Transcript: Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

Q: How is planning around (punter) Jamie (Gillan) this past week with the injury that he has?

A: I mean, anytime that you have to deal with those things, you just got to be smart, and communication is key. So, we talked every day about how he was feeling and we just kind of, just went from there. You always got to be – at this time of year, you are in the back end of the season, got a lot of reps in that leg, you just got to be smart. He's getting a little tender, so we are just trying to handle it the best way we both saw it fit and the training staff.

Q: The long punt return, what do you see when you see that? Would you say it's the punt is low, would you say the tackling was bad?

A: It was all of that, right? So, I mean you get a punt with no hang to distance against probably one of the best punt returners in the league. I want to say he (Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey) was ranked third or fourth going in, averaging almost 15 yards a return, so we talked about how we wanted to contain him, and we just didn't execute. Jamie didn't have a great punt; he would be the first one to tell you and then we didn't tackle very well in space. Our best five guys missed tackles. So, against that guy, that style of returner, you got to make tackles in space or he's going to carve you up and he's been carving people up all year. That's the first big one we've given up all year. But again, you've got to be able to execute under pressure when it's time. That's just what it is.

Q: You're sitting there raving about him; it makes me think like the entire league had an opportunity to claim that guy. He was cut. Are you surprised? Do you think about that in retrospect that teams don't obviously want to use that spot on just the returner.

A: Right. Young players, I say this all the time, young players make mistakes and they got to grow in this league and he's a little guy. So he's 5'8, he's a 170 pounds, and personnel people are not salivating all over themselves to get a little guy like that, but those are the guys that will get you. We're in the Serengeti. It ain't the big lions, they'll get you too, but them little dudes will get you too, right? So, you got to be alert for the black mamba in the tree, you know? So, that's just what it is. But he's a good player and you're right, everybody did have a chance, it's just – they grow up, they hit a stride, some synergy between him and their unit and he's doing a good job.

Q: Does (kicker) Mason (Crosby) not have a good kickoff leg? Because it seemed like everything was really short.

A: It's the first time he's kicked off in a while. Going in certain directions, it might not look like it, but going in certain directions, the wind was blowing a little bit. So, is Mason Crosby 23 years old? No, he's not. He's 38 years old, whatever it is. He's in his 17th year in the league. That's just what it is. I'm sure (quarterback) John Elway when he was 23 could throw it further than when he was 40. It's just over time, you lose power. You lose some of that stuff. But he's still definitely serviceable and he did a really good job for us Sunday.

Q: What was that like getting to the point where you had Mason here last week? Because when we talked to you, you were still thinking about what options you would have, and Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) essentially told us, 'Look, it's going to be (kicker) Cade (York).' What was that like? When you have a veteran, what do you focus on when you get them in here?

A: Just the timing, just him in the operation. Those guys, when you get a veteran kicker, guys that have 10-plus years in this league, really seven-plus, they know exactly what they want to do and how they want to do it. So now it's just a matter of getting them in here with the snapper and the holder, and telling them, 'Hey, look, this is how I like the ball, this is how I want it. If we're in the wind, if we're outside and we're playing in windy conditions, I want you to lean it this way versus this kind of wind, and I want you to lean it this way versus…' It's just the small details of the job and they just get comfortable with each other and that just takes some time. It just doesn't happen through eight reps, right? They've got to get in there and kind of work through it. They don't have to kick a ton of balls, but you've still got to work the operation with it. So they all feel comfortable with it.

Q: On kickoffs, why have you gotten to the point where you're just not going to return them?

A: I mean, it's all analytical. It's all kind of based upon analytics. So, if we get a ball that's out past a certain point, we'll return it. But if it's deep, if it's one, two, three yards deep, at the goal line, we'll make other decisions, but it's just more based on analytics.

Q: What do you think of that? You're basically saying that kickoffs are dead unless it's a short kick.

A: Not necessarily. There're some situations where we will return, but for the most part, that's kind of our rule of thumb.

Q: Is that hard for you to come to that realization?

A: Life in the big city. It's what it is.