Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial
August 1, 2024
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: What’s up, everybody. Excited to be back on the grass with the guys. I was pleasantly pleased with our first week of practices and the retention that our players had. It's been exciting to, obviously, rev up the competition a little bit more, the physicality, but the energy and practice has been great and I'm looking forward to today. So with that, I’ll take any questions.
Q: Have you guys done a study that makes you think these teams are just not going to want to give the ball to the 30-yard line? Is there a major difference in the offense getting it at the 30 versus the 25? Or do you think we’re going to have a lot of returns because they’re just not going to want to give it to us on the 30?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: There's always been studies based off of expected points where you get the ball at, field position. With special teams, it's undeniable that it is the game of field position where you position the offense, where you position the defense, directly correlates to whether you can prevent somebody from coming out with points or, when it's your team, score points. So there are, obviously, yard-line studies based off of expected points and everything. With this new kickoff rule and kickoff return rule, I think, ultimately, the strategy comes into play once we actually practice it in a game to know what you're actually seceding when you kick a touchback, how that feels. Let's say your offense does get a first down, but then has to punt. What does that feel like to the opponent? What does that feel like to you? That's where this game is going to be very, very revealing, the first preseason game and the game tonight (2024 Hall of Fame Game), obviously.
Q: At the same time, teams are probably are going to hold back their real stuff in some ways, too, right? To try and surprise people in the regular season, right?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: In a sense, I think everybody has this notion that you can do so much with this kickoff return scheme, and you're drawing up, I mean, for example, I've drawn up 50 returns. Now, does that mean that I'll be able to have all 50 come into action? I don't believe so. I think, ultimately, the foundational piece of your kickoff return scheme has to start simple. I think a lot of people will be simple to start in preseason, and that will ultimately tell you how complex you can get with your scheme in a few games.
Q: Has there ever been a situation where you’ve gone into coaching in a specific scheme where you just really are uncertain as to how it’s going to look going against somebody else and in the live situation.
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Uncertain? Maybe not. I think when you have an open mind based off of just understanding that this game is ever evolving and regardless of what the rules are in play, your personnel. You always have to have an open mind to change your scheme, to change how you teach things, and just be ready to understand that that's this game. It is changing. And it's our jobs as coaches to ultimately figure out what we could use, what we could discard, and just go from there.
Q: How much time has gone into, from your perspective, the install? Did you break down different segments and teach it? You almost have to teach it over from scratch because you want to kind of get the ideas out of guys’ heads of how it used to be versus what it’s going to be. Is that fair?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yes, that is fair. I think whenever there's a drastic rule change, you have to first start off with what are the biggest differences. You start there, and then you go into the rule restrictions that are now in play. And then you teach basically what's synonymous, like what are the similarities of what we did in the past and what we're doing now. Like I've said before, I think what we do in special teams is the purest form of football, how you meet and defeat blocks, how you get off blocks, how you get the ball, all things that we've done from special teams from day one. But, I think you kind of mix what the rule restrictions are with that, and then you combine what your best scheme is.
Q: Where are your players right now, the ones who need to know this rule and how it’s implemented and what it means, where are they right now in the learning of it?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: So I think they're in a really good spot because one of our meetings is dedicated to explaining what are the rules and what are the certain things that could come from that rule. And we focus on one. And then the walkthroughs are really a slower tempo pace of this is what we're trying to get accomplished on kickoff return and kickoff. Then you get into practice and they can speed it up a little bit more. And then you get in the film room and you watch the mistakes, you clean it up, and then you see them take the coaching points and fix it. I think when you do that, you gain confidence as a coach that your players know what they're doing. The best part about this thing is this game tonight (2024 Hall of Fame Game). We're going to watch it as a group and it's going to be very telling to our guys certain things that maybe we were teaching that we need to evolve or certain things that we're convicted about right now. Yes, this is the right frame of mind to have moving forward with this. So, I think we're in a great spot.
Q: Scale of 1 to 10, how much of a change is this for players where you do have to work the kinks out, truly, on the practice field during training camp?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: 1 to 10…I would say a seven. I think with everything this new rule provides, it is a challenge. It's a challenge to coaches, it's a challenge to players. But, these players are resilient. They are. They truly are pressing themselves to give feedback just as much as take coaching points. And with that, I think you ultimately accelerate the learning process because it's two-fold. If I just told these players exactly what I want from them and didn't hear what they were saying, then how foolish of me to do that? I don't cross that white line. So, I think there's balance with it too. But to say that it's a 7 doesn't mean that the learning process could accelerate pretty quickly.
Q: What do you think of (wide receiver) Miles Boykin as a gunner, what he can do as a veteran on special teams?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: A proven guy in this league, a true pro. Our young guys certainly look at him as a guy that's going to give the example in the right way. He's a guy that is the tone setter. When we get into drills, he wants to be the first person to take the rep because he's done it. And then when you can back up his practice tape with game tape, I think it speaks volumes for the younger players to be like, ‘Oh, this guy has made a living playing on special teams.’ Miles Boykin has been great in terms of that leadership role, but there's other guys on the roster that also own that role as well. You have a guy like (linebacker) Matt Adams from the interior core that has done that at a high level. You have a guy like (tight end Chris) Manhertz who truly owns whatever role he has. Guys look at those veteran guys and like, ‘Okay, that's how it's done. That's how you prepare. That's how you take this serious.’ I think we have some really good leadership guys across all our units on special teams.
Q: Has there been any conversation with any of the players about wearing the guardian caps, especially on the kickoff?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I certainly haven't had any conversations with guys, so I can't necessarily speak to where their mindset is with that, to be honest.
Q: When you guys do special teams periods, you don’t do a lot of 11-on-11s. It’s kind of segmented. I’m just curious about your thought process and how that comes together.
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I've always felt that fundamentals and technique win you games, and it has to start there. Until you create muscle memory where guys are doing it over and over and over again to where it's unconscious competence, they're not necessarily thinking about what they're doing, they're just doing it. I think that is the forefront of everything we do. This game comes to life based off of the fundamentals and technique. And when they do that, I ultimately will end up getting into a little bit more 11-on-11. But I think you can certainly break out every unit, doesn't matter what it is, doesn't matter whether it's new or old. I think you can break out every unit into smaller segments, build from there, and then when you start to piece it all together, it's very easy to because you're like, this is how we did it in this technique and this is where it applies.
Q: I would imagine when you are looking at your core, trying to develop your core, you mentioned those experienced guys and what they’ve put on tape. When you have young guys, like (wide receiver) Bryce Ford-Wheaton and (safety) Gervarrius Owens are two guys that seem like in your drills they’ve kind of sparked a little bit, how do you judge those younger guys and bring them along as quickly as possible to know that guys may not have that experience but you might be able to count on them in situations?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Well, I think in the case of both Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Gervarrius Owens, those are two guys that are naturally really good athletes, which will help accelerate their learning process even with the limited reps that they've had in this league. But, that being said, those are two guys that have made it important to themselves and to this organization to come up and meet with me individually and ask, ‘Hey, when you're saying this, what do you mean by this? Could you make me a cut up on this?’ because they want to be the best versions of themselves. It doesn't matter whether they're a first-year player, a second-year player, a third-year player. Those are just two examples of guys that experience matters, but in their minds it's like, I can do it, too. And I love that mindset. It's a true, gritty, dawg mindset that I respect, and I see those two guys having success in the preseason.
