North Carolina State University Athletics
Q&A With Running Backs Coach Dick Portee
7/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 30, 2002
For 11 of the last 12 years, Dick Portee has served as NC State's running backs coach. This season, coach Portee will be challenged as he tries to fill the void created by the departure of tailback Ray Robinson. Recently, Wolfpack Radio Network announcer Tony Haynes sat down with coach Portee to talk about the upcoming football season.
Q: How unusual will it be not to have Ray Robinson out there when full squad preseason drills begin?
A: I had Ray as a true freshman but I didn't have him a sophomore because I left that year to join the Cleveland Browns. I came back the next season and had him his last two years. Ray was a good player for us and did a nice job so it will be kind of strange not having him out there with us.
Q: Even if Cotra Jackson is able to return for his senior season, there will still be a lot of youth at the tailback position this year. Will you have to change your approach and perhaps become more patient as you try to prepare these young guys for the upcoming season?
A:My approach has changed with my age, I think; I've become a little more patient in dealing with these young guys. The key thing is teaching. Having T.A. (McLendon) and Josh Brown as new guys will take some time and we'll have to be patient with them.
Q: Would you be comfortable with the "running back by committee" approach if it comes to that?
A: I think so. Everyone wants to carry the football and to be involved like any other position. Some people think the more a back carries the ball in a game, the better he gets. I think we have to be smart and utilize our players' strengths and get them in the game at the right time. If he's a good pass receiver, have him in the game on passing downs. If he's a good runner, have him in the game when it's run or pass. We're going to be smart and utilize their abilities the best we can.
Q: It's pretty clear that T.A. can carry the football, but what will be the most difficult challenges he will face as he tries to get himself ready to play as a freshman?
A: I think we need to make sure that he doesn't feel extra pressure in trying to perform to a level at which everyone thinks he should be performing. We've got to be careful that he doesn't try to do too much and doesn't get discouraged if things don't go well for him right off the bat. I think that he will do very well. Having been around the young man some, I think he is a very mature person. He needs to learn the system and not worry about making mistakes. Everybody knows that T.A. scored a lot of touchdowns running the football; that's going to come natural to him. The hard thing is going to be learning the intricacies of the passing game, knowing who to block on his pass protection and understanding the route he needs to run. We're going to be patient because these things will be a lot more complex than he is used to.
Q: Josh Brown is a young player that had some positive moments during the spring. What are your expectations of him?
A:Josh is a very deceptive football player. He was very productive in high school as a single back. He's not a very big kid, but he's going to be a good change of pace type of guy. He doesn't have great, great speed but he's fast enough. He's a guy that can make people miss and he'll get some yards for us. He did a good job last spring. He learned well and did a good job catching the ball in the passing game. He has a leg up now that he's had spring ball and I expect him to do better in the fall.
Q: I don't know that any other coach on the staff has experienced the turnover at their respective positions as you have at yours this year. Will this be one of the most challenging fall camps you have faced since you became NC State's running backs coach?
A: Since I've been here, we've always had some changeover but we've always had someone to come in. Right now there are a lot of unknowns. Our role as coaches is to get these young men ready to play and teach them what they have to do so when they hit the field they'll have the opportunity to be successful. Some of the meetings won't be as repetitious for some of these guys because they'll be hearing some of this stuff for the first time. There are going to be a lot of young players in on the meetings that really haven't played for us, even the fullbacks that we'll have in there.
