Michael Clay

Q. What’s your confidence level with WR Makai Lemon being back there for punts? (Reuben Frank)

Michael Clay: We’ve been able to work with Makai the last — obviously, in the spring before he got dinged up a little bit. Then, at the latter part of training camp. He’s been diligent in working out, catching a ton of footballs after practice, after he gets his work with the offense. I’m always going to have confidence in the work that they put and the work that I see [from] them going in. It’s not just Makai. I see [DB] Cooper DeJean out there. Smitty [WR DeVonta Smith] came back last week and proved to himself that he could still do it out there. There’s plenty of opportunities for Makai to catch and learn from some guys that have caught in this league.

Q. How did putting QB Cole Payton in punt coverage kind of come about and what did you think of it? Is that kind of the plan going forward for him? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: Cole, a superb athlete. He played a little teams at North Dakota State, and I’ve always been a big component in terms of, I’ll use any help I possibly can. He has the ability, he’s smart, a bigger cat that was able to go out there and he did a really good job. [We] kind of sprung it on the guy in a week, but he didn’t blink an eye. We met with him prior to any meetings. He didn’t miss any quarterback meetings, and he did a great job going out there. It’s just evolving him to be the best football player instead of just the best quarterback. He could be a pretty good football player in general.

Q. Obviously, this organization really values that position whenever it’s putting them in a position of tackling. Is that a conversation or how does that conversation go? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: There’s no stone unturned in terms of the risk-reward to everything, but as long as everybody’s on the same page around here, which we are, you go out there and you put your best foot forward and you put some good film out there. I thought Cole did a good job.

Q. Michael, how difficult is it to have all your units set for an opener when the summer is so many different combinations? (Merrill Reese)

Michael Clay: That’s the beauty of being a special teams coach. You get to work with everybody, you try to mold everybody, you try to think in your own mind who can possibly be on your 53, who could be on your possible 70 with the practice squad. At the end of the day, you’re able to put the best 11 out there, and it may be a surprise to some people of who’s out there, who’s not out there. We’re always thinking, who’s the best 11 each snap on special teams that’s going to give this team an opportunity to win and help the offense and defense in a field position?

Q. On the depth chart sent out, RB Tank Bigsby was an option at kickoff returner. You had mixed results last year there. How is he different this year with the full summer working at it? (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: I think Tank — He’s never faltered by it. Last year, I think it was just a lot of it falls on myself more than Tank. Tank’s going to go out there and do everything he can for the team. Don’t get that misconstrued or twisted. He’s going to do whatever he [can]. I did a poor job as a coach in instilling the full confidence, just in terms of bad things happen, how do you respond to it? I did a poor job as a coach of just taking him under my wing and having this confidence with them. That’s on me. That has nothing to do with Tank. I love being around Tank. He’s been a ball of energy. He’s going to do whatever he can. Obviously, you guys see on offense, he’s going down the field every time trying to get a block.

When the ball’s in his hands, get your popcorn ready. It’s great to watch him do all that. And you spend a little bit more time cultivating a relationship with him, talking with him. I think Tank’s going to have a good season on offense, and I think he’s going to help out this team on special teams as much as he possibly can. We’re looking forward to it.

Q. The question there though is you got him after week one last year, right? So, you didn’t get the full offseason with him. Is there a different understanding you have of him and familiarity he has with you now that you’ve had the full offseason? (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: As with anything, you spend a whole offseason and you get to know the person a little bit better, better familiarity, things that we all can work on, things that he obviously excels at. Just having that whole spring and summer is just going to help out the relationship more than anything else and help the player-to-coach relationship be even higher than it was last year.

Q. Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman said that he owes you one after former Eagles TE Cameron Latu got claimed. Where does that one rank in terms of the ones that sting for you? (Tim McManus)

Michael Clay: I don’t think anything really stings for me. That’s the life you choose when you are a special teams coach. You may not know who you have until Saturday night before the game, but that’s my job to be ready for anything that does happen. We’ve lost a whole bunch of good players to unfortunate scenarios where we have a good team and you lose good players when you have a really good roster. That’s nothing to dwell on or be sad about. It’s not like that may be even an issue [because], in the world today, something bad happens to you and you take your ball and go home. You [tell] yourself, ‘All right, next man up. Let’s find a way to get it done and put the best 11 out there.’ I’m more proud of Cam Latu being able to get picked up and play and be a big role for him.

Everybody talks about the bad. Let’s talk about the good, the positive. Cam had the ability to go to another team, get put on a 53-man roster, and he made a huge play on that first kickoff last night. It has nothing to do with me. I just try to help them out as much as I can. Cam had the opportunity to excel in special teams, and he’s rewarded with it. That’s good for him. I’ve known Howie now for eight years, and I’m not worried about an ‘I owe you’ or anything like that. He does a great job with the roster. I’m going to put the best 11 out there and we’re going to go against a good Washington Commanders special teams unit. It’s going to be a dog fight, but we’re ready for it.

Q. Is TE Eli Stowers, who never did special teams in college, ready to contribute? (Jeff McLane)

Michael Clay: Yeah. May not have played in college, but it is football. He played tight end. He knows how to block. He knows how to run. A lot of special teams units, you use your athletic ability to your advantage and he progressively got better as the training camp went on. It’s shell shock for a lot of rookies who are playing against grown men here in terms of the physicality. I think Eli — He’s diligent in meetings, he asks questions, he asks to keep on him. I think Eli’s going to have a very good career, both as a tight end and he’s going to help out this team special teams-wise as much as he possibly can. I’m always looking forward to anybody I could work with regardless of if they’ve played any, if they didn’t play any, first time playing football. That’s the beauty of coaching.

Q. In year four of his career, how have you seen CB Kelee Ringo embrace the special teams role that he has? (Johnny McGonigal)

Michael Clay: I think especially this year, the coolest part is seeing him take that leadership role. Obviously, he was able to come in as a rookie and he played well on special teams as a gunner and a vise guy. Then, being able to be partnered with [former Eagles S] Sydney Brown, and everything of that nature, and be able to work hand in hand with him. Now, he’s kind of the veteran out there in the gunner room, the vise room, and he’s played enough football to have that role.

I kind of challenged him in the spring. It was during OTAs, and he was the second man up in one of the drills and I challenged him like, ‘You should be the leader of this. I should see you every time. You’re the first man up.’ He took that to heart and he’s been great with that. His communication with some of the younger guys, [CB] Mac [McWilliams] on the outside, he does a very good job excelling in the vise and the gunner role. We’re going to put a lot on his plate, but I think he’s embracing that role to take his game to a whole other level special teams-wise.

Q. I know K Jake Elliott and P Braden Mann are veterans, but how valuable was the preseason experience, especially getting to work with a new member of the operation with LS Rocco Underwood out there and just establishing a sense of consistency? (Olivia Reiner)

Michael Clay: I love preseason for these young guys because you’re able to show them the intensity’s ratcheted up even more from practice. Obviously, I try to create an environment where it’s intensified as much as I possibly can, but when you go against somebody else [who] has a different color jersey, that intensity uptick is great, [along with] being able to get into a flow, what Jake likes, what Braden likes, for warmups in terms of getting ready for a punt, getting ready for a field goal, getting into a routine. All these are invaluable moments for Rocco and I think he’s taken it in stride. If you ask Braden and Jake, they think he’s done a really good job as a rookie taking it in stride and getting better as a professional each and every day, which is pretty cool to see.

Q. You had mentioned the positive of former Eagles TE Cameron Latu getting picked up. The beneficiary here was TE E.J. Jenkins being on the 53. He’s done some nice things on special teams. What do you like about him? (John McMullen)

Michael Clay: When you get a guy that’s that big and that could run and is that physical, it’s always great from a special teams standpoint. We try to keep it as simple as possible so they can just have one idea and then they get to go. I think it gets lost in translation a little bit. E.J. started three of the four special teams [units] for us in the Super Bowl, and he was the opposite wing of [DT] Jordan Davis in the Super Bowl. It’s not his first rodeo. I mean, he played on the biggest stage for us, and he did a really good job with that. Now, he’s one of the veteran guys in the tight end room that has seen a lot of football, and we’re going to rely on him a lot to be a core four player for us and help in any way possible. A guy that big and that strong is always going to bring some value from a special teams standpoint.

Q. What’s top of mind for you when it comes to this Washington Commander’s special teams unit? (Tim McManus)

Michael Clay: It starts with the top. [Commanders Special Teams Coordinator] Larry [Izzo] is a great special teams player in his own right, and his special teams play like he [did] as a player. I think he had over 250 tackles in 200 games as a special teams player. Guys that have that mentality, their units are going to feed off of it.

[Commanders S] Tyler Owens and [Commanders S] Percy Butler on the outside are a heck of a tandem from a gunner’s perspective, vise perspective. They are uber aggressive in terms of their rush scheme, which is going to be a challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and it’s going to be a physical game. The biggest thing when you play in the NFC East, every game is physical. Not every game is going to be a blowout or a high scoring game. It’s going to be physical. We have to have a great day today and our longer Thursday practice, [and] be really in tune with our walkthrough tomorrow so that we’re ready on Sunday at 4:25 to play against a very good Washington Commanders special teams.

Q. Does C/G Willie Lampkin’s unique frame give you opportunities to use him differently than you would other offensive linemen? (Dave Zangaro)

Michael Clay: Everybody’s not made the same, but you have different qualities that I’m able to use. Jordan Davis and [T] Jordan Mailata on field goal, that’s a pretty good edge to have right there. Vice versa with Willie, a guy that has that type of mobility, but still an offensive lineman, and he’s able to put his hands on somebody and drive them, that kind of creates a new running lane and a new idea. I never want to put a player in a spot he doesn’t feel comfortable with because then he plays slow, then it’s all over the place. Once we have that rapport with Willie, which we have, and he feels confident, you can see that light turn off like, ‘Oh, this guy’s ready to go,’ we’re going to use anybody and everybody willing to help out this team [on] special teams.

Q. You guys have WR Britian Covey on the practice squad. Whether or not he’s elevated for the game, what is his value in that punt return room, especially working with a guy like WR Makai Lemon and some of the other guys who haven’t done as much? (Martin Frank)

Michael Clay: It’s like having an extra coach in that punt return room. We know Covey very well here. He catches the ball great. He understands, identifies different returns, what their personnel’s like. [We] can bounce ideas off of him. There’s nobody better than Braden [for him] to catch off, because Braden has every punt in the book. He’s able to see maybe one punt Makai’s never seen, [and] Covey could talk him through that. Also having the ability, if something happens, [to have] a known commodity that has done a really good job in the NFL in terms of returning punts for us to have him in his back pocket.

Q. Knuckleball kicks became more prevalent. How much more did you prepare for that in the offseason? What do you expect from that this year? (Brooks Kubena)

Michael Clay: There’s only a certain amount of kickers. It’s probably more prevalent in the early fall time. Los Angeles had [Arizona Cardinals K] Josh Karty, but a lot of those knuckleball kicks, they kind of mess a little bit with your field goals, and everybody cares about points when it comes to field goals. There are teams that still do it, and that’s more of us being ready and having a game plan for that. I think it kind of dies down a little bit more when it gets a little bit colder, [and the] ball doesn’t travel as well. Then you risk putting the ball at the 40-yard line. It’s a week-by-week basis. If you know the kicker has certain steps and doesn’t have that right in there, you’re able to game plan it. When there is another team that can do it, we’re game planning for them. We get all the extra work we could possibly get from either Jake servicing us or after practice hitting him a couple of knuckleballs ourselves with [Special Teams Assistant] Tyler Brown or myself. I think it’s just the more reps, the better acclimated you get to it.

Q. How did K Jake Elliott’s summer go overall compared to the last couple years? (Tim McManus)

Michael Clay: I think Jake’s summer has been, in my eyes, pretty darn good. We charted that he had three missed kicks. I think he had two in New England, one here. Outside of that, obviously in that Cincinnati game, he was able to hit what, a 55, 56-yarder, and that confidence that everybody else wants to see, but that never wavered with Jake. I see him every day when he kicks Wednesdays and Thursdays. On his off days, he’s getting treatment. Going [into] a joint practice is always great for us. It’s hard to not be confident in a guy that’s in year 10 in Philadelphia being able to get out there. I’m sure he’s more eager than anybody else to go out there and put his best foot forward.

Q. A few times today you’ve referenced leadership. In that room, there’s not a designated special teams captain this year as opposed to previous years. Who are those leaders in your room and is there a reason why there’s not that one special teams captain? (Zach Berman)

Michael Clay: The captaincy, I think it’s more for people outside of this building to yearn about. For us, it starts with your veteran guys, not just Jake Elliott, who spent 10 years here. [TE] Johnny Mundt’s a nine-year veteran that’s played some special teams. [RB] Will Shipley started as a rookie, and now he’s in year three or four for him right now, playing four core. [S] Marcus Epps, he’s a great individual to be around, a great leader to be around, eight-year career, not just on defense, but on special teams. Then you’ve got people like LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Guy had 18 tackles last year. You get young guys in here that say, ‘How do I help contribute?’ Look at Trot. Trot doesn’t say boo, but what he contributes is his leadership, his play on the field. 18 tackles is pretty darn good — [LB] Smael Mondon. The cool thing about it is the veteran guys on the field goal, field goal block, they have a voice for us as well. We know our field goal block has been an added luxury with JC [DT Jalen Carter], JD [DT Jordan Davis], [CB] Riq Woolen now who’s had a blocked kick in his career. It’s all encompassing of this team. It’s not just one guy you have to put everything on. It’s the entire team to get us to that end goal we want.