Q. Who is the punt returner?
MICHAEL CLAY: Why would I want to tell you guys that. No, we have enough guys we feel comfortable, so we will wait until Sunday at 1:05 or whatever time we kickoff in Detroit.
Q. Who are the candidates.
MICHAEL CLAY: I mean, there are plenty of guys we've had out there from -- we have had Quez, Kenny, Boston has done it, Avonte has been back there catching punts.
We've got enough guys where we feel comfortable enough when push comes to shove and we want to get out there and get some returns, we got enough guys out there.
Q. Do you who is going to return punts today and you're not saying for competitive advantage, or are you still debating who will be the punt returner?
MICHAEL CLAY: Do I know?
Q. Yeah. I know you're not going to tell us.
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, we'll keep it for the competitive advantage for the most part. In my mind I know who is going to be out there the first punt return.
Q. What are the specific attributes you're looking for as a punt returner? Obviously catch the ball, but what other...
MICHAEL CLAY: You know, obviously like you said, catch the ball. You also want to have the vision and the feel to get -- we like to say get a first down. When we say get a first down, get ten yards, getting north and south, getting down the field, protecting the ball, making the first guy miss.
There are guys out there, in this league there is gunners out there that run 4.3. They are going to make some guys miss on the outside, but if they make the first one miss and we get a next level block, that ten yards turns into a 20 yard return.
So making the first guy miss, catching the ball, and just giving that extra juice that may help propel the team to some momentum swings.
Q. How about kick returner, candidates there?
MICHAEL CLAY: Re: The first answer I guess. There are plenty of guys out there that we feel comfortable doing some things like that. Again, for competitive advantage, we'll just wait until Sunday when we put that ball on the tee.
Q. Kicker?
MICHAEL CLAY: Kicker? We'll keep that, again, as a question for everybody else to find out 1:00 in Detroit.
Q. What do you like good having Britain Covey on the practice squad?
MICHAEL CLAY: There are plenty of guys I like on our practice squad. We have enough players out there that -- they have their name called at any point, really gives you a lot have confidence when you get into game planning.
Not just Britain. Just guys, other guys on the practice squad that help us get ready for the game. I know I can lean totally on them just in case something happens all the way up until Sunday, which has happened before.
He's ready to go. So it's not just Britain, everybody else on the practice squad has to be ready to go in case their name is called.
Q. (Regarding Arryn.)...this summer that might make you feel more confident in him after some struggles last year?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, my confidence never wavered in Arryn. Obviously we already talking about this enough. He had a bad couple games last year and you guys asked him and he talked about it. But him coming back and having a very good off-season in terms of just working on some things mechanically with Tyler Brown as well and then going back to himself. It's all credit to him getting ready for his second year.
Just like anything else in this league, no one is ever a finished product. It was his first year last year really doing it. He had his ups, he had his downs, just like anybody else in this league. But him coming back, putting his head down, getting ready for the upcoming year to help our team, I think he's done a really good job.
Those preseason games I thought he did a really good job of flipping the field, especially in the Miami game. He was out there and he flipped the field for those guys.
So going to keep that momentum going. He has good rapport with Arryn, with Jake, with Rick. It's not just a one-man show out there. Then getting the guys on the outside and interior to block for him.
It's just keeping the confidence we've been striving for all camp.
Q. I know we probably talked about this last year, but when you go up against Fipp, is there an extra level as far as a chess matchup going up against a guy who you know so well and who you know knows you so well?
MICHAEL CLAY: You know what? That's a very good question. I wouldn't say there is an extra incentive towards it, but all 31 other coordinators, they're at a coordinating spot because that's very good coaches and I respect every one of them.
With Fipp Cup, working under him and just how hard he game plans and tries to find an extra advantage, so just being able to try and match that and give our guys the same type of energy and the same type of game plan, so when they're going out there they're confident doing whatever they're doing.
Fipp, you can look at the stats he has done in the past ten years as a coordinator. I think he has something like 18 total blocks, 12 total touchdowns.
His work is very much something that you strive for, regardless of if you work for him or don't work for him. He's one of those coordinators that's well respected throughout the league. I was just very fortunate to first get into special teams learning under him back in '14.
So, just with Fipp, you just got to be ready for anything. He's done a very good job last year in Detroit, and I have the utmost respect for him.
Q. With the Lions, what do you see? What do they do well on special teams?
MICHAEL CLAY: Just like everybody else, they play hard, they're disciplined. They have specialist out there in Jack Fox and Seibert and everything. They've got some guys on the outside that can run. It is going to be a very good test for us week 1.
But just like anybody else, we got to be ready for everything. You never know what's going to happen week 1, so we will make sure we're on top of everything and get these guys ready to go.
Q. ...challenging as a special teams coordinator once you get the 53-man roster in place, now you can zero in on who does what job as opposed to training camp or summer?
MICHAEL CLAY: In terms of our team, correct?
Q. Yeah.
MICHAEL CLAY: Okay. Not too much, because during training camp, in the practices, you really get to see other guys in this different spots and what they're most comfortable with.
Probably after the first week you kind of understand, this is the role this guy will have and try to get him as confident as possible in that role if they do make the 53.
To the guys that made the 53, we're raring to go and just want to get out there come tomorrow and practice and make sure we start off with a good note come practice tomorrow.
Q. Punt return candidates, it's clear whoever it is, it's not a full time returner in the NFL before. At least on punts. What made you confident and comfortable to go into the season that way?
MICHAEL CLAY: Sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles. It's also the practice habits. There are times out there where you guys see it or don't see it, when they're catching ball off a live leg or off the jugs right there. Aaron Moorehead does a great job with the returners back there. Say it's a punt day, but he's back there with returners, coaching them up, getting them confident enough to win with their feet, catching high hands and everything.
It's a group effort, but it comes down to me making that decision with Howie and Nick and talking through it. We're trying to have the best 11 out there to give our team the best advantage to win come Sunday.
Q. When you look at the kickoff coverage, how do you think it's improved from last year?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, kickoff coverage, we just -- in terms of improvement, we don't want to have the ebbs and flows. For example, we came out in the New Orleans game and we did a really good job with that.
Then say we came out the next week and give up a big one right there. It's the confidence to get consistent coverage down there with our players, and just working the fundamentals.
A lot of the times when it comes to special teams, yes, you can game plan a lot, but comes down to special teams fundamentals. Hey, let's fall back on this, whether it's a technique here and there to make the returners stop or make them go east and west so everybody can get down there.
So it's just refining those techniques, and that's on me to go back and see why there were some leaks in our coverage last year. How can we get better. That's on me to get these guys going with drills during training camp and OTAs.
Once again, it's all about a mindset when it comes to special teams. When we kick the ball off and if they want to return it from nine deep, we got make sure we're down there to give our defense a longer field, because in turn that will give our offense a shorter field right there.
Q. What's Blankenship's upside on special teams?
MICHAEL CLAY: With Reed, he comes in every day, you know, ready to work. He's like, he wants to work. Wants to get a lot of information in terms of why they do this on special teams, and he's done a great job with it.
Just like everybody else on the roster, you know, competition breeds greatness, so he's competing every day with everyone else and he's done a great job in terms of understanding. Because he didn't do a lot of special teams at Middle Tennessee State, but he's done a great job so far taking command when he played the PP, going down there on kickoff coverage especially in those joint practices.
It's always cool to see a young guy keep growing and getting better each day.
Q. Same thing and Nakobe Dean. Didn't play a lot of special teams in Georgia. How has he adjusted?
MICHAEL CLAY: Done a great job. Nakobe is just a very good football player. When you have good football players, they'll catch up on things quick regardless if they played it in college or not.
He's got a good room to learn from. TJ Edwards, he came in undrafted free agent and did a heck of a job playing special teams and he earned his right to play some defense.
Shaun Bradley who has come in as a late-round draft pick. Just getting tidbits here and there from them is always going to help Nakobe. He's a student of the game. The guy is super smart, so you tell him one thing he's going to take it to heart every time and probably won't make that mistake if he does make a mistake?
Q. What's the outlook Devon Allen?
MICHAEL CLAY: Just like everybody else, you try to get them ready for whatever it is. Kudos to Devon. You take six years off anything it's going to be a little rusty. He came in every day, got better every day, made some plays out there when we gave him the opportunities.
So it's him keeping the confidence going and just coaching him every day, regardless if he's on practice squad or not. Giving him the opportunity. Hey, we get some extra reps after practice, regardless if it's a returner gunner, blocking-wise, something like that.
So for Devon to come in six years out and having the traits he has and making a couple plays, it's very exciting to at least keep working with him and try to keep him growing to understand the whole special teams aspect.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports