Q. How much conversation is there with -- we've seen a lot of young guys play on offense and defense you hadn't been playing on teams. What's the conversation like as far as the offensive and say defensive coaches watching those guys on teams and getting a sense of what kind of players they are? How's that back and forth go?
MICHAEL CLAY: You know, throughout the whole season, you see these guys get better and better. In terms of the conversation we have on offense, defense, and special teams. We're just trying to put the best 11 out for each phase.
So with the offense and defense, if a guy is helping us out on special teams, we'll still keep using him. And seeing him grow for -- Zech McPhearson for the defense. You know, he's been getting better and better each week.
Especially this past week against New Orleans is probably his best game. There's been some roller coaster games with Zech. But I think he's done an outstanding job.
And a big helping hand is Tyler Brown. They come up every Tuesday, gunner and get advice, and talk different approaches on kickoff coverages.
You saw the last game, two inside the 20 that set up a long field. So I think just the progress in getting one percent better every day, these guys have been doing that, especially in the special teams phase.
I've always reiterated this, I love to see a special teams guy starting on offense and defense. Any way I can help in that capacity is all good for me.
Q. Mike, your first year with Chip, you guys really cultivated a lot of guys that were special teams first players. It seems like you guys are starting to do that a little bit more here as the weeks go on. Why do you think the front office has put such an emphasis on that third phase with the roster you have?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, you know, it's different with every team you go on. I think Howie and Nick have done an outstanding job of getting players that have special traits that can help this team.
And, obviously, you can tell, this last game against New Orleans going up against a very good unit, they stoped up to the plate.
And, you know, once again, this is a team game. And, you know, everyone, offense and defense, but specials teams plays a big part especially as you get later into the season.
So giving these guys an opportunity to go out and give different phases on coverage, returns, just to help our team, that's what we want to do. We just want to be that extra spark that helps this team.
And I thought they played really well this past week. And we just want to keep that going after a couple down weeks, in our eyes. They bounced back really well in the Denver game and in this New Orleans game.
Q. You've been around some hot kickers in your career. In those situations, what's your approach? Do you coach him up and give him some kicks? What's the approach?
MICHAEL CLAY: For myself, I almost want to -- I consider myself almost like a caddie throughout the week. Like, we talked -- I mean, obviously, I've never kicked field goals in the NFL or in college.
But I'm more of a guy who wants to talk to Jake and Aaron in terms of, Hey, think of this game plan here and there. I'm not going to change something.
Tyler Brown has done an awesome job with his dad being Randy Brown in Baltimore. But for myself, I just try to keep them loose and talking about different stuff, you know, in terms of the mental aspect of it.
And when they go out there, they're a well-oiled machine between Jake, Arryn. And, really, it starts with Rick.
Rick serves a great, short snap and makes sure it is easy for Arryn to hold and takes the mind off Jake of where the laces are and everything like that.
So in terms of mechanical, that's -- they do it for so long, I don't need to tell them anything. I just need to keep them loose and in a great mental space.
Kudos to them. They're the ones going out there and I'm just there as the caddie, Hey, maybe you want to do this on this situation, and let them go out and play.
Q. What's your evaluation of how the kick and punt return is going right now? And is there any thought of switching up or, you know, toying with the returners and trying some different combinations?
MICHAEL CLAY: No. I think -- obviously, the kickoff return, we had a couple in the game where we had a mental lapse in the penalty on the backend that we weren't too proud of that kind of set our offense up in a bad situation.
Then another one, we just let a guy run free. But the good thing is how I look at the glass half full. We came back off that last kickoff return and we sent our offense past the 25-yard line because, you know, we kind of timed it up, got to where we needed to do.
And Jalen has done an outstanding job in terms of kickoff return. You know, as a runner, you don't really have a lot of say and you can make a great cut off the back door and that's a great kickoff return.
It's the other guys that we have to be mentally prepared, especially in these later months with these guys keeping the ball in play and everything.
We just got to be, you know, pretty honed in on what we want to do and guys move around different safeties, different type of kick locations.
But I think Jalen's done a great job. And in terms of the punt return, the last two weeks, I know it doesn't show, you know, the splash play but, you know, I look at it as punt return as like a boxer.
You got to give these 12 yards, 13 yards returns and then maybe when they let their guard down after getting gashed a couple times, you hit the big one.
But I thought Jalen has done a great job in terms of fielding the ball. He's catching the ball great. There may be one opportunity in the New Orleans game where he shouldn't fair caught and we'd love to see another down. And he knew it.
But besides that, he's done a great job. And these guys, you know, they're blocking hard for him, they're rushing hard for him, trying to give him the opportunity for him to really show his elite speed.
In the Denver game, his last punt return, he made two vicious cuts that I have never seen really anybody make outside maybe Dante Hall and Deonte Harris where he made one guy miss and the other guy missed and he just tripped over his own foot.
But I thought Jalen has been doing an outstanding job for us getting the gash yards. He had two in the New Orleans game, the one up the right sideline off a short punt. I mean, we had the ball at the plus 40, shoot, we're five yards away from some big points right there.
Then the 10-yard return we tacked on the holdings penalty for New Orleans, now we're at the minus 42. First down and a half, you're back in field goal range.
So he's doing a very good job of understanding the game in terms of his returning ability. And, you know, anything else, it -- something's going to come up sooner rather than later in terms of fielding punts.
Q. (No microphone.)
MICHAEL CLAY: You know, in terms of sacrifices, that's for him to interpret what a sacrifice is. What I see out of J.J., he's trying to help this team be as good as possible. And if that's becoming a full court player, that's what he wants to do.
He comes in every Monday and Tuesday asking about the game plan. He just wants to learn more about special teams.
At times, it is a little foreign for him but he's doing a great job for us in terms of he uses his speed very well. He's a big wide receiver. He's starting to use his hands more.
He's asking defensive players about backpedaling and shedding blocks and stuff like that. So for J.J., it's been a pleasant surprise from when I first met him in spring.
You know, Coach Sirianni really emphasized defining the role. And he's really taken on this role. The fruits of his labor paid off.
That big 23-yard catch right there kind of gave us that extra boost to finish the deal against New Orleans. And he came out, he made Deonte Harris stomp his feet on one of the kickoffs.
So he's been doing a better job. And just the help of this team, that's all we want to do in the special teams unit.
Q. You mentioned the punt that Jalen second-guessed. What about the one he fielded on the three moving back, are you okay with that one?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, it's one of those things -- he's in the field -- the closest guy was 20 yards away.
It's one of those double-edged swords. If he would have let it go and takes a soft hop at the three, you're probably on him for not taking it.
It's one of those things. He's a dynamic athlete and he got 13 yards out of it. We're not going to fret too hard about it.
Obviously, tackled at the four, ridiculed and everything. But I thought he did a good job in that situation. It comes down to the situation.
If it's a plus 50, take your chances right there. In the field, the guy nearest is 25 yards away, let's use our opportunities, you know, not have any penalties and try to get as much yards as possible.
So it's one of those things where you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I thought he did a good job in terms of that first one, catching it, getting 13 yards up the field and kind of helping us with that field position.
Q. What's your coaching point on that when a returner is within the twenties and he has to kind of field backwards, the punt goes further than he initially expected it?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, it all depends on where the original starting point is. If it's at the minus 45, 50-yard line, we have a set, you know, line to put your heels at.
And if you feel like you took a step backwards, we'll take the chances there. In the field, the guy hit a bomb. He hit a 62-yarder and it carried a little bit.
He's getting back, getting back, and he doesn't feel any pressure right there. Get 10, 12 yards right there, fall forwards, no different than a touchback.
It's just one of those things understanding where you're on the field. And once again, I wouldn't take that return back whatsoever. I thought he did a good job getting up the field and getting to the 16-yard line.
Q. Have you seen Jake tapping in when it comes to the mechanics and things like is that?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think it's just nice to have someone that speaks the same lingo in terms of type of kicking mechanics. He's not going in there and trying to change everything Jake's doing.
Jake's got to this level by being a professional and being really good at his technique. But they talk about it, you know, sight lines and stuff like that, where his plant foot, where he's finishing. Just stuff like that.
So I think when guys are able to talk the same language, it kind of puts a calming reinforcement to what they're doing. And they've been doing an outstanding job; both Tyler Brown, Joe P and Jake in terms of going out there -- when our number's called, we're going to out there and trying to put some points on the board, which has been outstanding for us.
Q. Where has Zech McPhearson improved?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think just playing, you know, football. It's so hard -- you know, you come from college and everything, you're the main guy playing corner and stuff like that, then you get put in this role where you're the first corner off the bench where you have to make your money off special teams.
I think he's identifying stuff a little bit more. He's playing with more violence in his hands. He's always played with great speed. There's nothing doubting that.
The one thing you can tell, Zech cares about everything he does. He comes in, asks questions, wants to do good for the whole team. He does it for every phase, kickoff return, punt, field goal block.
He's trying to go out there and put, you know, the best film he possibly can. And it's helped us out a lot especially in our coverage phases and kickoff against a very dynamic returner in Deonte Harris. Getting inside the 20 and creating a long field for the defense is outstanding.
I think Zech keeps growing and growing and getting more confident. It showed in this game, you saw him hype up the crowd, you saw him get energized, energetic.
Even when Arryn hit that 53-yarder out of the 10, he's pumping up the crowd. So I think he's just finding himself and playing at a pretty good level for us.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports