Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn
November 12, 2015
Re: Josh [Brown’s] consistency and how well he has performed this year
A: He’s done a good job being consistent, he works at it. He had a solid year last year, so with every kick you put him out there expecting him to make it. He’s been in a good rhythm and changing holders really didn’t affect him, so that’s nice.
Q: How good a job did Brad [Wing] do on the long one?
A: He did a good job. It was a little low but he got it up, got it down, and Josh did a good job of staying with it and just trusting it.
Q: That whole transition, Steve [Weatherford] to Brad as the holder, did it go smoothly?
A: It was pretty smooth, yeah. The timing was good, Brad is a good holder, Steve was a very good holder, so it was a good transition as far as just the smoothness. It was kind of what you expect at this level.
Q: Obviously special teams are important every game but is it even more added excitement for you guys in a game like this?
A: No, every game you’re battling your tail off to do something to help the team…creating some momentum here and there. I don’t think any one game is bigger than the other. You’re trying to always leave your mark somehow in the game positively. It’s a battle because they’re a real good special teams group.
Q: Was that a decision by Tom [Coughlin] and Ben [McAdoo], because I know the field goal Josh hit at the end you guys were in the same spot on the field and went for it.
A: Yeah, that’s Tom’s decision.
Q: So Josh had no problem making that?
A: No, we’re always ready, and he either calls for field goal, offense, or punt. You have to have all three ready.
Q: I think the Patriots ran a surprise onside last week, does that change anything?
A: No, you’re always alert for it. You go back and study the kickers, the coaches, and what they’ve done. You always have to be prepared to handle that situation.
Q: Is that effective in the sense that they don’t have to run that again but for the rest of the season you have to be mindful of it every time?
A: Yeah, but you do study the coach’s and the player’s history and what onside kicks they do well, and prepare for them regardless of whether they’ve done it or not up until that point. It’s always a chance that they could do it.
Q: They have a player who’s made the Pro Bowl four years in a row as a coverage guy.
A: Matt [Matthew Slater], yeah, he’s a good player.
Q: Is that kind of an underrated weapon that people don’t think of?
A: I think it’s starting to become because once they moved the kickoffs up, there’s probably 50 percent chance less for guys to make tackles to make an impact. You’re seeing a lot less of those guys and they’re not staying in those roles as long to develop that name in one place. He’s done an excellent job and someone we looked at when he was coming out. I was in college, I think, for maybe a year that he was at UCLA, but he is everything you want. [He’s] real smart, very good speed, knows how to play the game, special teams at a very high level, so it is a weapon to have.
Q: Do you normally have to account for a guy who covers specials like that?
A: There’s always a guy or two that you have to account for, but their team has quite a few, so it makes it a little bit harder. It’s like not only him, but they have [Nate] Ebner and all the other parts they’ve kept adding. It’s a good group.
