Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey -- December 26, 2019
Q: An eventful game for you guys Sunday. That sequence there, can you take us through that punt getting downed at the 1-yard line, to the block and what happened?
A: You know, it was a great punt by Riley (Dixon), you’re talking about going from one extreme to the other. Great punt by Riley, downed the ball at the 2-yard line, had a call that could’ve went either way. They called it. To come back and then Josiah (Tauaefa), it was just a simple day one rush, it was nothing fancy about it, the two just came underneath and he got beat. There’s no other way you can…literally it’s a simple day one installation rush we’ve seen since the spring. It happens.
Q: Does that trickle down from (Alec) Ogletree? Because David (Mayo) was playing more or Buc (Deone Buccanon) playing more?
A: No, Josiah has been in that spot for eight weeks now, nine weeks. He knows it. It’s not an excuse and it’s just something that is part of his job. He knows, ‘I block the two, I’m a tackle.’ Since day one when he walked in here, that’s where we started off. Same exact look. It’s just unfortunate that it happened to him. Josiah is a great kid and I promise you he’s learned from this mistake.
Q: At the end of the game, what happens along the sideline? You’ve got a 62 or 63 (yard field goal). Does Pat (Shurmur) come over to you and say, ‘Can he make it?’
A: Yeah, we talked about it on the sideline. You know, I’ve got full confidence in Aldrick (Rosas). The kid has a strong leg. I think 60-65, he could’ve made it. But, you just never know. It’s 30-something degrees out there, or whatever it was. It was cold, had a little wind in their face. If you mishit the ball and they’ve got one of the best returners in the league back there in (Steven) Sims, the ball comes short and then you’ve got your fat guys on the field. So, it’s probably not a good idea. They double both your wings, throw out your fastest guys because that’s what (Redskins Special Teams Coordinator) Nate Kaczor does. He’ll double both your wings and then you’ve got a fast guy back there against your fat guys. So, it’s not a favorable situation if the ball comes up short. You just never know. You mishit a ball or whatever it is, the ball comes out low, it’s tipped or whatever bad situation. It’s probably a 15 percent, maybe 20 percent, chance that he makes the kick, but you just don’t want to take that chance. You know you’re going to overtime, you throw the Hail Mary and get out of it.
Q: This is going to be the last time we talk to you this season. What’s your overview of special teams and how they’ve been this year? Last year you guys graded really well… I think this year in coverage units. You had a couple of just a few bad moments it seems like just scattered throughout.
A: Yeah, when you look at our group overall, I think our coverage units have been pretty good for the most part (knocks on wood). We’ve got one more. The return units have been good. Obviously, we’ve felt like we left a lot of meat on the bone as far as making plays in the return game. Coverage wise, again, I thought we did pretty good. Punt protection wise, obviously when you get two punts blocked, that’s not good. Field goal wise, I think we could’ve been better. We had some issues with the operation and just being consistent. We’ve got to find that again. Field goal block wise, our guys have rushed hard the whole year. So, I mean overall, it’s been solid. I think we could’ve been better in spots. I think situationally, we could’ve been better. Overall, I think we were solid. Moving forward, I think that with the good base of young guys that we have, having Riley, having Aldrick, having Colin (Holba), and just being able to create competition throughout the roster, I think we’ll be better.
Q: You talk about meat on the bone in the return game, how much of that is that you just didn’t have a returner? You went through guys in different parts of the season.
A: Yeah, I mean that’s always a fluid situation as far as returners. Everywhere I’ve been, if you get a guy that’s your guy, that’s the guy, and you can keep him through the whole season, you’re blessed. There are not a lot of teams that have guys that are fortunate just to have a guy dedicated to that one spot. Even if there is, a lot of times he gets dinged up or you know what I mean? That’s something as a special teams coach you’re going to always have to deal with. I think as far as just technique wise, execution wise, more so than personnel wise. Does that make sense? I think there are some things that we did during the course of the season that didn’t help us because we didn’t execute at a high level.
Q: What makes Cody Core so good as far as getting down there and downing punts?
A: I think Cody, he’s just starting to find his stride. That’s the one thing about young players in this league, a lot of times it takes guys a while to figure out who they are as players and then once they find out who they are, they get comfortable in their role and then now they just start to flourish. So, he understands who he is, he knows what his role is, and now he can just step into that role and feel comfortable in it and just be who he is.
Q: Do you tell Aldrick just to forget about this season and keep on working, or what?
A: Yeah, I think, you know he needs to finish strong. So, this Sunday, whatever opportunities we have, he needs to fish strong in those opportunities. Then this offseason just re-group. I think going into next year having the same battery guys together and making sure we get a good offseason together I think will be more advantageous to him to be able to execute and be able to go out there and get back to last year’s form to where he’s not thinking about anything, he’s just lining up and just kicking the ball.
Q: I know he’s not your guy, but you’ve known him for a long time. What’s it like working with Eli Manning?
A: Eli, he is a pro’s pro. From the first day I stepped in here in ’07 to now, he’s been the same exact guy every day. Every morning, he’s the first guy in the building, eating breakfast at 6:15 or 6:30. He gets out here, he works, he does what he’s supposed to do. He’s always a willing helper. He’s just one of the funniest cats you’ll ever be around. You guys don’t (know), some of you do, but he’s a big-time practical joker. He is a great guy, great teammate, and he’s going to be definitely missed around here. He’s a legend in his own right. I’ve got to thank him before he gets out of here for giving me a ring, because he did a heck of a job in that ’07 season. All of the memories and just being around E all of time, especially back then when I first got here, just watching him grow as a quarterback and now just to come back and just to see him as the old man in the building, just the old grizzly veteran who is a guy that just loves ball. He just loves ball. He’s a great teammate, and just to see the transformation being the starter to being the backup and how he’s helped Daniel (Jones), and how good of a teammate he’s been to Daniel. I’ll tell you what, it’s a beautiful thing because I promise you it doesn’t happen like that all of time. This is his building. He was the first quarterback to move into this building and he’s been the guy here ever since we walked into the building. To be able to make that transition and do it so graciously and with class is typical Eli Manning.
