Tony Fiammetta

Tony Fiammetta

Fiammetta at Bears training camp in 2014.
No. --  Free agent
Position: Fullback
Personal information
Date of birth: August 22, 1986
Place of birth: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school: Walkersville (MD)
College: Syracuse
NFL draft: 2009 / Round: 4 / Pick: 128
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2014
Rushing yards: 26
Rushing average: 2.4
Touchdowns: 0
Receptions: 12
Receiving yards: 130
Stats at NFL.com

Placido Anthony Fiammetta (born August 22, 1986) is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft (128th overall). He played college football for Syracuse.

Fiammetta has also played for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears.

Early years

Fiammetta was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii to parents Vince and Esther Fiammetta. He was raised in Walkersville, Maryland where he attended Walkersville High School. There, he played both football and lacrosse all four years, and wrestled for one year. As a senior, he played in just one game before breaking his leg. In that game he recorded 144 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. During his high school career, he recorded 499 yards and 12 touchdowns on 60 carries.[1][2]

SuperPrep named Fiammetta the 25th-ranked prospect in the Mid-Atlantic. PrepStar named him a 2003 All-East Region player. He was recruited by and attended Syracuse.[1]

College career

Fiammetta sat out the 2004 season as a redshirt.[1] In 2005, he played in ten games, mostly in a special teams role, but recorded no statistics. In 2006, he saw action in all 12 games and attempted eight carries for 15 yards.[2][3] In 2007, he played in 11 games including 8 starts and made three carries for eight yards and 12 receptions for 75 yards.[2][3]

In 2008, Fiammetta played in ten games and accumulated 66 yards on just five carries. He also recorded 16 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown.[2] In his final season game, he rushed 58 yards on one attempt against the Big East championship team, Cincinnati.[3] Pro Football Weekly named Fiammetta the first-team All-American fullback.[4] He was also invited to and participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl.[5][6]

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft Countdown website predicted Fiammetta being selected in one of the middle rounds in the 2009 NFL Draft. They described him as an excellent blocker, but with limited ball-carrying experience.[7] NFL Draft Scout rated had him as the number-one fullback out of 87 prospective draft picks. He had the most bench reps at the combine by a back with 30 and posted impressive overall numbers for his position.[8]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 0 in 245 lb 4.58 s
All values from NFL Combine[9]

Carolina Panthers

Many scouting experts were right in their prediction on Tony's draft position, Fiammetta was drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.[9] On September 3, 2011, after battling concussion issues, he was waived.

Dallas Cowboys

Fiammetta was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys on September 4, 2011, but was waived on September 7, to make room for Laurent Robinson. He was re-signed on September 13 and became a difference-making lead blocker for running back DeMarco Murray.

He was declared inactive after the ninth game with an undisclosed illness, which turned out to be an inner ear problem, that caused nausea, dizziness and that was likely related to a concussion. Without him for the rest of the season, the production of the running game suffered.

New England Patriots

On March 26, 2012, Fiammetta signed with the New England Patriots.[10] He was placed on the left squad list on August 5, 2012, but will continue his NFL career in 2013.[11] On March 18, 2013, Fiammetta was reactivated from the reserve/left squad list to the active roster.[12] On April 29, 2013 the Patriots released Fiammetta.

Chicago Bears

On June 10, 2013, Fiammetta was signed by the Chicago Bears following Evan Rodriguez's release,[13] and revived his career after appearing in all 16 games (seven starts). On December 28, he was signed a two-year contract extension.[14] On August 22, 2014, he suffered a hamstring injury and was eventually released on September 12.[15] Alhough he was brought back two days later,[16] he was waived injured on September 25, because of recurring hamstring problems.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tony Fiammetta, Rivals.com, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse University, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tony Fiammetta Stats, ESPN, 2009, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  4. ↑ Pro Football Weekly's 2008 All-America team, December 22, 2008, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  5. ↑ All-American Fiammetta Earns Senior Bowl Invite, Syracuse University, January 6, 2009, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  6. ↑ 2009 Senior Bowl North Team Roster (DOC), Under Armour Senior Bowl, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  7. ↑ Player Scouting Report, NFL Draft Countdown, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  8. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2009_FB
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse, FB, 2009 NFL Draft Player Profile". NFL Draft Scout. January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  10. ↑ Patriots sign FB Fiammetta
  11. ↑ Alper, Josh (August 5, 2012). "Patriots announce Tony Fiammetta left the team". profootballtalk.com. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  12. ↑ Yates, Field (March 18, 2013). "Pats reinstate fullback Fiammetta". ESPNBoston. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  13. ↑ Mayer, Larry (June 10, 2013). "Bears make roster moves". Chicago Bears. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  14. ↑ Mayer, Larry (December 28, 2013). "Bears sign Fiammetta to extension". Chicago Bears. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Rich (September 12, 2014). "Bears cut Fales, Hayden to create roster space". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  16. ↑ Mayer, Larry (September 14, 2014). "Fiammetta, Fales back with Bears". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ Mayer, Larry (September 25, 2014). "Bears sign Sharpton, cut Fiammetta". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 25, 2014.

External links