On what he saw in the kickoff return game while self-scouting over the bye week: "The biggest thing we need to do is, I talked a little bit about it last week, is just getting the right position to enter contact in the blocks, that's sort of been our biggest problem. Even on contact entry we've got to do a better job. So we've worked at it, and tried to get the right personnel. You always want to make sure, and that's my responsibility, to make sure that you're matching the guys up with somebody they can block in space. That's part of the problem too. You can't always match up everybody perfectly, and then they make changes.
"The kickoff return is really a running play, and you've got to be in the right formation to run the play. If you're not in the right formation, if you're not in a good relationship with the ball, your chances of blocking the guy are not very good. So that's most of our problems. It's not effort or toughness. I certainly don't think it's the returner. He hasn't returned until this year. He's done a pretty good job of going up in there tough, carrying people with him for extra yards. We've just got to block better and I've got to help him to get in position to block better."
On whether the opening kickoff, whether return or coverage, can set the tone for the entire game: "It's always a tone-setter, because when you kick off, or even when you receive, you're either starting the half or somebody just scored. So you have to regain the momentum with the kickoff return, because they just scored, or you have to maintain it with the kickoff coverage, because you just scored. So you're coming off of one of those two psychological plays and then you're also starting a half with that. So I think it is important, obviously, but I think it has that significance throughout the game, in those situations."
On whether there is the possibility of using anybody else as a kickoff returner: "Well we've worked some guys back there, but you know, unless (Head Coach Andy Reid) has a different opinion, and I don't think he does. We would like to have more return yards, and we would like to have a better starting point, but we're not dissatisfied with (RB) Dion Lewis. We've got to help him more. I think he's going to, whatever little things maybe he could have taken a little more advantage of, he's going to grow into those. Right now I don't think we have anybody that's a better returner than him."
On what he sees in WR DeSean Jackson as a punt returner: "Well you know, DeSean, I've got to salute DeSean. He has been more of a pro this year; he has been more focused, and overall done a better job as a punt returner this year than last year. Now, I only had one year to gauge with him. He took a loss on one play, trying to make something happen; it was, you know, a situation we'd like to avoid. And then we tried the reverse with (CB) Dominique (Rodgers-Cromartie), and lost a couple yards.
"We haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to return. At any moment he could break out, and I think he's prepared himself to break out better this year than he has in the past. Now, couple that with his natural talent, his innate ability, I go into every game thinking we're going to break one. I just think that, because I think the situation is kind of like a thunderstorm, a lot of things have to be right, but, he has that ability to do it."
On whether the Cowboys are still dressing two kickers: "No. They did against San Francisco, but I think that was just because (Dallas K David) Buehler's got a better kickoff leg, and (San Francisco WR) Ted Ginn (Jr.), you know, can hurt you fast, and I think that's the reason they did it for that one game. Now, Buehler's been hurt. I'm not sure how healthy he is, he practiced and everything, but I think more for who they played. They may dress him against us, I don't know."
On elaborating on Jackson being a better punt returner this season: "I'm just saying I think he came into this year, I think he's more focused, and this is an observation, this is a judgment. I'm more pleased with his professionalism; I think he's grown a little bit. And I'm not comparing it to a negative, I'm just saying he's elevated his professionalism, I think he's elevated his overall, I don't want to say maturity, again, I'm not comparing it to a negative, I just think, you know, he's in a better place. We have to provide him with that opportunity for him to use that talent. I don't think it's been there for a lot of reasons.
"And again, the punter can take you out of a lot of things. It's just like a great batter. You know, he's not going to hit a homerun if the pitcher is pitching around him the whole game. And that happens to DeSean a lot. But I'm pleased with him. I'm really happy with him, and I think he's prepared himself for when the opportunity comes to really take advantage of it, and I look for that every game. When he doesn't return one in the game, a little bit I'm disappointed.
"I understand why, how. Maybe somebody missed a block, maybe I called a return that would have been more effective, maybe I planned we could keep this guy unblocked and then the guy makes a play. Our return average is not as good, our kick return average is not as good, it's one thing in our special teams that we've got to drastically improve. But in terms of DeSean, and Dion, I've got to get the guys in a little better position. And there's a little magic to making the right call at the right time, too. Even though there's a lot of balls in the air, I've experienced it before where you're clicking. They're not a bunch of calls like the offensive coordinator, or anything like that, but there's that right call about where you think that ball's going to go, and how you've got it set up, there's a little magic to that too, and it hasn't happened."
On whether Jackson gambles less this season on returns than in previous years: "Well, I haven't so much meant that with the ball in his hands on Sunday. He's done a good job of understanding the returns, he's done a good job of securing the ball, he's made good decisions, he's caught the ball, you know, it hasn't hit the ground. He did have one negative play that he lost some yardage on. I guess what I'm trying to say, I think the return yardage is down, but I don't think it's a reflection of him at all. In fact what I'm saying is I think he's a better football player in that phase. In that phase he's a better football player than he's been. If the results aren't as good it's because I'm not putting the guys in position enough, or we have to give a little bit more to blocking. But I don't think it's him at all, not even close. I think he's better, I think he's better than he has been."
On whether he expected a better touchback percentage from K Alex Henery, particularly earlier in the season when the weather has been mild: "You know, everything I'm saying probably is a little bit like 'Where is this guy coming from?' But I think he, in my mind anyway, I didn't think he would kick off as well has he's kicking off. I think the reason his touchback percentage isn't higher, because our defensive starting point after a kickoff is pretty good, it's pretty good, it's not bad. I think it's eleventh in the league, not great, but pretty good. It's because a lot of people bring the ball out against us.
"You know, he'll kick that thing seven, eight yards deep, and people have brought it out. So he doesn't necessarily get the touchback, but you know, we had a couple of games, just recently, big kicks too against Buffalo, they started at the ten yard line. Last week against Washington, once, they started at the 10-yard line. Well the kid brought it out from eight yards deep; Alex can't do anything about that. Now maybe it's a reflection people think our coverage isn't good enough that they can afford to gamble. Would I like him to kick it eight yards deep every single time? Yeah, he doesn't. He's done okay, he's done okay. Remember, one of the question marks on him, because he didn't kick off in college, he had not been a kickoff guy, and that was a perception, you know, 'Maybe this guy may not be good enough for this.' I think he has been if you see where his ball lands every time. Those two I just talked about, in almost any other situation, that's a touchback."
On whether the kickoff return yardage by opponent average misleading because so many deep kicks are being returned our of the end zone this year: "It's definitely misleading. What you have to look at is the starting point. The starting point is down, and really that's all that counts, that's all that matters, is the starting point. We had a couple of returns early in the year where we brought it out and we started at the 14 and it was a 22 yard return. It's kind of how you want to look at it. It's an okay return, but not really. So look at the overall starting point and it's down. The overall average is up. There's only one reason, they're taking it out from deeper."
On the reports that the Eagles worked out some punters this week: "Working out those guys, remember, those guys upstairs, that personnel department with Howie and all those guys, they're grinders. They're trying to procure talent. They're looking everywhere, man. You just pass there one day. You've got a bunch of guys, they don't leave that film room, and they're looking at everybody all the time. These two particular guys, there was a little bit of uniqueness about them that I think we just wanted to check, but nothing really to do with Chas. Although, I want Chas to punt better.
"There are a couple things we've got to elevate in that phase of the game as well. He should be the greatest defensive weapon we have on this team, because no play pushes them further away from the goal we're defending than that play. So he should be our best defensive weapon. He's got a couple things he's got to work on, but not enough where 'hey, let's get rid of this guy.' They're always trying to procure talent. They're looking at everything and anything. It might even be just to see how they grade them. I don't know because I just go out there and work them out."
On whether Dallas WR Dez Bryant is a unique challenge as a punt returner because of his size and speed: "Yeah, I think this guy, a year ago we talked about him, and of course he was hurt when we were getting ready to play him, I mean he's really a big time player. I mean, tremendous, tremendous player. So yeah, I think he's a challenge because he runs hard, he runs fast, he's tough. Everything about him is a challenge. When you've got a guy that unique, I mean, he's got to fit in the top, talent-wise, in a league full of unbelievably talented people, he's got to be in the top one or two percent. So yeah, he's a big challenge. It's going to make us play harder, though. Not 'Let's go down there and get a tie.' You know, we've got to throw the leather even more."
