he was able to play a role out of the backfield rushing and blocking. The offense also allowed him to line up outside and be a receiver, as he caught the first ever Raiders touchdown to be scored in Allegiant Stadium.

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As Ingold keeps revitalizing the fullback position – that has become a dying breed in the NFL – it's hard to even limit him to one position title. He's purely just an exceptional athlete.

"It was a decision I had to make at a young age, when I was 18 years old and I got an offer to be an athlete instead of a quarterback. Division I mid-major versus the Big 10, and at that point I just kind of had to give up that dream and just say, 'You know what, I'm just going to play football because I love it.'

"You got to trust coaches, you got to trust teammates and you got to be accountable. I think that's kind of how I found my niche of just helping the team out as best I can."

No. 45 was the third-highest graded fullback by PFF in the 2020 season. Carr and his fullback's relationship could be considered stronger than ever going into the 2021 season, with an immense amount of admiration for what Ingold does.

"To me, from the outside looking in you're just like, 'It's the fullback, just block the guy.' And you're like, 'You have no idea what goes into that,'" said Carr. "He has to see and hear the call standing behind me with his hand in the ground, and he has to know the fronts, he's got to know where the safeties are. ... There's so much that man has to know to hit the right gaps so Josh [Jacobs] can hit the right gap.

"He has that old-school Lorenzo Neal feel to him."

Not a shabby comparison from Carr, as Neal was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro selection. The Raiders are currently putting Ingold in a position to be one of the most versatile players on the field, and he very well could have a Pro Bowl caliber season if he remains healthy.

If he does, I'm pretty sure a few more stories like this will be written about him.