Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey -- December 6, 2019
Q: Obviously, we focused on Aldrick (Rosas) a lot, and we saw him in the snow and he makes three. What was it like to see that?
A: It was good. It was really good. We were talking about that the other day, as a staff, just in those conditions to be able to do what he did. Just to kind of move and operate a new operation, it was really good. It’s obviously a confidence booster for him and just trying to get back on track.
Q: How much do you think the whole new operation was a reset for him?
A: He worked through it very well, all three of those guys are pros. They are good guys, they are good people to work with. He just, like you said, he just hit the reset button. It was just one of those deals like he just had to get used to seeing the ball, seeing the ball where it’s going to be, where it’s going to be, and getting comfortable with it. They just kept working. We had a bunch of reps last week, it was good.
Q: Is he wired a little differently? He looks a lot different than your average kicker. It seems like he doesn’t let things get to him?
A: Yeah, he’s very, I wish all kickers had that kind of mentality. It doesn’t matter to him. If the football is on the ground, he’s going to kick it. He’s a hard charging bull, just a big strong man. He doesn’t let a lot of stuff phase him. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low, he just kind of stays even keel, which is what you want.
Q: What did you see from Da’Mari Scott?
A: What we see in practice, just being able to catch the ball and get vertical. Da’Mari is a very talented young kid, he hasn’t had a lot of reps of it in the past, but he’s been practicing it for the last year and half. In the preseason before he left, we were going to feature him, and it just didn’t work out. We saw it all spring, he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands.
Q: Now that we have some finality on Zak (DeOssie), at least for this season, you go way back. I don’t know what the future holds, but what has he kind of meant for this team?
A: So, me and Zak came in together in ’07, it was my first year as an assistant here. Basically, we kind of raised him as a rookie. He was the first long snapper I had that went to the Pro Bowl. He’s meant a ton to this organization. This guy, he’s been a constant pro, he’s been a great leader, a great teammate, and is just a selfless person. It’s kind of hard to describe, really, and give it true justice, the kind of guy that he is, the kind of teammate that he’s been. He’ll definitely be missed, definitely.
Q: Does it hurt your punt coverage team not having someone screaming as a guy goes to makes a fair catch?
A: (Laughter) Yeah, he brought that element to it along with his speed, especially when he was younger, which were his old linebacker days. But he did a great job and we wish him nothing but the best.
