LINK NO MORE 'TWO-TON': The easy punch lines to last week's acquisition of guard Toniu Fonoti were the fat jokes. After all, the last time anyone saw him, the former San Diego guard was reportedly 390 pounds. But hold your laughter, because he's hardly the same guy. According to multiple sources around the team who've seen him, he's closer to 330 now, in what one teammate referred to as "great shape." If he can maintain that, he gives them an interesting component to a line that's undergoing significant change. The Panthers have made a clearly stated goal of getting bigger and (more importantly) more physical up front. If Fonoti's back to the shape he was in when he joined the league, he'd have a shot at a starting job, though they like free agent pickup Keydrick Vincent at right guard. That Fonoti's still young enough to withstand the weight loss also contributes to the upside of the deal. When the Chargers chose him in the second round of the 2002, he was the youngest player ever drafted, seven months short of his 21st birthday. He's only 26 now, a time when most players are considered to be hitting their peak.
Is he still married to that crazy women who said the Chargers were racist because they didn't serve hawaiian food at camp? :icon_huh:
When he was down in his weight and motivated he could absolutely dominate but those times were few and far in between
Hell look back at 2004 - I love Dielman but could you imagine how dominating it would've been with McNeil next to Fonoti? Goddamn that'd be a stampede of prime rib beef! And yeah I don't know but seriously after 2004, when he saw that the team and the community wanted him to play, and knowing what it took to be successful, he turned into crap. So at most whatever team's got him will get ONE good year out of him and like four of garbage
Yep. It was his inability to maintain a reasonable weight and stay motivated that got him ran outta town.
Yes he was. I still remember one specific run play where he pushed his man back 15 yards and THEN pancaked him. Amazing.
Fonoti has problems with depression, as well as his immaturity being a factor when we drafted him. In a player with his potential, "lack of discipline" is only a symptom. It a lack was the extent of the problem, coaching would in all probability end that, along with the team chemistry (unless it's Oakland). That's why his problems are chronic and move with him from team to team. If he stays on the right meds, he could still have a career.
Toniu was referred to as a "human road grader" about the time we drafted him - and I sure liked what I saw out of him for a spell. A shame it had to go the way it did - but.... his choice. Funny when you think back on what was said about his injured hand - then consider McNeill playing with broken bones in both hands for most of his rookie year.
