Steelers RBs Coach Saxon Has a Simplistic Approach

Steelers RBs coach Saxon has a simplistic approach
Submitted by Tony Azzo
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/ar..._head_16211950

New Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach James Saxon has some big shoes to fill in replacing Kirby Wilson, but he's game for the task at hand with his belief in the simplicity of his approach.
“Number one, protect the football,” Saxon said about what his players will be hearing from him often, writes Bob Labriola of the team's official website. “Number two, when you have opportunities to make plays, make plays, and (with that) you have to be smart enough to know when to take a chance. Natural ability is a big part of being a good running back in this league, but I also believe you have to be able to have some sort of awareness of what you’re doing with the football.”
Saxon has 23 years of NFL experience behind him, including 8 as player, and his last gig was coaching Adrian Peterson and the rest of Minnesota's RBs. “I prided myself as a player in being very intelligent in terms of what I had to do and what I was asked to do,” he said. “There was not going to be anybody tougher, there was not going to be anybody out there who was going to work harder, and at the end of the day, there were not going to be any regrets from whatever I brought to the table. That’s the message I try to get across to my guys – very intense and I like to have a lot of fun.”
He also says his backs won't be hearing the dread f-word coming out of his mouth.
“Fumbling is something that – I don’t even like the word,” Saxon explained. “The one thing I try to get across in terms of that is: when the ball gets stuck into your belly or you put it under your arm, you’re taking a responsibility. First of all, the head coach is giving you the privilege, and you are carrying 52 other guys with you. The ball, when the play is over and when the whistle is blown, you have to have it and get up off the ground with it. Now, does (fumbling) happen? Sure, but we want to make sure, and there is a phrase that I use – paranoid awareness. I want you to be slightly paranoid but aware enough to understand that you have to protect the football. It’s an honor and a privilege to carry the ball in the National Football League.”