Q. You have some potential weather up at MetLife this week. It's already a tough stadium for special teams, some position players, but what do you do in a game like this when you know there might be weather on top of it?
MICHAEL CLAY: You know, the very fortunate thing is, I just finished watching the 2013 Detroit/Philadelphia game. Obviously you guys probably know about that, how that snowstorm kind of affected it.
So just going back and just kind of watching that game and just having some ideas what can potentially happen, how do you play it, things of that nature.
So just going back and trying to relate to some possible games that have had bad weather and just seeing what other teams did, other coordinators did. It's just really relying on all the features we have here in this building to just get acclimated with potential bad weather.
And for all we know, it could change two days before and it's going to be a nice winter day. But we are going to be ready for that. Just going back and just seeing some things of that nature.
Q. What you are takeaways from the special teams performance against Arizona?
MICHAEL CLAY: I thought when our number was called, I thought they about a pretty good job in terms of -- punt coverage was good, flipping the field. Brandon has doing a really good job of that. Our coverage has been doing a pretty good job. Sydney and Josh do a good job of commanding double teams and allowing guys on the interior make some plays.
You saw Rick had another big tackle for us on that first one and Patrick Johnson did a really good job on the second one, flipping the field from our 30 to their 22. I thought they did a good job.
I thought the coolest play was Eli and VanSumeren communicating, seeing something was a little different from Arizona's kickoff team and just communicating, hey, there is something happening right here. And you saw Eli was aggressive, charge the ball in the surprise onside kick.
And like I've kind said all year, we are trying to do anything to help this team in any capacity we can. And when our number is called we are going out to do it to the best of our abilities.
Q. Arizona lined up like they normally would.
MICHAEL CLAY: What really changed was at first, the first few kickoffs, they went three on the interior and two outside the numbers, and if you look at it, they went three on the outside and two on the interior.
So Ben and Eli kind of bent over there, saw that and you could see kind of on the wide, all 22, Ben is signaling to Eli, hey, it's coming this way, and Eli gets opponent top of it which is really cool to see especially out of two rookies. If you saw veteran guys do it, all right, they have seen it.
But having two guys locked in at that point of the game, go out there and make a huge play for the team is really cool to see.
Q. On your kickoffs, there was a few returns Arizona had. Was that kind of by design or is it that time of year where it's hard to get the ball?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, very similar to Miami. When you're kick to go that side of the tunnel, the wind blows it back and we've got to go cover regardless of the situation.
So did some good things. I thought we missed a couple tackles at the point of attack where we could have stopped them instead of them gaining four or five extra yards. But Kelee did a really good job on one of the returns filling from the safety spot to make the play.
But again, here in the northeast and Lincoln Financial, the wind tunnel kind of just beats the ball down a little bit.
Q. Did they know that you were reviewing that in film that week, the look of the onside kick or previous weeks' study?
MICHAEL CLAY: No, it's more just from myself, Tyler and Joe P, we are trying to get these guys ready for any situation.
Going against Jeff and San Francisco, understanding that he does do a couple fakes or surprise on side kicks, they did in 2018 versus Kansas City on their second kickoff where they did a surprise onside kick.
Just showing that film that they are capable of doing something to steal possession. Kudos to the guys in here understanding and paying attention and really believing at any point they could do something and going out there and executing that play right there.
Q. With Maddox back, you had broken down, was that special teams related?
MICHAEL CLAY: Howie and Nick do a great job with whoever they want up on game day, we are going to get anybody that we possibly can trained up to do special teams, whether it's Robey or Avonte, we are going to try to get anybody involved in any way we possibly can.
Q. If he had only three special teams snaps, for Robe, is there a role for him on special teams if needed?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, if needed. I think we do a pretty good job of our special teams personnel and don't really want to try and mess that up. But when Avonte or Robe are needed, they are willing to do whatever we asked them to do in their capacity, and we are not going to put them in a role they are not familiar with or ready for. That would be a disservice to them.
Everybody on this team has a role in my eyes on special teams and to play at a high ability. So whether that situation comes up, whether it's d-stay, punt return, kickoff return, being a safety, we'll train them up and be ready to put them in there just in case their number is called.
Q. There was a little wind from right-to-left in that last game, what was the distance you were comfortable with heading that direction?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, we always have kind of a set number, what we feel comfortable with but I think I've said it multiple times, when Coach Sirianni says feel (ph), goes up, feel (ph), goes up (ph), and we're ready for that and that's just a conversation we have pregame, throughout the game, Jac goes out at the flip of the quarter, feels the wind, sometimes that wind flips. But at that situation and at that point, we felt confident if our number was called to go out there and make a kick at whatever distance it was.
Q. You were around the young guys on the team probably as much as anybody on offense and defense. A lot of these guys have not been through a challenging stretch like this in their careers, playing at big-time programs. What do you to make sure they stay engaged and locked in and don't let the situation get to them I guess?
MICHAEL CLAY: I guess personally for myself, you never want to be a different person regardless of the situation. You could have a high of a high you change or a low of a low if you change. I try to stay as even keel, and I'm more of a glass-half-full guy more than anything else and just saying that course for myself personally.
But again, I've been fortunate enough where I've gone through a season where you win the first game of the regular season and you don't win your next one till Week 15.
So putting -- everything has got to be viewed in perspective. But to allow them to hear that type of, not story, but experience, and be in the situation we are right now, it kind of opens up their eyes a little bit. Like hey, we have an opportunity to keep playing at a high level and try to help this team if we possibly can and they have done a really good job of that through the first 16 weeks or however weeks we've played thus far.
But again it's having them understand and having a confidence, like this is the game plan, if we execute this, everything is going to fall in place like we wanted it to. So just keeping them confident and going against a very, you know, good team every week. It doesn't matter the record. Special teams, it's ebbs and flows, roller coaster-type of unit. But they have done a really good job of just playing consistently when their number is called, going out there and executing some stuff that we really like.
And there are some times when we have been flawed at and we have to get better at that going forward. We still have a couple games at least guaranteed to play.
So it doesn't matter the week, when, whether late September or early January, just to keep the confidence of these guys going, especially the young guys. This is a long season for them. They have never played as many games as they possibly have to date and so just keeping it fresh and keeping it simple for them.
Q. (Sydney) had a pretty big role in special teams all year, what was your reaction to the 99-yard interception?
MICHAEL CLAY: Man, picking him up and put him down on that sideline, that's what I saw, him going 99 yards, that's awesome. For a guy that, you know, third round draft pick, playing a lot of special teams and mixing into that defensive role, just nothing but excitement for him.
To get his first NFL career touchdown, to give us two score lead I believe at that point was awesome. It's funny, like he's on the -- he's gasping for air, and he's like, "I've got to get on kickoff."
I've got you on this one. We'll give you one break to get good your air back and get ready for defense. It's awesome to see a young guy like that make a big play.
Q. How much has Gunner improved the Giants return game, does he remind you at all of anyone?
MICHAEL CLAY: Gunner has done doing this for a long time. I remember at New England he was a tough, tough runner. You saw in the L.A. game, there are six or seven guys that have him tackled and he spins out of it and goes for 94 yards.
It's going to be a challenge for us regardless of the weather. This guy is a really good returner. Great contact balance. He's aggressive, fearless. When you find returners that are fearless, you've got to be ready. You've got to bring your feet and you have to be able to wrap up.
In the game the couple weeks ago, I thought we did a great job of wrapping up and corralling him. But it's a new week, and Gunner does an unbelievable job for T-Mac and that Giants unit. And with that the 94-yard return that unit is going to be pretty gassed up and confident going forward.
So we've got our work cut out from a punt team standpoint and a kickoff standpoint. They have not had a lot of returns from their kickoff return. But we've got to know, this guy is dangerous. He does have a couple touchdowns in his career, both punt return and kickoff return, so we have to be ready to go against this guy.
Q. You mentioned being consistent and even keel. When do you know that urgency is required and necessary?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think urgency is always required in the NFL because anybody could get -- you could be starting one game and you could be cut the next game. I don't think that needs to come from myself. I think everybody knows this business is production based. The urgency has to be there 24/7. You can't be relaxed or take a play off because that's how you lose and that's how you get whooped right there being non-urgent.
So I don't think I need to tell them that. I think they feel it through the film that we show, the way we practice, I think the urgency has been there regardless but these guys are grown men. They know they have to put food on the table and earn their paycheck. So I think the urgency's always been there.
Q. Nick said he didn't know the onside kick was coming after the game, not that you knew it was coming, but timing and stuff like that, in the moment, do you put it in the guys's ears that that could be a possibility?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think it's every time I go out there and get the kickoff return, I always tell them a few notes before they go out there and one of them is always see the ball kicked. You can't be leaving early. Guys are upstairs looking. If these guys are leaving early, we could probably get another possession. I always try to leave them with a couple tidbits, see the ball kick, sprint back.
So I thought Eli and Ben did an unbelievable job of saying true to their technique. I think it's one of our things we present to ream in our rookie mini-camp for our kickoff return unit that we have these set rules that will never be changed and I thought they did a good job of staying true to themselves.
Q. How has Nick Sirianni handled the adversity over the last few weeks?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think he's gone a really good job of just keeping everything in perspective, keeping everybody accountable nor building. I can't say enough good things about Coach Sirianni. He has been doing an unbelievable job just trusting and having confidence in all of us to do our job at a high level.
So I think he's done an unbelievable job of just keeping everything going and we've got one more game in the regular season to put our best foot forward and then get ready for whatever opponent we have next.
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