Transcripts

Search Transcripts
Danny Crossman – October 26, 2023

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman

(WR Braxton Berrios had a really good return game on Sunday. Can you tell us what that did for the offense? I think on his returns, the worst starting field position was from the 27, if I’m not mistaken. How did that help the offense and the team?) – “Obviously field position is always critical. Every yard, as we saw in that game, in each phase, yards are so important. You look at their tush push and being able to convert on fourth-and-ones. I always look at it, when you talk about one yard, I don’t care what aspect and where it is. Every yard is important. So obviously, the better field position we can give them, the better off we’re going to be. Fortunately, the offense has been explosive most of the year. When you have that, it’s not as big of a factor. But in a game like that, I thought it was important.”

(You said last time – actually before the Patriots game – that they’re one of the few teams that actually go out and – basically, they scout and pick special teams players. Is that unique in the league? How many teams do that?) – “Not a lot. Not a lot. When you look at their roster – and it’s funny when we just went over it with the guys – you look at their punt team. They just got (Cody) Davis back off of short-term IR but every other guy has been the exact same guy at the exact same position on every play. So they have those guys that their only role, and you look at it after each game, they’re there to play in the kicking game and play in the kicking game only and excel at it. Which is why, for as long as I can remember, they’ve been very good in the kicking game because number one, they’ve got a head coach with special teams experience, they’ve got three very good coaches coaching special teams and then they go get really good players. So it’s a good place to start.”

(So that’s the only place they play, on special teams, a lot of those guys?) – “Yeah, you look at like a Chris Board and (Matthew) Slater and (Brenden) Schooler and (Cody) Davis, those guys are there to excel in the kicking game. They’ve got the right guys because they’re all very, very good players.”

(Just out of curiosity, I’m wondering how many players are in your special teams meetings? Because DT Christian Wilkins and S Jevon Holland and LB David Long Jr., is it like 45 of the 53-man roster?) – “Throughout the course of the week, every single guy that’s on the roster, minus the quarterbacks, will be in one meeting or another. Some guys are in there every day and every meeting. Other guys are one or two days or one or two meetings, but everybody’s involved at some point in the meetings and obviously in the gameplan.”

(And that’s because guys play backup?) – “Correct. Backups, different looks on punt return, field goal, field goal rush. So every guy’s got a role somewhere.”

(I want to ask about a couple kicks. P Jake Bailey, did he just shank that one and K Jason Sanders’ opening kickoff, was that a squib or did he mis-hit it?) – “Yeah, we had a mis-hit on the kickoff and then Jake’s just lost a little bit with the nose. So those things happen. Thought he did a really good job rebounding and had a real good ball in the minus and it ended up being a touchback. But we’ll take that ball every time with a 57-yarder with great hangtime and good location. Then he pinned them deep late. So he bounced back good from there, as did Jason with the kickoffs.”

(WR Braxton Berrios’ kickoff returns, did Philly want him to return them or were they kicking errors or a designed play?) – “Well, I think when you go back and look at that game, I think both teams kicking in that direction, every ball that went in that direction ended up being in play. So I think that maybe the wind had a little bit to do with some of those kicks based on distance and or where they hung and where they landed.”

Search Transcripts

Weekly Archives