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Thursday Media Transcript: ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

Eric from BBI : Admin : 10/4/2018 3:51 pm
Special Teams Coach Thomas McGaughey
October 4, 2018
 
Q: You watched (Quadree) Henderson going back to March. What do you like about him as a return man?
A: Production – he’s a sure-handed guy. He obviously had a lot of production in college and we like what we saw on tape and his pro day, like we saw there, so he has a lot of potential like any young guy that had a lot of production in college. We’d like to see what he does at the next level.
 
Q: You guys faced a player last week in Taysom Hill who had a fake punt against you. Have you ever dealt with a player like this? This sort of back-up quarterback that can also be out there on the punt?
A: Yeah, I coached him four years named Joe Webb. Same guy. Joe Webb is the same guy. Joe Webb did the exact same thing as Taysom Hill. He blocked punts, covered punts, personal protector, returned kicks. I mean, the same guy. Joe’s just a little bigger, but same guy.
 
Q: Did you (inaudible)?
A: Yep, absolutely.
 
Q: After a fake punt, you watch the film. What’s the message to the guys? Fool me once, shame on you or how do you address that?
A: That fake, that particular one is very hard to prepare for because you could do it at any time and if you watch the tape, you saw our guys, they knew something was coming, but you just don’t know. Mike Westhoff has been coaching for 30 years in this league and he’s had Tim Tebow – we saw every fake that Tim Tebow ran and none of those were like that. It’s just one of those deals, it’s just you try to play it the best you can. Inside, we were alert and you run the stop route with a run-pass option off of it, it’s pretty tough especially when you get held at the point. That doesn’t help either, so it is what it is. Next time, we’ll be ready for it.
 
Q: Do you watch Carolina and see a lot of things that you did?
A: Yeah, they’re a mirror image of us. You got to realize that Chase (Blackburn) played here, I coached him here, he worked with me for two years and we think very similar, but Chase is a heck of a football coach and he’s going to have some things that he’s going to do different, but for the most part when you look at them, it’s like I told my guys, they’re a mirror image of us.
 
Q: Does it make it harder to prepare because you’re anticipating what you might not know is coming?
A: You can’t chase ghosts. All you can do is prepare for what you see on tape and just have your base set of rules that prepares you for everything. Once you go through those processes, it’s just go out and play football. It’s not one of those deals you go out there, what if he does this, what if he does that. You ain’t got to worry about that, you still got to go play.
 
Q: You have a lot of guys in this organization that spent time down there in Carolina. You walk around the building this week kind of silently nod to each other?
A: I don’t get caught up in the going back and revenge game. I don’t – it’s football. We got a job to do every week regardless of the opponent, they’re all nameless, gray faces and when we go out there we got a job to do and just go out there and play and get a win. That’s the most important thing.
 
Q: What did you think of Jawill (Davis)?
A: Jawill – good, young player. He’s a guy that has a ton of upside, but again, he’s a young player that needs reps and the (inaudible) process has started for him and we look forward to him making great strides moving forward and once he gets a couple of weeks under his belt, he’s going to be alright.
 
Q: So you plan on giving him at least more opportunities, is that fair to say?
A: He’s a young player. He’s a good, young player. He has to. You’re not going to learn by sitting on the bench. You got to play and that’s the only way you’re going to ascend in this league. You got to have game reps. It’s one thing to do it out here on the practice fields. It’s a whole other different thing to do it on game day during the regular season. Preseason, yeah that’s great, but the speed of the game during the regular season, that’s something you got to have for a young guy if you want to see him get better.
 
Q: What’s the key in your mind to improving both areas of return, specifically the starting field position.?
A: Just executing the fundamentals and the techniques of the scheme. Just doing the little things the right way. Making good decisions, bringing the ball out, and just details. Just the details of the return game and we got a lot of young guys out there that are playing that are – it’s a new group. It’s a brand new group and these guys are trying to learn how to play fast and with each other. Learning how each other plays, what’s their strengths and weaknesses, and once we get to the point where you figure that out and we’re starting to make good decisions and we’re physical with our blocks, finishing, taking the right steps, you’ll see the production.
 
Q: Do you see openings for your returns that they’re not seeing at the time or was it…?
A: It’s been some clogged lanes, definitely, and that’s what I’m saying when I’m talking about the execution of the blocking scheme and guys being in the right spots, making sure their hats are – the details of it. Just little big things that the average person can’t see, that the coach knows that’s wrong, that the player knows that’s wrong. Just leverage and angles, that’s what this game is all about.
 
Q: How much does that have to do with this year with the new kickoff rules? Are players adjusting –
A: That’s football. That’s never going to change. Leverage and angles and football’s always been a game of leverage and angles, so that’s not going to change. It’s the people that are taking the angles and that are getting the leverage. They got to make sure they get every time and it’s something we’ll continue to coach up until they get it. Once we start to get it then obviously moving forward, you’ll see the difference between it.
 
Q: So it’s not something like well this guy didn’t have a standing start, but you’re in a different position and you’re just adjusting?
A: I don’t think that’s it at all. I think it’s just execution. We’re not executing. It starts with me and how we’re coaching it and now we have to get better at it. That’s point blank period, we got to get better.
 
Q: You talked a little bit about Taysom Hill and Joe Webb and even mentioned Tebow. How come we don’t see more guys like that, guys who are like this all-purpose downs, special teams, who can throw and do these things?
A: I think you will. Moving forward, especially with college football with the way that it is now with the guys that are coming out. You have so many talented guys trying to find their way on teams. I think the style of quarterbacks that are coming out, I think you’ll have more of those types of guys, more athletic quarterbacks coming out. Guys that can run, that can cover kicks, that can return kicks potentially because they get here on this level and you got to teach them a lot of that stuff, especially the guys that played the quarterback position. You got to – they never covered kicks. Most of them never did in Pop Warner, much less getting up here and trying to learn how to cover a kick. I think moving forward you’ll see a lot more of that.
 
Q: What did (Michael) Thomas and (Nate) Stupar see that tipped off because it looked like –
A: I can’t tell you that. There’s certain things…you never know who you are going to play in the playoffs – there’s certain things that we look for. There’s certain things that we look for and saw it and they put us in the right spot. It’s just watching the tape and learning the opponent and tendencies and all that good stuff.
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