Giants FB Henry Hynoski Making a Big Difference in New York's Running Game

Imagine having a special kind of athlete that encompasses the perfect blend of offensive lineman, tight end and running back all wrapped up into one single package.

The New York Giants have such an athlete all wrapped up in a 6’1”, 266-pound package, yet this athlete's name is rarely mentioned during the game broadcasts, despite his contributions to the running game of late.

Meet Henry Hynoski, an affable type who has almost as many monikers—among them "Hynocerous," "Polish Hammer," "Hammerin’ Hank" and "Hank the Tank"—as he does talents.

While running back Andre Williams, who ran for 131 of the Giants' 142 rushing yards Sunday (the team's  third-highest single-game total this season) is likely going to be nominated for the weekly NFL awards—and deservedly so—it was Hynoski, the quiet, unassuming fullback from a small rural town in central Pennsylvania who helped make it possible. 

Goin’ West (Coast)

With the Giants’ transition to more of a West Coast offense, there was some question as to whether a big bruising fullback like Hynoski would be an ideal fit in a system that has traditionally seen fullbacks that are 15-20 or so pounds lighter thrive. 

That’s why one of Hynoski’s offseason goals was to find a way to maintain his weight in the 260-range so that he could stay at a weight where he had enough of an anchor to ensure his lead blocks are productive while not being too weighed down and stiff if asked to run a pass pattern, catch a ball or motion around the backfield.

Al Bello/Getty Images

“The one thing I focused on though, I wanted to be leaner and get my body fat lower,” he said.

“This year my body fat was the lowest it’s ever been. I got in real good shape, and I think that plays a big part in [his ability to move around despite being 266 pounds].”

He also put a focus on building up his shoulders—partially to protect his previously injured area—and his chest in order to help proportion his body weight and reduce what he called paunch around his belly.

Hynoski, who last year missed most of the season due to a fractured shoulder suffered in a Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, said he has adjusted his blocking technique just a bit to where he is squaring up more rather than with a shoulder.

‘The More You Can Do’

In the Giants’ new offense, Hynoski has seen the number of snaps he gets per game drop, this no doubt due to the coaches’ preference to use the tight ends as the H-back and in the fullback role to provide more options from the 11 personnel package.

Per the snap counts recorded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hynoski has averaged 11.75 snaps per game in the first 12 games of this season.

That is less than half of the 26.9 average game snaps he had over the same period during the 2012 season.

This week, Hynoski received a season-high 24 snaps, per PFF, with most of those snaps coming in the second half where  the Giants comfortably ahead and looking to chew up the clock.

The reduction in his weekly workload has been a bit of an adjustment for Hynoski, who if he had his way, would be out there for as many snaps as possible. However, he keeps himself mentally involved with what is going on the field even if he is not part of the action.

“You’ve always got to be ready mentally and physically,” he said.

“You watch everything the defense is doing—the different personnel groups and the guys who are playing the positions that you might potentially be playing to see how defenders are taking on blocks, the leverage they play with, entry points into the line of scrimmage and watching the running back in case I’d ever have to go in as a running back or as a pass protector.

“You also have to stay loose until your number is called. When I’m on the sideline, I’m always stretching or doing some knee lifts. You really never know when your number is going to be called and for how many plays on a drive.”

Despite the reduction in snaps per game, Hynoski, a self-proclaimed student of the game who makes it a habit to learn all of the responsibilities of each man on offense for the various plays and formations, has actually seen his responsibilities in the running game increase.

Whereas in the old system he would traditionally lineup in the I formation, in this new system, he has also lined up as a receiver in the bunch formation and as an H-back.

“It’s something I’m very comfortable doing,” Hynoski said of his increased responsibilities in the different personnel packages in offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system.

“Anything that’s involved with blocking or running a pass route out of those formations, I feel like I can do all of that. I think for a fullback, I bring the level of physicality and athleticism with it and that’s going to enable me to be moved around more so like a tight end than a traditional fullback.”

That versatility has also come in handy when McAdoo wants to try something a little different on offense, such as handing the ball to Hynoski, who has five carries for 11 yards this season.

“The more you can do as a fullback," he said, "the better off you are."   

Giants vs. Titans: The Hynocerous Effect

In the game against the Titans, it looked as though Hynoski, who was used sparingly in the first half, might be in for another light workload day on offense.

However, with the tight ends lacking consistency when it comes to blocking and the interior of the Giants offensive line struggling to sustain blocks long enough for the running backs to exploit a crease, McAdoo switched things up in the second half by going more to the four-year veteran fullback.

Hynoski did not disappoint. Playing in a season-high 24 snaps on offense, he helped the Giants average 5.9 yards per rush against the Titans when the running backs followed his lead.

That average, by the way, is a significant jump over the team’s 3.7 season rushing average. 

“[Hynoski] did do a good job up inside blocking,” head coach Tom Coughlin said during his conference call.

“He did get involved in the perimeter blocking on the long touchdown run, so he probably had more plays than he has had in a couple, three weeks and it resulted in some good production.”

Let’s look at some of Hynoski’s work against the Titans, starting with Williams’ 50-yard touchdown run.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

This rather interesting formation saw left tackle Will Beatty (orange line) pull to the edge and tight end Adrien Robinson (red line) get the kick-out block.

Hynoski, who is lined up wide (yellow line) and tight end Daniel Fells (blue line) take the two inside defenders.

The result of the choreographed blocking on that side of the formation was a huge hole large enough for Williams (green line) to exploit for what was the Giants’ first touchdown run of 50 or more yards since David Wilson ran for a 52-yard score on Dec. 9, 2012, against the New Orleans Saints.

Hynoski, who has always been pristine with his technique—he was named to the 2012 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team for exhibiting textbook technique for the fullback position—has continued this practice of playing smart, fundamentally sound technique.

Let’s look at a run play which, although it doesn’t gain any yardage (through no fault of Hynoski's, by the way) illustrates the fullback's commitment to textbook technique.

The play is running back Orleans Darkwa’s only rush of the game, a run that attempted to go up the middle.

Hynoski explodes into his man, using proper knee bend which allows him to get underneath the defender’s pads and drive him out of the way. Meanwhile, the rest of the offensive line has created a nice wall for Darkwa to exploit on the left side of the formation.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The only problem, though, is that Beatty fails to drive into his man, instead trying to finesse him.

The tactic doesn’t work, and the defender bounces off Beatty like a rubber ball to drop Darkwa at the line of scrimmage. 

By the end of the game against the Titans, Hynoski not only finished with a 2.4 run-blocking grade, his highest of the season from PFF, he also finished Week 14 as  PFF’s second-highest graded fullback, his 4.7 score behind Kansas City’s Anthony Sherman’s 9.7 grade.

The surge in Hynoski’s performance, besides his hard work and talent, is also a result of the chemistry he and his teammates have built.

 “The longer a group is together, the more the chemistry you have,” Hynoski said, noting that the running backs all try to get together at least once a week for dinners or game nights during the season.

“I know where Rashad [Jennings] and Andre are going to make their cuts off my blocks. I know based on the flow of the play, where my entry point is going to be based on our offensive line personnel and the defense they are blocking.

“You could really see that chemistry in this last game,” he added.

The Future

Hynoski, who in the 2014 offseason signed a one-year contract that, per Over the Cap, pays $1 million between base salary, workout bonus and signing bonus, will be among the unrestricted free agents that the team must make decisions about for 2015.

Elsa/Getty Images

Rather than give any thought about where his 2015 paychecks will be coming from, Hynoski has taken a more practical approach that has helped him to stay focused on his weekly assignments and deliver the level of excellence his teammates and coaches deserve out of him. 

“In all honesty, the only way you can worry about the future is if you take care of the present,” he said. “The bottom line is I love the New York Giants, and every week I go out there and I play my butt off regardless of the situation. That’s my motivation.”

Oh, and don't forget a lifetime of pure love of the game itself which is evident not only in listening to Hynoski speak, but also in watching him take pride in executing his assignments with the precision of a neurosurgeon as motivational factors as well.

“We’re not forced to be out here to play this game; we’re out here because we want to play this game,” he said. “I’ve been blessed and lucky to have played for four years and all I know is that I want to keep playing.”

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and The SportsXchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.