Tom Rathman knows what he’s looking for in his first year as the running backs coach in Indianapolis.
He’s looking for backs that play the game the same way he did during his nine-year NFL career. Rathman was a rugged fullback and he wants the same trait to shine through in a young Colts backfield that includes 2017 fourth-rounder Marlon Mack, 2018 fourth-rounder Nyheim Hines and 2018 fifth-rounder Jordan Wilkins.
“I expect the same thing out of the players that I did,” Rathman said, via the Indianapolis Star. “The same way that I approached the game, I’m trying to teach them their approach to the game the same way. You want to beat your defender to the punch. I think if you do that, the advantage goes to [you] ... Toughness, that’s one thing I demand. I know one thing, if you’re coaching a tough guy, that tough guy isn’t going to let you down over the years.”
Mack is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder after playing through the injury all of last year. Rathman said he commends Mack for a move that would seem to give him a perfect example of what he’s looking for from the whole group in 2018.