In today's "Five Minutes with Roob," Reuben Frank chats with Eagles running back Donnel Pumphrey:
Roob: Welcome to Five Minutes with Roob, and we're joined today by Eagles rookie running back Donnel Pumphrey. Donnel, thanks for joining us!
Pumphrey: Thanks for having me!
Roob: OK, Donnel with one L. How often do people spell your name wrong?
Pumphrey: They spell it wrong all the time, whether it's Humphrey or just putting that extra ‘L' at the end of my first name.
Roob: OK, let's go back to high school. You were fast. You guys ran 41.73 in the 4-by-100, won the state title, 1:27 in the 4-by-2, you ran 21.53 in the 200. That's fast!
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Pumphrey: I grew up as a track guy, and that definitely helped me with my speed when it comes to now. I always loved track, grew up around track since fourth grade.
Roob: Let's talk about your college career. All-time leading rusher in NCAA Division I, lot of records, lot of accolades. How did you stay grounded through all of that?
Pumphrey: I really just knew I couldn't have done it [by] myself. There were 10 other guys on the field with me and there was the scout team giving great looks all throughout practice and our coaches put us in great position to be able to break those records and rush for long runs and stuff like that. I definitely had a lot of fun in college. It was all a blessing and hopefully I can do it here and stay on the same path.
Roob: You had 1,159 touches in college, which is crazy. You're not the biggest guy. How did you stay healthy under that kind of workload?
Pumphrey: The offensive line did a great job and was able to get me to the second level pretty fast, and that usually meant 1-on-1 situations and if I'm not making those guys miss, it's usually like an ankle tackle or something like that. I try to never take big hits and that's a big part of my game.
Roob: We always see you at practice popping right back up when you do take a big hit. Are you making a statement with that to the defense?
Pumphrey: Yeah. I'm lionhearted. Physicality is a big part of the game. Especially at this level. These are grown men that are hitting you in the mouth, so already being one of the smallest guys, it looks even worse when you're laying on the ground. Our coach always told us if you get hit, don't lie on the ground. I took that to heart. Whenever I get hit, I just get right back up.
Roob: The Eagles have a lot of running backs who do a lot of different things. LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, (Darren) Sproles, Corey Clement. Let's talk specifically about Sproles, another smaller guy. What have you learned from him?
Pumphrey: I've learned a lot from him. It's like having a second running backs coach out there. He's given me a lot of pointers and really just watching him in and out of his breaks and just how he runs, it's unreal. He's really just a floor general out there. He knows where to be at at all times. I'm just trying to model my game after his and trying to get better. We're trying to build for the future and hopefully when his time is done, I'm able to jump in there and take his role. Every day, just trying to talk his ear off and get to learn all the little things. It's not always about the big things.
Roob: How's this camp gone for you? Long practices, hot days. It's a grind.
Pumphrey: It is definitely long. It's a long process. I'm just trying to continue to get better day by day and really just hang in there. I feel I have a lot to grow on as far as ball security and just really building my craft overall as a running back. I feel like I have a lot of work to do.
Roob: What sort of role do you envision for yourself once the regular season begins?
Pumphrey: Once the season starts, I'm really looking forward to any role they put me in. I know each week is going to be different. Corey Clement has jumped in there and has been doing great things for us. Blount and Sproles are already pretty much the featured backs, so I'm just trying to learn the offense as much as possible and whenever they call my number, I'll be ready.
Roob: Donnel Pumphrey. One L. Pumphrey, not Humphrey. Make sure you get the name right, he's going to be around a long time. Thanks, Donnel!
Pumphrey: Thanks for having me!
