Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey
September 13, 2018
Q: What did you tell Kaelin Clay after that play?
A: Just catch the ball. Protect himself. There’s no reason, in that situation, we had a blocker on him and just protect yourself with a fair catch. Just being situationally aware, that’s all.
Q: Do you intend to give him another chance back there?
A: Yes, he’s like any other player. You’re not just going to give him one chance and throw him away. There’s a lot of things that happen over the course of the game that we all kind of want to get back, but Kaelin is a pro. This is his third year (in this league) going in, he’s made a lot of plays in this league, and I expect him to do that moving forward.
Q: How do you feel about your unit overall?
A: It’s okay. I think there’s a lot of things we can do moving forward to get better, especially in the return game. I see us taking big steps moving forward, and I look forward to doing that.
Q: For the last punt return, Coach Shurmur’s talked about situational use of (Odell Beckham Jr.) or (Saquon Barkley) – situational maybe being when you’re behind, in that kind of a situation. Is there a discussion between you two at that point at all?
A: It’s always something in our minds that we can possibly potentially do, but it just didn’t happen. It was one of those things that looking back at, maybe you could do something different and maybe not. Maybe you stay in the same situation, depending on Kaelin making the play. He makes the play, we go down and we score, we’re not even talking about it. It’s just one of those deals. In the moment, you make a decision and you live with it.
Q: The fact that the block was on him – having the block on him and having Odell back there probably would not sync up. If you’re going to have Odell back there, you’re going to have a return?
A: Correct.
Q: With the way they regulate the way the kickoff team can operate, would Saquon as a kickoff returner be interesting because he would get that full head of steam, perhaps? He would have that advantage now?
A: I think if you put Saquon in any situation, it would be interesting (laughter). But no, I agree with you. I will continue to say this – any time you put the ball in the hands of a great playmaker, it’s always a positive.
Q: I know it’s the head coach’s call, which you might say to me, but then why not do it?
A: You answered your own question. Again, that’s one of those deals where that’s above my pay grade. I would welcome Saquon back there any time.
Q: Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but why would having a punt block on preclude using Odell in that spot?
A: You can put him back there in any situation, it doesn’t have to be that situation. But that situation, you just catch the ball. Odell back there, Kaelin back there, it doesn’t matter, just catch the ball.
Q: What do you like about Cody Latimer as a kick returner?
A: He’s a big, strong man that has really good straight-line speed and he’s done it before in his career and been effective at it. We like what we saw when he was in Denver and he’s the same way here. Again, we had one attempt and we’ll obviously have some more moving forward. I think Cody is a very reliable candidate to do that job.
Q: You weren’t here with (Aldrick Rosas) last year but I’m sure you’ve watched a lot of film on him. Does he look different? Does he look more confident?
A: Absolutely. He’s like any other young player. You look forward to watching them mature. The maturation process has been really, really fun to watch. He’s a very talented young player that has a ton of upside, and he’s learning. He’s like any young player in this league, you learn from your mistakes and you just continue to work to get better and he’s done that.
Q: What was it like bringing Tom Quinn back and how has he helped in his role?
A: Tom’s been great. We worked together for four years, so it’s like putting the band back together. Tom is very knowledgeable, very detailed, very organized in what he does and he definitely brings a lot to the room. We work well together.
Q: But there’s a new lead singer in the band – he used to be your boss and now you’re his. How does that dynamic work between the two of you?
A: We work together. He doesn’t work for me, we all work together. Me, him, and (Anthony) Blevins, we sit down and come up with the scheme for the week and how we’re going to attack the next opponent. We work together. It’s not a, I’m the boss – it’s not one of those deals. That’s how we operate.
Q: Any concerns with Dallas with what they do on returns?
A: You’re always concerned about the opponent. Dallas is a formidable opponent, they’ve done a great job over the years. They’ve got a new coordinator, but they’re a talented football team. They’ve got some good pieces there – Deonte Thompson and Tavon Austin, those guys have made plays in this league. Any time you get an opportunity to line up against those style guys, you’ve got to be ready because they’ll pop you upside the head.
Q: On the kickoff rules – does it make it any more or less enticing when you’re maybe two or three yards into the end zone to return it or take a knee?
A: Just depends on the situation. It’s all situational. It just depends on wind, direction, time of the game – it’s just situational. It just depends. You’ve got to pick your spots.
Q: Did you get any feedback from former players or friends when you told us you had cancer?
A: Yes, I got a lot of text messages that day because that’s not something you just broadcast to the world. The people that are around me, really close know, that deal with me on a day-to-day basis, but it’s not something that I picked up the phone and called everybody I knew, so a lot of people were surprised. It is what it is. I appreciate them reaching out, that’s for sure.
