Placido Anthony Fiammetta (born August 22, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. He was drafted by the

in the fourth round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

(128th overall). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Early years

Tony Fiammetta was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii to parents Vince and Esther Fiammetta. He was raised in

Walkersville, Maryland Walkersville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,800 at the 2010 census. History Crum Road Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Woodsboro and Frederick Turnpike Comp ...

where he attended

Walkersville High School Walkersville High School (WHS) is a four-year public high school in Walkersville, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The school's colors are blue and gold and athletic teams are known as the "Lions." Overview The school is located near ...

. There, he competed in football and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

all four years, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

for one year. In football, he was a starter at

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. 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. SuperPrep named Fiammetta the 25th-ranked prospect in the Mid-Atlantic. PrepStar named him a 2003 All-East Region player.

College career

Fiammetta accepted a football scholarship from

. As a

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freshman in 2005, he played in ten games, mostly in a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

role and did not recorded offense stats. As a sophomore in 2006, he saw action in all 12 games and had eight carries for 15 yards. As a junior in 2007, he played in 11 games including 8 starts at fullback, blocking for

Curtis Brinkley. He had three carries for eight yards and 12 receptions for 75 yards. As a senior in 2008, he played in 10 games, blocking for

Brinkley, while collecting 66 yards on five carries. He also was third on the team with 16 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown. In the season finale, he rushed 58 yards on one attempt against the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

championship team,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

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named Fiammetta the first-team All-American fullback. He also participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl. He finished his college career after appearing in 45 games with 18 starts at fullback. He recorded 16 carries for 89 yards, 28 receptions for 202 yards and one touchdown, while earning a reputation as a fierce blocker, making 108 knockdown blocks in his last 2 seasons.

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft Countdown website predicted Fiammetta being selected in one of the middle rounds in the

. They described him as an excellent blocker, but with limited ball-carrying experience. 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.

Carolina Panthers

Fiammetta was selected in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the

. As a rookie, he was a backup at fullback behind Brad Hoover. In 2010, he appeared in 14 games with 9 starts at fullback. On December 31, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, with a left ankle injury that he suffered in the fifteenth game against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. In 2011, he suffered a concussion in the preseason opener against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. On September 3, he was waived after not being able to practice following his injury and the Panthers claiming fullback

Jerome Felton Jerome Jean-Marie Felton (born July 3, 1986) is a former American football fullback. He previously played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he had been a fundamental part of Adrian Peterson's success, including Peterson's 2,097 rushing yards sea ...

Dallas Cowboys

On September 4, 2011, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He was waived on September 7, to make room for

Laurent Robinson Laurent Robinson (born May 20, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the thir ...

. He was re-signed on September 13 and went on to become a difference-making lead blocker for

DeMarco Murray DeMarco Murray (born February 12, 1988) is an American football coach and former running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time first-team All-Pro, he was the NFL Off ...

. 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 as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

. On August 5, he was placed on the exempt/left squad list, after leaving training camp to attend a personal issue. On March 18, 2013, Fiammetta was reactivated from the reserve/left squad list to the active roster. On April 29, he was released by the Patriots.

Chicago Bears

On June 10, 2013, Fiammetta was signed by the

following tight end

Evan Rodriguez Evan Junior Rodriguez (born September 21, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football for Temple Owls football, Temple. He is Moorish American from his Nigerian & Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Rodri ...

's release. He revived his career after appearing in all 16 games (seven starts). On December 28, he was signed to a two-year contract extension. On August 22, 2014, he suffered a hamstring injury and was eventually released on September 12. Although he was brought back two days later, he was waived injured on September 25, after playing on only one game because of recurring hamstring problems.

References

External links

Chicago Bears bioNew England Patriots bioSyracuse Orange football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiammetta, Tony 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Hawaii People from Walkersville, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland American football fullbacks Syracuse Orange football players Carolina Panthers players Dallas Cowboys players New England Patriots players Chicago Bears players