Ingold Accomplishes Goal, Ready for More
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Alec Ingold accomplished the goal he was working toward the entire offseason when he practiced with the Miami Dolphins at the start of training camp instead of being on PUP.
The fullback suffered an ACL tear last year while a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, but after months of diligent rehab, he’s finally returned to the field. And his rehab efforts didn't go unnoticed by his new coaches, who made him the player to wear the orange jersey for the first practice of training camp.
“I think it’s massive,” Ingold said about being ready for the start of camp. “I think anytime you join a new organization, a new team, you want to show that you’re going to work hard, you’re going to do the little things right, be detailed, and just kind of start with that right foot forward. That’s all you’re trying to do. A lot of things had to happen, man – from the surgery to the support staff, to this whole transition. I’m very grateful for all of it.”
Ingold, who signed a two-year deal this offseason, isn’t 100 percent yet, so he did not participate in 11-on-11 either of the first two days, but he expects that will change in about two weeks. Additionally, there is no doubt in his mind he’ll be ready for Week 1.
INGOLD PART OF AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Ingold represents a dying breed of player in the NFL — the fullback. However, Miami’s offense under head coach Mike McDaniel needs a fullback to help diversify its running game.
McDaniel likes to run outside zone concepts, which teams are starting to counter with “tilt fronts,” which is a defense with six defensive linemen on the line of scrimmage. Having a fullback allows the offense to run power concepts along with outside zone concepts.
Ingold understands that when he comes into the game, the Dolphins are going to try to blow defenses off the ball with raw strength.
“Anytime you strap up as a fullback, everyone on the field knows it’s this set of plays,” Ingold said. “There’s not a whole lot of tricks up anybody’s sleeve, but it changes the dynamic of the football game. The fans know, the people in the press box know, the football players know it’s going to be physical and that’s what you have to be proud of every single time you step on the field.”
Of course, a fullback's main job is to open up holes for running backs no matter what concept the offense runs. In Ingold’s case, he’ll be tasked with opening up running lanes for fellow free agent signees Raheem Mostert, Chase Edmonds and Sony Michel.
Ingold is hoping his blocking ability will help those backs improve a Dolphins running game that finished 30th in total yards last season.
INGOLD ON NEW TEAMMATES EDMONDS, MOSTERT AND MICHEL
Each of them brings a different skill set to the table, and Ingold has been impressed with how everyone in the room has learned from running backs coach Eric Studesville so far.
“Raheem obviously being a part of this offense before, he’s like the dad of the room, making sure everyone knows why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Ingold said. “‘Coach E’ being able to speak on things proudly and with conviction knowing that we have a guy who’s been there, in the shoes, who’s done it before. You have Chase, who’s coming in, he’s the guy – he’s the bell cow. You just see all that shiftiness out on the field that you get really excited for. And then Sony as well — a Super Bowl champ — having that experience, been on the Patriots to the Rams and been in multiple rooms. So all three of those guys coming into a brand new room, myself included, you want to bring that expertise. You want to bring that knowledge. You want to be able to elevate the level of practice every single day.”
Mostert was recovering from a knee injury of his own this offseason, and Ingold said the two spoke about their rehab process along the way.
“To see his tweets going, blowing up and all that stuff, you can definitely relate to that feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing,” Ingold said. “To have all that work for however long it takes, to know inevitably you will be back between the lines, that’s the mind-set that guy has and that’s something I carried with me through this injury, too.”
Ingold won’t put up gaudy numbers this season, but if he does his job well, a lot of his teammates might fill up the box score instead.
