Thursday Media Transcript: ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

NYG Transcriptions: Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey -- October 25, 2018 

Q: What did you like about Quadree Henderson as a returner? What did he show you? 
A: Same thing he showed in college, production. He’s a sure-handed guy, does a good job of catching the ball. He’s a good young player that has a lot of potential as a returner.   

Q: Have you ever had anything like this? Seems like a new guy, every week you have a totally new unit. 
A: Welcome to the big leagues. It’s just part of the job, especially when you get in a situation like we are, trying to see who can do what and trying to find the right mixture to the T and see how it takes. 

Q: Henderson earned himself more opportunities I would assume?    
A: Absolutely. He did a good job. He did what he does, he did the same thing in college and played with a lot of confidence. He’s a confident kid, so I’m happy for him. 

Q: Does the unit and the returner play off of each other much? In other words, is there maybe more confidence if they know they have a guy who’s sure-handed or has that explosiveness?   
A: Absolutely. When you know you have a guy back there who has the potential to take it to the house, it just makes you play a little bit harder. They go hand in hand, and vice versa, it’s hard to create momentum when you’re not seeing anything, but when you see a guy that has the quickness and the burst that Quadree has and we know he has the ability to hit itm it’s like look, you’ve got to stay on your blocks just a little bit longer, you’ve got to play just a little bit harder and hopefully things will work out right.  

Q: It seems like you came close to blocking some of those field goals. Is that something that’s game-specific?
A: That’s something we’ve been doing all year. We’ve been close a lot all year, and it’s just each week getting a little bit closer. It’s what I talk to the guys about, just playing hard. We’ve just got to play harder, longer, and if you do that, if you play harder longer, then you make the plays. We had one return where if we stay on them just a little longer, he doesn’t run down Quadree from behind and we get a touchdown. You never know. 

Q: Do you feel as though all the special teams units are starting to settle down a little bit? 
A: We’re starting to – the punt return game is something that’s been our Achilles heel all year, I think we found a little mixture there, so we’re just going to try to keep getting better, keep ascending, and see where it takes us. Kickoff return, we’re still a block here away, a block there away, just leverage, angles, fundamental things. Having new guys in different spots, just trying to have some continuity. Then once you start to get that continuity, it’s no different than playing on that offensive line or defensive line, quarterback, wide receivers, they know where the guy’s going to be, they know how to play off each other. Special teams is the same exact way, it’s just developing that chemistry and trying to find the right fit.  

Q: How difficult is that at the end of the game, the little pooch, scoop and score? That’s got to work probably hardly ever, right? 
A: Regardless of if it’s down the field or at the line of scrimmage, it’s a 10 percent play. Thought process was getting the ball down the field and trying to recover it, try to kick a field goal. Didn’t work out. It’s like hitting the lottery, it’s just one of those plays where it’s difficult to execute because it’s not a play that you work on, like punt. It’s something that we’ll hit maybe a couple times a week. The kicker will work on it, but it’s just the execution of it and being able to make the right kick and hit it at the right time, ball has to take a funny hop back towards you, so it is what it is. 

Q: What’s the percentage of a more traditional onside kick? 
A: Ten percent. It’s just a 10 percent play. That one probably may be a little bit higher percentage because it’s more down the field, but any regular onside kick is normally about a 10 percent play.