IRVING, Texas – Gary Brown played eight years in the NFL for three different teams and has two 1,000-yard seasons to his credit.

PODCAST
Ben & Skin discuss the Cowboys assistant coaches' press conference at Valley Ranch. Listen

His résumé as a player should help him as the Cowboys’ new running backs coach.

“Well, I think what happens is it gives you a little bit of reprieve because they know that you’ve played, but then you have to prove you know what you’re talking about,” Brown said. “You have to prove that you’re there for their best interests and make sure they’re the best player, and you try to do that every time you go out there. And hopefully these guys realize that and they go out and have some fun with this.”

Brown was the final assistant added to the Cowboys’ staff after a five-year run in Cleveland in which he had two 1,000-yard rushers (Trent Richardson and Peyton Hillis)

“Basically, I just kind of coach the way I wanted to be coached when I was playing,” Brown said. “I want to be honest. I want to be fair. I want to work hard and just go out and do the best we can. I’m not that type, screamer, yeller type. I just want to teach and get the guys playing the best they can.”

Brown knows enough about DeMarco Murray to realize the Cowboys have to figure out ways to keep the third-year runner healthy. He also knows the Cowboys need to have at least two viable options in the backfield.

“I think anytime you want two guys who can produce, and that’s any team,” Brown said. “That’s Cleveland last year, we wanted to have two. In high school we wanted to have two. In college we wanted to have two. You always want to have two, but you want to have that guy that when it’s third-and-1 you can count on, when it’s time to close the game out you have that guy. We’re looking to make DeMarco that guy, and hopefully we can get a second guy to take a little bit of pressure off.”