Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn
December 18, 2014
Q: Was that the first time you kicked off from the opponent’s 35-yard line?
A: Yeah. We’ve kicked off from a bunch of different spots, but that’s the first time from the 35.
Q: When did you know that’s where the ball was going to be spotted?
A: We saw what happened at the end of the half. We knew we were going to kickoff from at least the 50, so we were preparing for that. And then we talked to the officials coming out and proposed that to them and we kind of laughed and we ended up doing it from the 35. We had both scenarios ready.
Q: Was it a no-brainer to try an onside kick once you were on the 35?
A: Yes.
Q: You had nothing to lose right?
A: No.
Q: How nice is it to have a kicker who is having a dependable season like this?
A: He’s (Josh Brown) good with it. He’s very good with the ball coming off his foot. He’s got a lot of different shots, so it’s always nice to be able to use those.
Q: Was that a picture perfect onside kick?
A: The picture would have been perfect if (Adrien) Robinson would have gone up at the high point and then had ended the play right there, but Chandler Fenner did a good job of scrambling after it.
Q: Did you call him a shot kicker?
A: Shot maker.
Q: Are there different styles of onside kicks?
A: With some guys, usually the ones with the soccer background, the ball just comes easily off the foot. They can do a lot of different things and you can ask them to do a lot of different things with the ball coming off their foot. Some guys are better than others with that.
Q: It looked at one point Josh Brown got banged up on kickoff?
A: Yeah, he’s fine.
Q: How tough is he? He looks like he’s as big as some of the linebackers.
A: I don’t know if he’s as big as one of the linebackers, but he is tough.
Q: It used to be that you would want to kick the ball as far as you could. Now it seems like kickers want to entice the returner to come out a little bit more often.
A: I don’t think we’re enticing them. I think it’s weather. When it gets colder, the ball isn’t going to travel as far. The wind and then just the length of the year and the number of kicks that they have accumulated to this point and so we try to keep a watch on that so we don’t over-kick them and keep their leg fresh. But we’re trying to kick it as far and as deep as we can.
Q: What is the threshold for kicking? Is there a number or how he feels?
A: How he feels, but it’s the type of thing if he’s sore, then it’s too late, so you try and head it off ahead of time and we historically have not over-kicked guys. We’ve been pretty good with that throughout the years.
Q: What was the penalty with Odell Beckham Jr. and the fair catch? Did he not clearly signal the fair catch?
A: Yeah. You’ve got to get it clearly above the shoulder and I guess he didn’t really… I can’t really see it on tape, so that’s just a learning point for him as well as finishing the game and fielding the ball. I told him he can catch the ball with one hand, you can do all these different things, but let’s catch that with two hands and not have a muff.
Q: He lost his concentration on that?
A: Yeah. The ball started to fade away from him. He wasn’t in good position and he should have just gone away from it in that situation.
Q: What have you seen from Corey Washington as a gunner?
A: Probably the best thing he does is block. He can track guys well and he plays with some good size and strength. We’re just working him in with where we see fit.
Q: Are there any areas where you would like to see him improve?
A: It’s mostly the return game where he shines, but he’s good on kickoff. We haven’t had much reps with him as a gunner, but he’s working at it each week.
