Eric Studesville – August 8, 2020
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Saturday, August 8, 2020
Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(Can you talk about the challenge of trying to prepare for this season with the virus situation?) – “I think every season you have challenges that you have to overcome to be able to get ready and this is just a new and obviously unusual one for us. But we’re taking it day by day and literally with this new group of running backs, just a chance to get them in here, for me it’s sweet. We have a lot of things to do and I’m just trying to get these guys ready and get them ready for walk-throughs today and get out there and taking it as we go. I think the challenge with this COVID is unique to everybody and we’ll adapt and adjust whatever way we need to, to get our team ready.”
(Can you talk about the running backs you have, the new guys. We haven’t seen them play here. What can you tell us about them?) – “I haven’t seen them play yet either, so I’m excited about that. (Laughter) No, we’re excited about the addition of Jordan Howard, his experience, being in two different places and what he brings here. He’s a smart guy. He’s been able to pick things up so far, and what we’re talking about – teaching concepts. You love his size. He’s got good feet for a big back. He’s got good vision. I think he’ll have a chance to be a physical presence for us, as well as effective in the pass game with what we’re asking for. Matt Breida obviously with his experience, his speed. You see his burst and quickness early on as soon as he touches the field, so we’re excited about him. We don’t know what these guys will be able to do or contribute yet because we don’t have all of our installs in as far as what we’ve done with them on the field as a whole group, as a veteran group. We certainly haven’t done it in pads yet. Right now it’s kind of exciting because the potential is really out there for what we can see, what they can do and what we can build from.”
(I know since you’ve been here, you guys have run a multi-back system, or at least tried to while you’ve been healthy. How do you see – I know it’s early – RB Jordan Howard and RB Matt Breida’s skillset maybe balancing each other off and being able to maybe offset each other?) – “I don’t know that that’s what it is yet. We haven’t determined that yet. We’ve still got to see how this thing plays out. If it is those two guys, then we’ll figure out whatever the best situation is for the team and what gives us the best chance to be successful on Sunday. It may be a combination of something else that isn’t out there yet. We don’t know. Right now, we’re getting them ready to get ready for their opportunity to prove what they can do, and then once we see what they can do, we’ll establish whatever that role is for them and see how this thing is going to contribute to our production and our success going forward.”
(With RB Kalen Ballage, last season 1.9 yards per average is not very impressive; but what do you think went wrong last season and how can it be fixed?) – “Looking back on that, there are things we can look at and study in the offseason, but I’m going forward with Kalen. Kalen is a smart guy, he’s passionate about this, he wants to be good, and I know he wants to improve from that performance and that’s what we’re focusing on going forward. He’s buying into what we’re doing, he’s giving great effort in meetings and on the field. We’ve just got to see how it plays out. I think we’ll take it as what he demonstrates he can do going forward.”
(During the Combine process, I didn’t see any of the Dolphins’ coaches working as hard as you out on the field. Were you disappointed not to have a running back drafted early in the draft? What were your thoughts on immediately getting a player like RB Matt Breida on the second day, or third day?) – “First of all, I appreciate the compliment about working at the Combine. I appreciate that part of it. As far as disappointed about not getting a back in the draft, that process, there are a lot of things that go on in there. We do the evaluations the best we can; but I’ve always approached it as that’s not what I can control. What I can control is coaching the players that are put in my room and however they get in there and whoever gets in that room is going to get coached to be a productive member of our football team and what we need them to do. I don’t worry about what I do or don’t get out of the draft. I’m happy for every player I get, it’s an opportunity to coach, and it’s an opportunity for them to play. Certainly getting a player like Matt Breida – who has been experienced, who has seen some things in the NFL, knows what the game pace is like – getting a chance to get him in here, I’m excited to coach him; but I’m happy for every player that’s in my room. I love all five of those guys.”
(I wanted to ask you about your rotation and when you put that thing together. Do you like to have guys to fulfill specific roles or is it more beneficial to have guys who can do a little bit of everything? How does that approach shape the way this running backs room was put together this offseason?) – “I think the question as far as what we do for roles – we talk about this all the time in our room – I coach these guys to be complete backs. They all have to be able to have the entire skillset, whether that’s running, blocking, catching the ball, evading people, running routes, whatever those things are. They are all coached that way. Now they all do it differently and at a different level. However, the expectation is that you can do that because you never know when you’re going to need one of these guys to step in. Last year is a perfect example with Myles Gaskin and Patrick Laird being our primary backs at the end of the year. They are all coached that way. They determine what their role is in the offense and what’s going to happen. Certainly we have third-down back thoughts, first and second down thoughts; but at the end of the day, whatever combination of those players and what they’ve demonstrated to us during the week and preparation that gives us the best chance to win, those are the roles that we’re going with.”
