Michael Clay

Q. It looked like WR Darius Cooper got those first team reps on pickup return. What do you think he can potentially add to that group? (John McMullen)

Michael Clay: I think for this whole training camp, just for everybody, finding out what they can do to help this team out. Darius is coming from a smaller school in Tarleton State. Everything’s kind of new to him, so the more you can do, obviously, in the NFL is going to help you in your career. So, we’re just piecing it together to see what he can do and see how he can help this team.

Q. How has WR Darius Cooper looked in those special teams reps he’s gotten? (EJ Smith)

Michael Clay: I mean he keeps improving. Like I said, every day is kind of a new day for him in terms of the special teams world, but he is taking it on himself. One, he is just a great human being, and second, he is very coachable, which is a lot of these guys. He is trying to get better each and every day just like anybody else will be, whether you’re a seven-year veteran or a rookie playing special teams for the first time.

Q. Can you take us into that process a little bit when you have a new player, how you determine what they’ve done in their past and what they can do in the future? (Dave Zangaro)

Michael Clay: I kind of put it together for everybody. Everyone, once they get into special teams, they’ve got a clean slate with me. What can you do? How can you help this team? That’s my job to see where you’re at. Almost like a litmus test of how far I can advance you in so much time. With practice, you only get a certain amount of reps from special teams, but all I ask for from these guys, whether they’re a rookie or a veteran, is to come out here with an open mind and just relearn the things they know. Then, just kind of perfect their craft as they get going, and hopefully, as they keep going and are getting more used to the special teams world, it comes a little bit easier to them. Now they can branch out and not think so much when they’re playing and play at a faster rate.

Q. Is there a competition at long snapper? (Jeff McLane)

Michael Clay: No, [LS] Charley [Hughlett] will be out there.

Q. So, LS Christian Johnstone is here just to– (Jeff McLane)

Michael Clay: Yeah, no, I’m sure it got released today. It was more just for him to take a couple of those for Charley.

Q. So, that punt return WR Ainias Smith had 54 yards, I think it was. Did you have a return called on that or how much of that was him just making a play? (Ed Kracz)

Michael Clay: It was a great move by Ainias out there. We have our base calls that we go out there for special teams in the punt return world. You saw Ainias did a good job of pressing vertically for the first six yards. Then he got back out, then he made a heck of a one cut off that right side to get past 32; I think it was [Bengals RB Gary] Brightwell off Cincinnati. Then it was all him right there, but a lot of it– as much of a great return that Ainias had, [RB] Keilan Robinson did a heck of a job on the outside. Then once it got to the return, he almost took a charge from basketball and took out half the coverage player. So, as great as it was for Ainias, he can’t get a return started without the other 10 guys in front of him.

Q. What was the thought process behind P Braden Mann kick there and K Jake Elliott hold? (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: You just never know what’s going to happen in the NFL. Whether we’ve been around here where– I think it was 2022, Jake got ran into in the Jacksonville game, that rainy game, and hurt his ankle. Like you don’t want to be at the mercy of where you can’t hit a PAT. It’s more of that that’s what the beauty of preseason is. You’re trying stuff out to make sure you have a contingency plan for things that may arise.

Q. Was that the same with DB Cooper DeJean holding [in practice]? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: Always got to have an emergency holder. You never know what’s going to happen. It happened again in ’22 against the Giants. You saw [former Eagles WR Britain] Covey was out there as our holder when [former Eagles P] Arryn [Siposs] went out with an injury. So, it’s on us as coaches to think of all the bad things that can happen and that usually sticks with you more than not, but we always have a contingency plan. You probably saw [TE] Grant Calcaterra was in there snapping as well. You never know what’s going to happen.

Q. Last time we talked to you, WR Avery Williams wasn’t getting many punt return reps, now he’s back there quite a bit. What’s sort of the linchpin to start there? (John McMullen)

Michael Clay: Yeah, it just depends on what our emphasis on the day was. When it’s a punt day, it’s a punt day. It gets these younger guys, [WR] Taylor Morin, [WR] Giles Jackson, their opportunity to get their punt return reps. When it’s a punt return day, you get Avery out there, now he’s working with return. So, a lot of the stuff is kind of just based on what our emphasis for that day is.

Q. Where are you in that position right now? (Tim McManus)

Michael Clay: The punt return? I think everyone’s competing at a high level. They’re doing a really good job. A lot of kudos I’ll give to [Wide Recievers Coach] Aaron Moorehead. When I’m having to deal with the interior with kind of the vice guys right there, he takes it upon himself to get those guys doing different drills and getting them ready.

A lot of things kind of go underrated from the outside looking in. The stats on Avery in the last game weren’t sexy, but what he did on a short punt to go up and catch it and not be at the mercy of the bounce is what Aaron does with these guys creating short punts off the jugs to go up and catch it and save us those field position yards right there.

I think all of them are doing a really good job of just embracing the different situations out there, different roles than [what] you saw in the stadium. They kind of had some live guys running at him, [WR] Jahan [Dotson], Avery being able to catch some, Ainias. So, I think they’re doing a really good job of pushing themselves and just kind of perfecting their craft.

Q. What is WR Ainias Smith doing better this year? (Bob Brookover)

Michael Clay: Kudos to him. I said the last time, he’s worked really hard in terms of his feet being a little bit faster to the catch point right there, and he’s taking it seriously. Even after practice with Braden, catching some more, just feeling the ball a little bit better. So, a lot of the credit goes to him of kind of taking on that role, what could I do better from year one to year two in terms of my return skills, and that’s just him doing the little fundamental things right, racing to the spot first, being able to tuck it and catch it first, then get vertical, then I could get to the outside.

Q. Did he have problems catching the ball? (Bob Brookover)

Michael Clay: I think a lot of it has to do with it [being] so different from that college experience where a lot of guys are rolling out the balls on the ground, where now here you get the balls in the air, but these punters are so good they can hit different types of punts. So, it’s just getting used to it. No different than when you go to college as an offensive lineman to now as a rookie, as an offensive lineman, these guys are way different in terms of their build. Same as for these punters, they’re so talented now. It takes a little bit to get used to all these different punts.

Q. [Regarding the 70-yard field goal made by Jaguars K Cam Little and Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay’s willingness to experiment during the preseason.] (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: It is probably a little bit of both depending on who your kicker is. It’s awesome to see in the preseason Cam load in that 70-yarder, then a lot of it’s predicated on where you play. Obviously, Jacksonville, tropical weather, ball’s probably going to fly a little bit. Up north here, that ball may not travel, but I think it is awesome to see the talent level that these kickers do have in terms of their leg strength. Cam Little is not the biggest guy by all means, but it just shows the precision these guys have.

Q. What makes OLB Patrick Johnson so good on special teams? (Bo Wulf)

Michael Clay: It is funny. Pat is kind of the OG guy now. We drafted him the first year I was here. He takes the coaching very well and you don’t have to tell him [things twice]. Once he hears it the first time, he’s able to understand it, conceptualize it, then he wants to grow off that. With Patrick, you never see him too flustered. Everything comes to him naturally and he is able to hold down that position. All the positions we put him in. So, we put some added stress on him, but he embraces it. He likes to have that OG mentality of like, ‘If they want me to block their best player, I’m going to take it to that point of pride that I can get it done.’

Q. With the increase in returns in the kickoffs, you took a lot more in that first preseason game. What are the differences that you’re looking for when you’re looking at a kick return versus a punt return? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: A lot of the times, you like to see those guys get downhill north and south right now. The bigger bodies are always great, but you can see a lot of the times if you’re a natural field running back, you could feel it. It almost looks like inside zone. If you look at inside zone, you’re looking gap to gap as you get going. As each gap front side closes, you’re able to wind it back to that backside A-gap. No different than this new kickoff return. Everything’s closer, so everybody’s still in hand-to-hand combat, but if you’re able to flow guys then be able to make that maneuver off that backside, it’s more of a field thing from a running back. No different than a field thing, catching a punt. But those guys getting downhill, pressing the point on the kickoff team to make a split decision I think is what you’re looking for.

Q. Are you looking at outside zone type things? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: No, it’s more of a correlation when people see special teams is more foreign. If you could correlate something to offense, to defense– and when I’m speaking to these guys on inside zone, now you’re pressing a block on kickoff coverage, it’s going to wind back but still be gap sound. So, it’s more for myself and my coaching style, how can I correlate to these guys where it hits something, a core where it could stick to them?

Q. At punt protector, that RB Will Shipley did last year and as WR Avery Williams is known, is that a position that requires skill or is it just kind of understanding the goal? (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: We look at your punt protector as you’re the captain of the unit. So you’re no different than calling the point as a center. You’ve got to make sure you know what scheme’s running, how do we want to call it, what’s going to give us the problem and how do I handle that problem in a split-second decision. So, it is a skill, but I think it just reps over time. Having Will be able to do it his entirety of his rookie year, he is just only going to get better. Avery’s been doing it the last three years, he’s only going to get better doing it. So, it’s just, ‘How many reps can I get to see different looks throughout practice to make me more comfortable in the game?’

Q. When it comes to those contingency plans, obviously P Braden Mann kicking makes some sense, but how do you find out a guy like DB Cooper DeJean can hold or a guy like TE Grant Calcaterra can snap? (Dave Zangaro)

Michael Clay: It’s almost like you do open tryouts. You talk to guys; you’re just walking around talking to guys. Guys may have done it in high school, guys may have done it in practice in college and you just kind of ask them like, ‘Hey, have you kicked before? Have you held before?’ They say, ‘Yeah,’ and you just go out there at the end of practice and you get a couple of reps, and say, ‘Yeah, this guy could do it.’

We always do ours on Thursdays during regular season. They do their contingency plans before our session, and you just feel confident with those guys going forward.