Q. How tough is it to change punters? Arryn has been here three plus years. How difficult a decision is that to make?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, any time you spend so much time with someone and created that relationship outside of the building, it's always going to be tough. Like we've all alluded to, we're just looking to every avenue to get this team to the goal we want, which is to be better each and every day.
It's always tough. You got to take the human aspect into it, but we appreciate everything Arryn has done for us. Unfortunately or fortunately, it's not our first time having to do an in-season punter change. Sip got hurt last year and Brett came in, so we're kind of well-versed in that. So having Braden in here we kind of understand... (video glitch.)
Thus far, Jake, Rick, Braden coming in, I think they did a little work yesterday, so just getting into this change will hopefully be as seamless as possible.
Q. What is it about Braden that stood out when you were evaluating the other corners?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, Braden, he's done it in this league for a few years. It's always nice knowing that he wasn't coming from a different climate being in New York. It's tough playing in the northeast in the wintertime, especially Met-Life for a punter.
So it's pretty tough, so for Braden to be able to do that and understanding these late games and everything like that, but we're excited about him. I've obviously followed him coming out of college, Texas A&M, so just very excited to work with him both as a punter and a holder.
Q. Obviously the operation with the hold is affected. How can that impact Jake Elliott? Is that something you guys talk about with him?
MICHAEL CLAY: Oh, yeah, we always value Jake's input, especially when it comes to field goals and everything of that matter.
In terms of with Braden, obviously done it before. It's pretty cool that in the off-season Jake's worked with Braden at times or just worked out together, so he's very familiar with him.
But outside of just the holder, it's always nice knowing that Rick and Jake will be able to do it. It all starts with Rick. If Rick is throwing a pearl back there every time it makes the holder's and kicker's job a lot easier. He is the catalyst for the operation, so as long as Rick stays who Rick is and be on pointe, it should be pretty seamless.
Q. Did you work out with him in terms of holding, or is it just like they're just out there on the field?
MICHAEL CLAY: Just like the off-season, guys go out and summit, or they're just out there. If someone can't be out there, they're just holding and everything like that.
Q. He's had some experience?
MICHAEL CLAY: He's had some experience just in the off-season as they get away from the building and everything like that. It's nice not having the first time them interacting be on the practice field.
Q. As far as the timing, did the mini bye, did it have any affect on it to have that little bit of an extra time to make the change?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think it helps to have that extra time. You get that extra day where the guys get more acclimated, more familiar. Braden can come in and get a crash course on the operation, stuff outside of just the holding and punishing stuff situated with Tyler. So it's nice to have that extra day.
Q. Why do it after two weeks as opposed to at the start of the season?
MICHAEL CLAY: Coach alluded to this earlier in the press conference. We came out Sip was progressing well, giving him the opportunity to do it in the regular season. Came out strong in New England. Like we talked about, just trying to -- any avenue to get this team better, we just felt like it was the right time.
Again, what Sip did for us, his contributions will never be unmatched and not taken for granted.
Q. (Regarding Covey.)
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, I mean, just having the familiarity with Covey. Obviously people are going to allude to put one on the ground against Minnesota. But it's one of those things where we never want to have the ball on the ground, but we still have full confidence in Covey to do that.
I actually just spent probably an hour and we watched every return that he's had here and talked about different situations. Went around a group and everything like that.
So just to have the confidence and Covey to do it. He still could gash you for a few yards, and you in the New England game he has that 25-yard return.
So he still can be very -- people do have to worry about him back there. It's always nice having Covey. He's a little on the quirky side with his personality, but he's great for the team.
Q. Where have you seen growth in the last year? (Indiscernible.)
MICHAEL CLAY: It's really just understanding the speed of the NFL. In college you can outrun -- you know, how everyone does the spread shield, you can outrun a lineman. That's easy.
Here in the NFL you make one horizontal move for three yards and you thought you has 15 yards and now it's six yards, now it's four yards. Him just understanding the speed of the game and understanding how can I dent the coverage, how can I get that first down for the offense.
Just understanding where we are on the ball, what type of punter we have. So just like anything else, the more time on task the better you'll get at it and the more familiar you're going to get at it.
Q. The role of a holder, how easy is it to transition? How big of a deal is it in the professional field goal setup, the role of the holder, and how important is that role and how hard is the transition or not?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, it's just like anything else, you know, in any trade. It's a specialty trade. It's not like anybody can just go out there and put the ball down. There are so many factors when it comes to kicking. If it's a perfect day or a dome, you really don't have to deal with any of the lean.
When it comes to the field goal kicker, some people like it leaning forward, some like it leaned back, to the right, to the left, it comes in -- you know, spinning the laces before the ball gets on the ground. How can I put it down as quick as possible so the kicker can see it.
So it's a very unique trade that takes a lot of time to get really goof at it. I've been fortunate enough to be around some really good holders in my career. In terms of the holder, it helps a lot to ease the mind of the kicker. Jake has been outstanding. Jake is great. Rick has been really good with it. In terms the holder he is part of the cog that makes that thing go.
Q. What have you noticed about Kelee Ringo? (Indiscernible.)
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, coach does an unbelievable job of just telling the team your role in the league or on this team. Kelee, it's just keeping that confidence of himself making plays. It's really cool to see him make a big play as a gunner. He has these tools that you really can't teach. He's fast, strong, he wants to know. He asks questions during the game.
So just keep his confidence going and keep that momentum being the best he possibly can to help this team. He's been outstanding thus far, and there is still a long way to go in terms of getting him to where we want him to go. Really good job thus far.
Q. You mentioned Braden, Met-Life Stadium. How notorious is that place among special teams circles, and what makes it so tough?
MICHAEL CLAY: Just the wind. It's coming off -- it swirls on the punters and everything, but when you go into the NFC East and AFC East you go through some battles in terms of the stadium. You get out of Met-Life and then you have to go up to Buffalo. You get that treat. Maybe it's late in December. You get the treat of Miami, which is cool. But him being able to be in the northeast, punting there, you know, it allows him to understand what he has to go through outside of if you're punting in a dome or on the west coast.
Q. What happened on the personal issues that led to the timeouts?
MICHAEL CLAY: The communication more than anything else, making sure we got 11 in and communicating all the way down, making sure there is no panic if we do have 11 out there? That just follows on me of making sure, reminding these guys it may not be reminding them on third down, it is reminding them on second down as we're driving, hey, this is a possible unit that's up and just let them know.
Q. With Jake and the 61-yarder, how is that conversation? How far out will you go. I saw they got a returner back, so you always got to be careful. It's going to be short. When do you make that decision that, all right, we can try from 61 and how far out?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, the communication starts in the pre-game warmup, how we feel, which end we would like to go. It could dictate the coin toss if we do end up winning that, which way we like.
Sometimes you don't get to dictate that. Again, goes back to communication, how Jake is feeling. If Jake's feeling good about it and it comes up to that situation like you alluded to with the returner down there, alerting the offensive lineman, hey, there is somebody down there. We got to make sure we spread the field and get them down just in case if that does fall short.
Kudos to Jake and everybody on that operation. That was a huge swing, what was it, 13-7 going into the half. And the momentum, you could see is it kind of trickled going with the defense, getting the strip sack coming out the half, so it's a thing that gets lost in the shuffle. They work on it very much in terms of the situation with offensive linemen and covering down, and I can't say enough good things about Jake. He's got ice in his veins regardless of the situation.
Q. The other night in the Patriots-Dolphins game there was a blocked field goal where Patriots (indiscernible) a running start. Is that something you see becoming more commonplace throughout the week?
MICHAEL CLAY: It all depends. It was a heck of a job schemed up by the guys in New England, with Joe and Kam and Coach Belichick, but you also got to kind of also factor in they had Jake Bailey for five years. They kind of understood what was going on, the operation and anything like that.
It goes on everybody else in terms of myself understanding what can happen to us. Maybe that's switching something up with our rhythmic and everything like that.
Kudos to them. Heck of a playing by Brandon Schooler. Him to time it up just like that and come off the edge clean, it was a heck of a play. We'll see.
Obviously it depends on who you're facing, what is your personnel. It was just a pretty cool thing to watch at least live.
Q. You said you can't say enough nice things about Jake. He had four field goals week one; his second 61-yarder in his career. I guess what kind of value do you think Jake brings to be so reliable?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think it's very valuable. Any time you get points on the board you're going to be pretty happy about it. I think it's just an added confidence for the entire team knowing when 4 trots out there, you have a pretty high probability of getting some points on the board. He doesn't let anything faze him regardless of the situation, which I really commend.
But, again, when he jogs out there you feel really good about it. It's not just him just jogging out there. He puts as much time as anybody I've been around in terms of taking care of his body, working on field goals, the operation, things of that nature. It's really cool to be around someone that calm, cool, and collected.
Q. Justin, he got it on the ground. You were talking about Britain Covey. Made a good return but Justin Evans got it out. What does that do for the coverage units and being able to make that play?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, you know, obviously I think the couple returns I've got on on we've had poor tackling, which we never want to happen. When you get into the coverage phase you turn from an offensive player in terms of blocking for the punter into a defensive players in two seconds. Just any hustle play on a coverage play could change the dynamic of the game.
When it comes to punt coverage, you got to switch your mind to a defensive player. You can have a blown coverage on defense, but if you hustle to the ball, good things usually happen. Justin did a heck of a job punching at the ball and getting the ball out, and then Nick being there to jump on in in a closed-quarter situation to at least give our offense another opportunity in the possession game.
So any time we get a turnover -- I think we've caused two fumbles the last two games, which is nice, but we also got to tighten up our coverages. That's more missed tackles more than anything else.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports