Q. Seemed like the Browns, maybe what the Giants did, in terms of getting a way to jump over and block the field goal, how do you defend that?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, obviously when you have someone of a special caliber talent as Myles Garrett, you have to be hyper-aware where he's been rushing at. I know he's been rushing on the outside, over the tackle, at the wing, at the guard.
So there is some coaching points. We'd like to get -- "rise with power" is what we say. After you get that first bump you want to rise and maybe even clip a leg of his or he falls down and comes unbalanced and he can't get there.
A lot of times we saw the Seattle/Giants game where there's a little bit of a loophole in there where you could press down on the guy without pulling him out.
But again, it's just us kind of sinking to our details, like, hey, we've got to understand situationally longer field goal is deeper, and what do they really have to lose, and knowing someone of that caliber that Myles Garrett is, he may take a shot to try to jump over you but we want to rise with power. Clip a leg; if he falls on you, you get the 15-yard penalty, if we make it or miss it, we take the extra 15.
But again, comes to our details and myself and understanding and telling these guys in what situations, hey, this is a possibility that can happen with a guy like Myles Garrett or anybody of that nature.
Q. Showing film over the middle --
MICHAEL CLAY: Showed him over the middle and going over everything and. It happened in the Indianapolis game.
Again, it's just understanding the situation when it's going to happen. Is it going to happen with 14 minutes left in the second quarter? Probably not. You're not going to rest the 15. But a 57-yarder end the half? A higher possibility of him doing that to salvage a play going into the half.
Q. The decision to clip him, was that a conversation before the game?
MICHAEL CLAY: It's always an alert. We meet with all these guys of all the different looks, rushes, different things. Denzel Ward you have to be on high alert, Myles Garrett, Shelby Harris is one of the better he's comparable to JD and JC in the A gap and B gap of getting their hands up.
So it is notifying everybody, and again it falls on me to get rid of these catastrophic plays that have happened for us. There's three really bad plays that mar some good special teams like that that we have had.
Again, when you have three catastrophic plays, those are things that do kill a season, kill a team right there. We have to make sure we get rid of those going forward against the Giants. I've got to do a better job of situationally tell the guys, high alert for this. It could be high alert for a pass rush or high alert for a jumper in a gap, things of that nature, guys moving trying to get us off-sides if it is a longer field goal.
Q. On those longer field goals, knowing the trajectory has to be lower, does that change the teaching points?
MICHAEL CLAY: I mean, you really don't want to -- you try to treat everything the same. Yes, there's a difference on how -- on the longer kick, it has to get a little bit lower to get going right there.
When you have wind, it really doesn't change that much. But again, we still want to rise with power. And we are trying to stop the yards of penetration. The more yards you get of penetration, the easier it is to get their hands up. If you stonewall them one yard off their penetration, they won't be able to get the height and jump because the ball should be high elevated at that point.
For us rising with power, stopping the initial penetration, where they can't get their hands up and create a larger defense.
Q. For clarity, the three catastrophic plays, the field goal, punt block -- Isaiah, now being kick returner?
MICHAEL CLAY: What goes into it or why?
Q. That thinking, yes.
MICHAEL CLAY: You saw his film from Indianapolis. He's dynamic and he has great speed. He has great vision. As a kickoff returner, I know we've only put him in the last couple games. The cool thing about Isaiah is he'll text every day what he wants to see off kickoff return, what he wants to off field goal block, how we are doing stuff on punt return.
So that's really cool to see he's taking the initiative, as a guy right there, thinking of different type of schemes, you know, what he saw during the play right there. For me to get that input and implement it for the other ten guys that are blocking for him to get him the one that breaks, the one that gets the momentum going for the kickoff return team. There's a couple instances where we're really one block away from creasing one. I know we had one right after the two-minute warning where are just one block away; 59 off the back side was able to get him down when -- there was a crease there from the front side and back side, kind of splitting. I just have to do a better job of getting those guys to all buy in and get that final block.
It's always one block away. Everybody says you're one block away, one thing away. We've got to make sure there's no more "one block away" and we are getting those big returns to the 35, to the 40, and now you put the team in a little bit of a bind.
Q. Cooper has been playing as a punt returner. Any discussions of him becoming a starter and replacing him at that position?
MICHAEL CLAY: Replacing like in the game or --
Q. Replacing him beforehand knowing he was going to get more snaps on defense.
MICHAEL CLAY: Cooper, you saw his film at Iowa. I think he's starting to understand and realize that the speed in the NFL is a little bit, it's far different than what it is at Iowa. I thought he did a fantastic job of tracking the ball. It was a little windy, lefty punter. He did a great job tracking it. The more times he got vertical, you saw what you can do when you get vertical. Getting that 13-yard return, the first one, kind of get his feet wet, that confidence up.
And the last one was huge, a backed-up situation, you get a 19-yard return, you give the ball to the offense at the minus 47. Shorter field for them. So I think him understanding, one, get the ball to the offense. You've got dynamic athletes, dynamic players such as -- bless you -- Saquon, A.J. Brown, DeVonta, Jalen Hurts. You get them understanding it and getting more comfortable with the ball security and everything. Because he does a great job tracking the ball. Him getting the ball security and getting north and south, he's a lot bigger than people perceive him to be. He's got some build to him where I could get it, ten, 12 yards, shoot, that's great. That's an extra first down for the offense right there, just that understanding.
And again he's just going to get better and better the more opportunities he's going to get.
Q. Inside the five, what's the coaching point on that these days? Are you okay with that or has that changed because punters are so good --
MICHAEL CLAY: It's almost, you're darned if you do, darned if you don't. If you remember last year, Tampa Bay, Covey caught one at the five and turned it into a 52-yard return. If they are close to the midfield, all right, let's take the law of averages and do that right there.
They are backed up, and he hits a 70-yard punt it's hard for them to cover that, and you may be able to get out there. It's almost a darned if you did, darned if you didn't situation.
I'm not going to fault him. Only thing I would say is get vertical and protect that ball. You get to the 15, all right, you're good, you're out of that backed up situation or for the offense.
So again, it goes game by game, punter by punter. You know, had a couple where hit a three and checked up and now the ball is at the one. So it's one of those things that goes week to week, but we have our base rules depending on where the field position is.
Q. As a coordinator what's your approach in meetings when you have these, as you call it, catastrophic events on special teams?
MICHAEL CLAY: For myself, I think I learned a lot from myself a few years back. Talking to the players, especially the specialists, they never want to see you change who you are in terms of if you are super -- super angry or some point. For example, they may think you're pressing or you know, you're feeling something.
I try to come in here every day the same person regardless and there's a lot of coaching moments. I hear from coaches that I have much respect for, Joe P, if there wasn't coaching moments, we wouldn't have jobs. There were computers telling you what to do.
When players do make mistakes you have to take it as a learning curve not just more that moment but for the rest. In the NFL, until you prove you can stop it, you're going to see it again. It's more just being able to explain to them how we want to do it, how to correct it, know it's coming and then once it comes again, it may be dormant for a couple weeks. It's going to come back until you can stop it multiple times.
It's more the teaching lessons and me being able to explain to guys differently. Some guys take different coaching. They like to get yelled at some. Guys don't like to get yelled at. It's me understanding, they are their own different person.
As long as we all collectively understand what we need to get done to be a successful program here, and again, it's five weeks in, do we want those three? Absolutely not. That falls on me. But we have, you know, 12 more opportunities to put all those aside and by the end of it, we're going -- we should be happy with what we want to put out there.
There has been some good moments. You see Coop getting 19 yards, the punt return team going. Isaiah blocking a kick. All great things. But one bad mistake on special teams is magnified and we can't have any of that.
Q. Colton Spangler, how important is it to get returners looks against left-footed punters?
MICHAEL CLAY: Yeah, there's different spinoff the wind, it's just completely 180 from what a righty is and just to see the ball off the foot for these guys so they feel comfortable.
You never want to put a guy, especially a younger cat, his first time he's seeing it is in game action. Let's see where I feel good with it. The great thing about it, when you get the JUGS, you can turn the wheels around and it gift you a lefty spin.
So the more times they are able to see it. It's funny we have seven lefty punters this season. So that's been pretty high compared to years I've been -- three of the last four are all lefty. We have to get used to it and see it. But after you see it a few times, you start getting a lot more comfortable with it.
Q. The influx of 50-yard field goal attempts and successes around the league, what do you attribute to that rise and success rate?
MICHAEL CLAY: I think you guys pointed this out after week two, 90-something percent. I think that number has dropped a little bit. There's a lot more kicks being blocked and there's a lot more missed kicks. You saw last night, there was, I think, four of them in the game.
But again, just like anything else, these athletes get better. Their technique gets better. But Mother Nature is still undefeated, and you saw there's a little wind in MetLife and the ball moved a little bit.
So as the weather starts to decline, so to say, I think those averages will start to kind of balance out. But you know, it's exciting from an outside eye, if you see a guy attempt a 65- yarder. Can he do it, can he not do it.
You want to have as much confidence as you possibly can in your kicker that they can hit a game-winner from those ranges. But again I think the law of averages will start to even out.
But just like anything else, these guys are getting good. We have to be able to adapt, get pressure and affect the kick from a field goal block standpoint.
Q. Looked like you had --
MICHAEL CLAY: On punt, Zack had been doing it at a high clip at a high level. Trot when he was in there in that Atlanta an that game, it's not like he didn't do it.
But again, just getting guys comfortable. You never want to put too much pressure on somebody and he does a great job in practice. Doesn't mean he won't be out there.
But there are guys that have seen a lot of rushes that you feel you have a comfort level with and Trot is doing an amazing job for us: Punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, he's been great.
Punt is going to be the hardest for a rookie. You go from spread to now I've got to really sort it like an offensive lineman map. He's doing a great job, and maybe at some point you will see him in there just like the Atlanta game when he went out there, had his first career tackle. Some pretty cool stuff out of Trot.
But Zack, seeing a lot of punts, knows what he's doing, and you get a high athlete like that to go make a play in coverage, is great.
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