First, what made you decide to become a college football coach?
I really didn’t think I’d want to become a coach. I decided to go to Butler, my old school, and see some practices and games. Coach Vignery there told me then that he had a running back job open on his coaching staff if I wanted it. I went back home and thought about it. I knew the time it took to be a college coach, but I decided to go do it.
Were there coaches you had that helped shape the way you coach now – how so?
My coach at Butler – Troy Murrell. He taught and coached me football. He helped me with my game – helped me to sharpen things up and how to teach the next guy as well. He helped me on and off the field.
The main thing as a running back as to be decisive. It’s a decisive position – you can’t be indecisive as a running back. Whether you’re running the ball, lining up as a receiver, playing on special teams….. you name it, running backs do it.
How do you coach running backs today as the position changes and the value seems to be lessening?
It’s surprising. West Virginia taught me to be a good receiver and be more dynamic as a player. And that was 2014. So I learned to help set running backs up on that path.
Running backs though will always be needed. I don’t think the value goes down. If you don’t have a running back out there to bring the safeties down, it’s harder to take deep shots. If not, safeties can sit in cover 2 all day. I don’t think coaches would accept that.
But you coach running backs today pretty much the same way. Get those extra yards and get from a to b as fast as you can. You do try to get them to be less one-dimensional. If an offense is in 11 or 12 personnel, you don’t mean to have to take a running back off the field and sub them out. They should be able to stay on the field on third downs – there shouldn’t need to be third-down backs. They should be every down backs.
What brought you to Pittsburgh in 2015?
I had a great time when I started off in San Diego, but I ended up messing up my left hamstring. I was rehabbing as a free agent and you know how that goes. I was shopped around and it became a business. Basically, whatever it is that you don’t expect is what you should expect. I told my agent I had no limitations where I wanted to play. When Pittsburgh called me in for a workout – that was just one-and-a-half hours from where I played. I hoped I would make it there.
What did Coach Tomlin tell you?
He called me in after my workout and signed me then. He told me that I had a great workout and that he liked my agility and speed – and how I did in pass pro. He said that was what he looked for in a running back.
Did any of those veteran guys like DeAngelo Williams or Le’Veon Bell take you under their wing at all?
Not in a rude way, but they really didn’t do that. Pittsburgh had a winning tradition for a reason – they showed me the ropes more off the field than on it.
I was a Kansas guy that started off his career in San Diego. Everyone thinks about California and the night life there. But when I went to Pittsburgh, it wasn’t a big nightlife town – it was a football town. Those guys showed me that the stuff off the field was important. They didn’t have to tell me to get to practice early and stay late – I was already doing those things. But they all had a chip on their shoulder – they all knew you could be cut and wanted to make the team. They were always there to talk to but the off-field stuff was really most important to them. I still have good relationships with Le’Veon and DeAngelo – Rosie Nix too.
How did the coaches help you?
James Saxon – he was a guy who had done it. Learning from him was helpful. They told me they didn’t bring guys in if they didn’t think you could help in some way. They saw something in me.
One guy that still surprises me today is James Harrison. I’m a personal trainer as well as a coach – weightlifting is still a thing for me. I see him still hip thrusting 700 pounds on Instagram! When I would get there in the facility it was something special to open the doors and see a future Hall of Famer like him working non-stop. Despite his age he kept on working harder than anyone else. That’s why he was able to play for 10-plus years.
Any on-field memories stand out to you of your time there?
The New England loss in the playoffs. That flea flicker from Brady to Hogan that really ended up beating us. I called my mother earlier that week telling her how close we were to going to a Super Bowl. To see it all shot down by that one play was hard. But that’s Tom Brady for you.
What happened after that 2015 season?
I was injured. I took a nasty hit from James Harrison in practice that knocked me out for more than a minute. That concession stuff – I saw all of the doctors and just started asking myself if this was worth it. I had a bad concussion at West Virginia too.
Once I started thinking about the toll the game took on a player’s body, I started asking myself if I wanted to continue playing. A concussion is not a broken bone – it’s the swelling of your brain. I thought that if it could happen in practice, it could certainly happen in a game as well. A short while after that my first child was born. I spoke with my agent about the effects of not playing. I didn’t play long enough to get the NFL benefits – I wasn’t there yet. I was worried that it was all a waste. After OTAs I went home and checked in with Coach Tomlin and Coach Saxon and told them I made the decision not to continue.
What did they say to you?
They both respected it. One told me he never had a concussion so had no idea what it was like, and the other told me he understood. It was bittersweet – you work hard to get to a certain level – the blood, sweat and tears and all of that that people talk about. To have it all end at the snap of a finger – to have it all go by so fast. I had to figure out what was next.
But Coach Tomlin told me I just needed to do that was best for me – that he respected my decision.
Do you watch the NFL today?
I still watch them on TV. It all gets to me sometimes. I have two boys and a girl and keep telling myself I won’t watch a game, but when I look up it’s on one of our TVs. I have to stop myself from yelling at the players about what they are doing wrong. I know some people see my boys and think – future WVU players. I don’t want them to play football, but I’m not going to be that dad to say no.
The love for the game is never not going to be there. I still end up watching it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the game.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
