The Redskins backfield-mates of RB Ryan Torain and FB Darrel Young provide a good, young base for coach Mike Shanahan. Torain, in his third year, is second on the Redskins in rushing although he’s only played in two games, and Young, in his second year, has played in 3 games primarily as a blocking fullback.
Torain and Young visited NFLPA headquarters, and we had a chance to sit down with them and ask them about the Redskins season and some of their relationships on the team. Young is going back to school to get his Master’s Degree at Georgetown and explains that his time at headquarters helped him to appreciate the business side of the game of football.
On Young’s relationship with Redskins fullback Mike Sellers:
YOUNG: “Mike’s a great guy. He’s a guy I look to as a big brother. At first, I did not know what I was getting into in terms of the position, but playing behind an older guy and being groomed into the position, he has now given me the opportunity to play in this league for a long time. He has given me the wisdom and drive and everything he wants to do and everything he wants to accomplish in his career, he’s putting it on me now. When you’ve got a guy like that, you’re just thankful for the opportunity that he’s given you, just to be under his wing and learn from his mistakes. He’s a great guy and he is honestly someone that I will keep in contact with for the rest of my life and somebody that will be at my wedding someday.
On the winning environment in Washington:
TORAIN: “It’s very positive. Week-to-week, guys are trying to just work hard to have big games, get big wins and keep proving it to everybody.”
YOUNG: “We’re going to try [to go to the playoffs]. I think the biggest thing this year is that the media can’t talk about the distractions; they can only talk about competition at positions because we’re winning.”
On the three-running back system in Washington:
TORAIN: “I feel like we have some pretty great running backs. We all benefit and help the team from being out there. We help one another out in any situation.”
On if the relationship between the three core running backs is one of support versus competition:
TORAIN: “Exactly; we’re all working towards the same thing – to get a win.”
On how he got into the Georgetown Master’s Degree program that he is starting this spring:
YOUNG: “It’s something I wanted to do when I got cut. I feel like, especially now, I want to go back to school because this business is so shaky and it’s nothing personal if someone lets me go, but I want to have something to fall back on. For this program, it’s preparing for my future and what I want to do. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do; I know I want to help athletes and stay in the game doing something like that. I would be a marketing rep or something like that, but I love what the NFLPA does. Just seeing behind the scenes stuff, you feel some type of wave to try something new. There are some things that have caught my interest, just listening to the stories that everyone has had today and hearing what they do for the players, what they do for us – you don’t hear that stuff every day and it’s good to know that people are on your side in this business because, on the field, it’s about who’s available, who can play today. As opposed to now, where you might get worried about worker’s comp and things like that. So to hear that side of it, that’s just the type of person I am. I’m a genuine person and I care about other people, so any time you’ve got a group of guys doing that and in the industry, telling you their paths and the way they’ve gotten into these positions, I’m thankful for it. I would love to give back to the game someday.”
