Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial
Q: If you have to use one of the running backs, who is one of the return guys now, and they have more of a prominent role on offense, do you bring somebody else in as a returner?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think my job is to prepare anybody that's on a roster, whether it be on the practice squad or active roster, to be ready to show up on Sunday. I'm still going to train the guys that have been back there and then we're still going to train a couple guys that are getting opportunities like (wide receiver) Ihmir Smith-Marsette, (wide receiver) K. (Kearis) Jackson who also came on a roster and then (running back) E. (Eric) Gray and (running back Tyrone) Tracy will continue to work at it.
Q: What's your concern of the ball security on kickoff returns?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I've stood up here before and I say the number one thing that is a premium to us is ball security, is taking care of the football and owning the football. That's something that our players understand, too. We've got to make sure that we're putting them in situations where they're in traffic, where guys are going to be deliberate to punch the ball out and them understanding that the ball has to be high and tight. All the same fundamentals that happen on offense, too. But, that is not something that's short-sighted to anybody in our building. We've got to make sure we're taking care of that football like it's a bag of money. Our players understand that and they wholeheartedly want to make sure that they do that.
Q: You had to be happy with (kicker) Greg (Joseph) last week. Was it something you saw from the week before when he had that miss? Any kind of adjustment?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I don't think one kick necessarily defines a kicker, especially a veteran kicker like Greg Joseph. He did miss that one in Cleveland, but his ability to self-correct and bounce back is huge. That's why he's been able to kick in this league so long. I was super fired up for him to go 5-for-5. I know he's confident in himself. I think the big thing is whenever you acquire somebody else from the roster, especially from the specialist position, you're trying to gain comfort with the long snapper and punter holding and all that. And understanding that is a little bit of a different system. So, they want to make sure that they're all working together. I think Greg (Joseph) obviously trusts (punter) Jamie (Gillan), Greg trusts (long snapper) Casey (Kreiter) and then, ultimately, they have trust in him and they've just been working at it.
Q: What's it like for you to gain that trust with a guy who you obviously didn't coach all offseason or coached before? How do you determine his range or where you can trust him from? How do you go about doing that?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: The first week, there's a lot of things that you're reliant upon, his experience in the league and seeing the certain situations. What stadiums he's been at, where has he hit his long balls, what directions. So, those are things that I pay attention to early. As I start to get more and more around him, I can gauge a little bit more of how he is in this atmosphere. Then, obviously, in our stadium and seeing him pre-game, that's giving me more and more info on where he is.
Q: I saw after warm-ups, you were talking to him and writing something down. Are you literally getting his range right then?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: There's some game plan stuff that we talk about in terms of direction and range and all those things. A lot of times it's not necessarily something he said, I'm an avid note-taker. He might say something that resonates, that might not be something that we're talking about, but I just might jot it down to make certain that I bring attention to it, maybe with another player.
Q: (Inside linebacker) Matt(hew) Adams came here with a reputation to be great on special teams. Obviously, he's been out for a while, but when that guy hits the practice field, and I know the roster stuff is out of your hands, but when he's ready to come out, his kind of personality, the way he plays, can he kind of rejuvenate a little bit or bring energy to coverage teams when he's out there?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: A true veteran special teamer in this league. You guys see him on the practice field, he has energy, he has juice and he practices the right way. That personality is infectious to the rest of our team. I know he's been very eager to get back on the field, so it's awesome that his window has started because just him being on the field has been great for the guys. There's a calming presence with a guy that's done it at a high level like Matt(hew Adams). I know Matt(hew Adams) is going to be ready whenever his opportunity comes. He's done it at this league at a high level and I know he's really excited to get going.
Q: With Seattle, they added Jay Harbaugh this year as the Special Teams Coordinator. Do you have to go back and see what he did in Michigan or do you have to rely on your previous encounters with the Seahawks?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Whenever I'm preparing against an opponent, I think you've always got to see where their roots come from. Obviously where they've been most recently gives you a little bit of a tell of some things that they've done. But also, (Seattle Seahawks Special Teams Coordinator) Jay (Harbaugh) has been in Baltimore and he does one heck of a job. Tremendous respect for Jay (Harbaugh). He gets his players to play hard. You see that when he was at Michigan. You see that now with the Seahawks. He does a heck of a job and it's going to be a great challenge for us to go against them.
Q: Has it been discouraging to see, around the league, not just you guys, how many of these dynamic kickoffs are still resulting in kicking it through the end zone and touchbacks after Special Teams Coordinators around the league came up with this rule?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I don't know if it's discouraging. We're four games in. There's, from my perspective, always going to be information that you can gather and I still think it's very early in the season. We're in the first quarter. I'll sit back every week and study the trends around the league. So, of the returns, I think from my perspective, I could speak on I just want to gather as much information as possible to make sure we're putting our players in the best possible situation. So, whether the touchback percentage is still high or whether the return rate becomes higher, I think from our perspective we're trying to gain information but we'll be ready to cover kicks and return kicks in both.
Q: The NFL commissioner said this week that moving it to 35 would be a game changer. Do you agree with five yards making that much of a difference?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think if the rule does change from that perspective, it changes the trajectory of how you teach things, certainly. Because now you're succeeding another five yards if you do try and kick a touchback. But, ultimately, I think the analytics have to be able to tell you a little bit more if they do move that yard line and when that does happen. As of right now, we're preparing as it is the 30 yard line and then we'll follow suit with that.
Q: I was just saying from your studies, your analytics, 25 (yard line) to 30 (yard line) didn't seem to matter, but 30 (yard line) to 35 (yard line), do you think it would matter?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, it just keeps inching closer to the end zone (laughs). So, you want to make sure at what point does that actually matter. There'll be more and more studies with that if the line does change.
Q: When (Tyrone) Tracy fumbled, you replaced him after that. Just curious what went into that decision…
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Not necessarily a lack of confidence in (Tyrone) Tracy. He is a young and eager player that has tremendous upside in this league and has already done a lot of good things. It wasn't necessarily a knock on (Tyrone) Tracy, because he understands the importance of holding onto the ball. I wanted to give an opportunity to Ihmir (Smith-Marsette). You guys saw Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) on punt return where he had a 22-yard punt return to the logo. So, I wanted to give him an opportunity to return. I thought that was a situation where he wasn't playing a lot of offense at that point, so I'm like, 'Okay, let's get him an opportunity to touch the ball.'
Q: What is it you guys see in (Eric) Gray as a returner that makes him viable there? Because he had trouble catching the ball as a punt returner last year before you were here. I'm sure you know that. He hasn't handled the ball great as a kicker turner either. What do you see on the positive side that makes you guys keep running him out there as a returner?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: From the kickoff return standpoint, he has tracked it well. I thought he has the ability to understand kicker intentions. He does a good job of catching it forward and even fielding those liners that are a little bit harder for some returners. I think he studies his butt off and he has tracked the ball well and he has caught it well. The running back experience, from his perspective, is always going to be a strong suit because he has the natural run skill that a lot of running backs have. He does run hard and you can tell the players want a block for him. He has one of those personalities that is… There's a very business-like approach to every opportunity he gets. I think the players respect how important it is for him to be able to have success on that unit resonates with the whole unit. So, I think E. (Eric) Gray has the ability to do it.
Q: You mentioned (wide receiver Kearis) Jackson coming in here. Coming in here as a kick returner in the summer, you obviously returned kicks under the new rules. Maybe different than a guy who's had experience in the league but you haven't been able to see him with the dynamic kickoff. Does that help with your evaluation of him to come in and when he has his workout here to know what you're going to get from him right off the bat rather than having to play around and see, 'Can he do this with this dynamic kickoff?'
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so he is a younger player in general and I do think he has tremendous upside. He does have some return stuff two years ago and, obviously, in the preseason seeing what he did with this new kickoff return rule. I'm excited to work with him because I think he does have a skill set to do it. The one thing I do see off of the tape, he does have hole conviction, meaning once he sees it he's going to hit it and he's going to hit it a million miles per hour and he had an explosive return in the preseason. So, I want to obviously keep working with him and see what he can do.
