First off, how did you get involved in coaching?
After my playing days at Ohio State, I got the opportunity to play in the NFL for a few years. I didn’t have a nine or 10 year career or anything like that, but I was there for a short stint.
After playing I still had a love and passion for the game. That’s why I got into coaching. I went back to Columbus and got a job as a coach at St. Charles Prep in 2001. From there I got a job with an upstart NAI program – Ohio Dominican – that was a mile or so away. I worked with the soon-to-be head coach at a Summer camp and he asked me to come in and coach the running backs. That’s how I got my start.
Did you have any coaching mentors that stand out most to you – who and how?
The people that influenced me most were my high school and college coaches. Tom Banks was my high school head coach, then Tim Spencer, who coached the running backs at Ohio State. They were the most instrumental.
In the NFL, Steve Marriucci – I really liked his coaching style. And Coach Cowher, how personable he was. As a practice squad guy, it meant a lot that he would take the time to speak to me every day. I felt like that was the type of coach I’d like to be.
I took a bit from each coach.
What lessons did you take from the Pittsburgh coaches like Cowher and Hoak?
The biggest thing was how to deal with players. In the game of football, its about how a team responds to its head coach. It starts there. If a head coach shows that he cares about his players, they’ll run through walls for him. I picked that up from Cowher and Marriucci and wanted to implement that into my coaching style.
Dick Hoak – his attention to detail stood out to me too. As a positional coach – his attention to detail stood out to me.
Speaking of Pittsburgh – you signed with them in 2000 – what brought that decision on – why Pittsburgh?
Richard Huntley was injured – they had Fuamatu-Ma’afala but they were looking for experience and depth behind Bettis. I was able to stick around the entire season – Amos and Fuamatu-Ma’afala were the main backups for Jerome until Huntley got healthy.
Anyone there help take you under their wing?
Huntley, Bettis, Fu – it was a fantastic room.
Bettis- he was a bigger guy, but he had great feet. I learned different things from him – just the type of player he was. His footwork separated him from many of the other running backs in the league, along with his size and physicality.
Off the field, his leadership stood out too. He invited the running backs to spend time together – invited me to his home for Thanksgiving. Those are the types of things you remember.
Any good practice squad matchups?
The role I played, I often went both ways in practice. On Tuesday I’d play running back and help Levon Kirkland and the rest of the defense get better. The next day I’d play cornerback and and lineup against Plaxico Burress. He was 6’5″ – trying to get through him while he was running a skinny post was impossible.
I think they saw something in me they liked – the mentality you needed to have as a practice squad guy. I treated those Tuesdays and Wednesdays as game days. My attitude was to play as well as I could to take the defense better.
Kirkland – he weighed 300 pounds as a linebacker, but he could run and move – he could switch his hips. At the pro level, seeing guys like that, it showed the level of football I was becoming a part of.
Any good memories from those experiences?
I think I earned the respect of the defense. Lee Flowers – he thought so highly of me he gave me his shoes. I still have them today – blue suede Timberlands. That was a cool memory for me.
The Steelers were one of the best organizations I played for in the NFL. I really liked the ownership and the coaches – the way they treated people.
You also played in the NFL Europe and won a championship there with the Rhein Fire – what was that experience like?
It was an awesome experience. Being in a different country and having different experiences – it was a great experience learning the history of Europe – different cultures and ways to live. Scotland, Frankfurt, Berlin, Barcelona….beautiful cities that I would not have been afforded a chance to go to if not for football.
Scoring the winning touchdown in the championship game and playing there – it gave me a chance to make my game better and play at the pro level, so I was prepared when I went to NFL training camps. It was like minor league baseball- I liked that concept.
As a running backs coach – what are your thoughts on the way the position has changed over the years and how it’s now valued by NFL coaches?
If you look at running backs past or present, how they view the position now is different than what it used to be.
In the 80’s and 90’s, it was valued more. Now you have to do more to increase your value. You have it catch the ball, be great at pass protection and of course run the ball well. It wasn’t always that way. In the 80’s it was more about power – smashmouth football. Now you have to be more versatile.
How as a running backs coach do you prepare players for that?
I talk to my players about what it takes at the next level. What they have to do to make it at the next level.
The most important thing is to protect the franchise. You have to be great at pass protection to have a chance. I start there. From there, great running backs have to be great at running with the ball and protecting the football – those are obvious. In the NFL you better be able to do those things.
Then there’s the need to add value in other areas. As a receiver, can you spread out and catch the ball? Teams want guys like that. I talk to guys about how to do that and how to get better.
I also stress the importance of special teams. I advise them to take notes in special teams meetings – those techniques make or break you in the NFL.
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