Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey
Q: I see (wide receiver) Parris (Campbell) at kickoff return. Is that an option for him?
A: Yeah, he's back there. He's done it. He did it at Ohio State, he did it as a rookie and so we'll see. We'll see what happens, but you've seen him with the ball in his hands, he's an electric guy with the ball in his hands so we're going to work him back there.
Q: What did you see from (running back) Eric (Gray) this past week as a returner?
A: He's growing, you know. I always tell those guys, it's not what you're going through, it's what you're growing through, right? So, it's a maturation process for him. Every situation is a new situation in this league for him and he just has to grow his way through it, he'll be alright. He's a young returner in this league that has upside and he's a good football player and he's a good young man so he's just getting better every week.
Q: What happened on the (kicker) Graham (Gano) miss on Sunday? It didn't look like a typical Graham kick.
A: He just missed it. As perfect as we think Graham is, every so often, he'll show you that he's not, right? But Graham, he's done a great job ever since he's been here, and we lean on him big time so yeah, he just missed it. There's no excuse, there's no great mystery. It's just kickers will miss a kick from time to time.
Q: I think in the games that (running back) Saquon (Barkley) has missed, you've used (safety Dane) Belton as the personal protector. Is that because of Matt's increased role at running back?
A: Yeah, absolutely. It's quite that simple. It ain't rocket science, it's just pure math. We've just got to make sure we take care of our guys and be smart in how we use them.
Q: How much better did you feel about your unit after that game than the game previously?
A: Obviously, if you have six penalties the week before and you clean it up and you have none, that's a small win for you. So, we've got to make sure we continue down that same path and just be the smarter team and execute the fundamentals and the techniques of the scheme at a high level when we need to do it and not just do the minimum just to not have penalties.
Q: We're like a third of the way into the season. Has the kickoff rule that got so much attention in the offseason, have you seen an impact of that?
A: I think we'll see it in the back end of the season, when the ball is not flying as far. Instead of those balls going nine deep into the stands, when they're at the one, two, the three-yard line, it's 40 degrees, 30 degrees outside – we'll see what teams are really wanting to do, whether it's a fair catch or return it. I think it's still a work in progress, but you see a lot of touchbacks.
Q: Is it fair to ask if everything's all sunk in for (punter) Jamie Gillan? You still –
A: Jamie's a young punter in this league. He's been around for a little bit but he's still young and he's learning, and he's growing. The guys that stick around and play for a long time, they'll all tell you, the guys that played double-digit years, 15, 12,13, whatever the number is in the double-digits, they always talk about finding their process and I think Jamie is – some guys like (former Giants punter) Jeff Feagles, when he was here before, he played 20-something years, he said he didn't really find his routine until year 10, and that's the thing that carried him for the next 10. Guys like Jamie are trying to find their process and find the routine that works for them and he's moving in that direction and he's doing a good job. The guy works his tail off so you can't complain about him.
Q: (Cornerback) Darnay (Holmes) played a lot of special teams in the past and he has played more this year. What have you seen from Darnay?
A: Darnay's done a really good job and again, this is a part of being a player in the National Football League. He came in as a rookie, started at the nickel, coaching change, competing for a job, bring a guy in, draft a guy, it's one of those deals where Darnay's a skilled guy. He can do a bunch of different things. He can return kicks and punts, he can play the nickel. He's a very good football player and he's willing to do whatever it takes to try and get better. If you watch – If you guys are out here, y'all watch everything else, but he's out here every day with somebody else doing something to try and make himself better. He's growing as a player and that's the most important thing and he's a young player in this league and he's getting better every week and he's working to get better. That right there is key.
