Danny Crossman – September 5, 2024
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Thursday, September 5, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(You guys have had some success with that, I don’t know what you call it, the squib kick. Where do you see all of this going? Is everybody going to show their cards this week?) – “I think that it’s going to take a couple weeks to really know what’s going on when you look around the league. From the preseason, some teams did very little, some teams did a lot on both sides of it, in the return aspect along with the kickoff aspect. So I think it’s going to take a couple weeks till you really get a feel on where it really is going to go. As I’ve said all along, I think it could be an exciting deal if people play it that way; it could be a lot of the same old if people choose to play it that way. I think there are going to be spots in the game where there are going to be decisions to make, which is all part of the fun of this thing.”
(There are some people in this room who think this is going to be nothing but touchbacks this year. Is that…) – “I think you’ll see some teams possibly doing that. I think you’ll see everybody around the league choosing their spots based on the numbers and where the numbers go. After the preseason, the numbers were a yard and a half difference, but the percentages of returns beyond the 30 (-yard line) were over 40 percent. So you take those numbers, you tie them together and you’ve got to make some decisions.”
(I’m not asking who your punt returner is, but what are the qualities that you look for in a punt returner and why was WR Malik Washington used in that position in preseason?) – “He’s a guy when we drafted him had a history in the return game, as a guy who was available throughout a lot of the preseason games to give him those opportunity and then seeing if you can build on the success. You want to make sure that it wasn’t a one-stop deal. You don’t ever want to make decisions too early, so we gave him plenty of opportunities and he took advantage of them, really did a nice job. What we’re looking for, ball security and decision making. If you start with those two aspects, you’re going to be in good shape, and then youre looking for the other stuff – the ability to make people miss, the ability to have an explosive play. But ball security and decision making is where it all starts in the return game.”
(Decision making is when to catch the ball, what part of…?) – “When to, when not to, what you’re showing, what you’re not showing, disguise looks, alignment and to be able to get to the ball wherever it is on the field. So all those things of the game before it’s even ever in your hand are just important as what you do once the ball is in your hands.”
(How much intrigue is there for tonight’s game, Friday night’s game just to watch that aspect, the new kickoff and how it works out?) – “The intrigue is high, and it’s really going to be high for, like I said, the first month, month-and-a-half in my opinion because I think it’s still going to be a learning curve. I think we learned a little bit in the preseason, but as I said, certain teams approached it differently which is everybody’s prerogative. So I think now once we get into the regular season where it truly does matter in terms of wins and losses, I think you’re going to get a little bit better idea of where this thing is going and may go.”
(Has it changed the body type that youre looking for on the special teams units to I guess maybe lean towards more linebackers, edge rushers, tight ends?) – “I think the elimination of the space has made it a viable option where you can see bigger bodies. Now where that goes, you’re not having to cover that 45 or 50 yards of space before that play really develops. The play is – you’re already down the field, so some of the spatial activity being out of the game could lead that way, but it will be interesting what teams do, and it’s how everybody’s roster is built and what you have available.”
(K Jason Sanders has made seven of his last 10 kicks from 50 yards or more. Has your confidence level in K Jason Sanders’ distance range been proven to increase in the last year?) – “Not really, I’ve always had – you guys are well aware, I’ve always had very, very high confidence in Jason (Sanders). The leg strength with Jason is never anything I’ve been concerned with; obviously being able to put it between the sticks is the only thing that matters, I don’t care how long you kick it. But really feel good about where Jason is and along with the rest of the specialists, but Jason has had an outstanding camp. Again, we chart and see every single practice the kicks he has, and really like where he’s at right now going into the season.”
(You mentioned ball security in relation to WR Malik Washington early on. Given that he’s a rookie specially, I would ask you how confident are you in his ball security skills?) – “If we put somebody out on the field, we feel very strongly that we’re – you’re putting the ball in anybody’s hands, you’re putting the team and our fortunes in their hands. So anybody that’s going to be on the field, we feel good about them being in that position and being able to handle the football.”
(WR Devin Duvernay is a guy who’s burned you guys in the past. What makes him special and what do you need to do to contain him?) – “I think it all starts with he’s got outstanding speed, so if you give him any kind of crack, he’s got the ability to hit the home run. But to go back, we started the whole process – what he does as a returner, he makes good decisions, he doesn’t take unnecessary chances, he’s going to play to the team but then when he does have those opportunities, he’s a super talented football player that can score from anywhere on the field.”
(P Jake Bailey was not challenged in training camp. What did you learn about him last year in your first year working with him that you like so much?) – “I think the biggest thing with Jake (Bailey) is the combination of when you play the previous team he was on twice a year, you end up seeing every single game they play. So knowing what Jake was before he got here and then just to be able to work with him on a daily basis just reinforced a lot of things that you saw him being able to do in the games, works well with the group, really good with Blake (Ferguson) and Jason (Sanders) in terms of their camaraderie and how they work and communicate with one another. All three of those guys, couldn’t be happier with where they are at right now as we enter the season.”
(What percentage of the game day elevations for practice squad last year, without looking it up, would you guess those guys participated in special teams?) – “I couldn’t give you a number, because it was – based on position, it varied based on what we elevated or added guys for. Some guys we added more for what we had to get defensively, some of them based on what we had to get offensively and some of them based on what we needed to get from the kicking game. So if you’re a late call up, unless you’re a lineman, usually we’re going to have to have something where you can do because if we’re going to lose one of those positions, we’ve got to have somebody that can fill one of those roles or several of those roles.”
(Did General Manager Chris Grier consult you on the WR Grant DuBose pick up off waivers? What was your assessment of what kind special teams player he was in the preseason with Green Bay?) – “Every guy that we talk about – we get a list of guys and you go back and look at what they’ve done and their history, both in the National Football League and some guys in college if they have limited production or limited play time in the National Football League. But he’s a talented young player, and any time you have the chance to add talented young guys, especially at those positions when he gives us some things that we don’t have throughout the rest of that room, it was an exciting get. We’re glad we have him.”
(I’ve always wondered this question. How many core guys do you think you need? Like when they’re putting together the 53-man roster, do you say, “Hey, I need these guys to make my unit strong?”) – “Those conversations happen throughout the league and how teams develop and build their roster, every team is a little bit different based on the general managers, the head coaches, what you’re looking for. So there’s always those ongoing discussions, not only at the end of the season, at the beginning of the season, throughout free agency, the draft – you have 39 roles. You take away the kicker, the punter, the snapper and the return player, on the big four phases – kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return – you’ve got to fill 39 roles. So there’s 39 positions that you have to fill, so you’ve got to have the bodies on game day to be able to fill 39 spots. So some teams you’ll see they may have six DBs active and they have three guys playing all four of those phases. You may have another team where you may have five running backs active but you have three of those guys playing 10 to 12 of those roles. So as long as you fill those roles, they can come from anywhere on the roster. Obviously, certain spots are going to be filled better by certain type individuals, i.e., speed and or size.”
(Crazy question about the field. You guys have a multi-use field – UM plays on Saturday before you play on Sunday. Do you guys as special teamers take a walk over the field and look for divots and things like that pregame? Is that a factor and is that important?) – “Of course it’s important and that’s every field, no matter where we’re playing. Some teams are single use and the field is in great shape; other teams are single use and the field can have some issues, but that’s something you’re always looking for. Especially on the hashmarks for the kickers in terms of when we’re hitting field goals and even sometimes for the snapper of what the length of the grass and some of the holes you’ll find there, but that’s something we do on a weekly basis.”
