Marshall Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee, is taking on a new role as the running backs coach at the University of Colorado. Despite skepticism about star athletes making effective coaches, Faulk’s methods and reputation are already having an impact on the Buffaloes’ running backs.
Faulk was known in his playing days for both his physical skills and his strategic mind. Now, he applies that same approach to coaching. According to sophomore tailback Micah Welch, “He has shown us how to get on the board. (…) No, the whiteboard. He has us draw up plays. One thing the NFL looks for is players who are smart and understand the game. You can see things on the field, but it helps you see them a lot better if you know what the defense is really trying to do. What type of linebackers are you dealing with? Are they physical or fast? How do they tackle? All of it matters to him.”
Mike Martz, former Rams offensive coordinator who worked with Faulk in 1999, also recalled Faulk’s attention to detail: “It’s my very first meeting with the offense. I am amped up. Marshall is sitting in the front row, and I get going, and he says, ‘Hey, coach, can I stop you for a moment?’ (…) He says, ‘Coach, I see a couple of guys in here without pencils. How can you come to a meeting like this without a pencil to take notes?’” Martz continued about Faulk’s habits: “His awareness was off the charts. He had such a passion for the game. He wanted to understand it at a different level. I have been around some good ones, but there is no one like him. He is going to help those kids at CU go beyond the surface knowledge. I have no doubt about that.”
Faulk incorporates critical thinking into his coaching style by challenging players directly during meetings and drills. Senior transfer running back DeKaylon Taylor described these sessions: “When he put us on the whiteboard, it was the best thing. He made me draw my favorite play, then draw a defense it would work against. Then he had me draw a defense that it wouldn’t work against (…) We had to explain it to him. That really helps.” Taylor added that this education is making a difference during practices: “We have seen it work on the field, I promise you that (…) If you know where the extra guys are coming from and where you can make that cut at the right time, it makes a difference. There have been times in practice where I made a good run and get over to the sideline and tell him, ‘Yeah, you were right.’”
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton observed similar characteristics in Faulk decades earlier while coaching him at San Diego State: “He knew the protections, the passing game, the running game. Had it down cold. You have to feed that, or they get bored (…) I recall trying to get the quarterback (playbook) test just to challenge him mentally. With his football IQ, now that he’s coaching, it doesn’t surprise me.”
Welch expressed how working under Faulk has affected him personally: “I have learned so much from him (…) He is teaching us how to be more patient, showing us how the right reads lead to big plays. We are going to run the ball more, and it’s going to be effective.”
Martz believes these qualities will translate into success as Faulk continues coaching: “I remember one time he came up to me on the practice field and said, ‘Hey coach, I saw on film that they ran this blitz one time three years ago. How are we going to block it?’ I was like ‘(Darn’t) Marshall,’ (…) I had been up all night thinking about the same thing and hoped he wouldn’t notice . So I just told him if they show that look just call timeout . That is Marshall . Those kids are going to learn the game and learn to compete at the highest level from him.”
As Colorado aims for improvement after last season’s struggles with its running game under head coach Deion Sanders—now one of college football’s highest paid following his new contract—the addition of Faulk offers an experienced perspective focused as much on mental preparation as athletic ability.
