Michael Clay, the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams coordinator, discussed how constant rule changes in the NFL have made adaptability a key part of his job. Speaking at the NovaCare Complex during his weekly press conference, Clay reflected on how special teams play has evolved over time.
“I think that’s the beauty of special teams. When you get in on it as a special teams coach, you’ve always got to kind of evolve with the situations,” Clay said. “When I first got in the league, you were able to move around, motion around, put in pods on your kickoff unit, and there was that dead period where teams were kicking it out of the end zone for a touchback.
“Now, you see the uptick on returns, more than 75 percent of kickoffs are returned, so it helps as a coach to be creative and help your guys out. For the players, especially those who are four-core special teamers, it helps give them more play time, more tackles, more stats that are going to help them lengthen their careers. Go out there and make plays on special teams. There are opportunities.”
Clay noted that changes such as moving extra points back to the 15-yard line and recent adjustments to kickoff rules have led to new strategies across the league. He pointed out recent examples from other NFL games where these rule changes had significant impacts: under new rules this season, a kickoff recovered by Seattle resulted in a touchdown against Pittsburgh—something not possible before—and New England’s Antonio Gibson scored on a 90-yard kickoff return.
Reviewing his own unit’s performance through two games this season, Clay acknowledged both successes and areas for improvement.
“I think our effort and our physicality, especially with the coverage units, has been outstanding and we have to keep that up. Some fundamental things we have to clean up in the coverage lane aspect. We gave up too many yards last week (to Kansas City) on punt coverage,” he said. “We’ve added some players like Josh Uche, Patrick Johnson. Sydney Brown has been outstanding. Kylen Granson is doing a great job. Always looking to clean things up.
“And our kicking game has been outstanding. Really pleased there. We always want more, we think we’re close in the return game, we made some strides last week, and we’re going to keep working on it.”
Placekicker Jake Elliott remains perfect from beyond 50 yards this season (3-for-3), while punter Braden Mann ranks fifth in gross average yards per punt at 52.5 and seventh in net average at 44.8 yards; three of his eight punts have landed inside opponents’ 20-yard line.
Clay emphasized that improvement is an ongoing process: “You’re always working to get better and to evolve, to be ready for the unexpected,” he said. “Everyone in the league is still figuring it out. We are no different. That’s what makes it fun and challenging and I love that. Our focus is on the Rams. We know how big every play is.”
With upcoming opponents like the Los Angeles Rams known for strong special teams units themselves, Clay stressed preparation as essential for continued progress this season.
