On how he felt the special teams units performed against the Colts: "I thought we were a little better Thursday night than we were the first preseason game. (We were) a little bit better, from a coverage standpoint, with the ones. On our punting and kickoffs, we are getting down the field and staying in our lanes, (we were) a little more disciplined. As the preseason goes on, you'd like to see progress each week and some more consistency."
On WR Jeremy Maclin's fumbles and his progress to this point: "It's always a concern anytime the ball is on the ground. That is something we have to eliminate. It's going to be a process in developing him as a returner. I had a meeting with him yesterday. He understands the importance of ball security; it's the number-one thing we have to do. At the end of every return, punt and kickoff return, our main job is to make sure that our offense takes the field and putting the ball on the ground, we can't do that. He has to be more aware when he's in traffic to secure the football. That's what happened on the kickoff return. He was trying to make a play, running around in traffic, the ball got loose and we can't have that. That's something that has to get corrected immediately and we've addressed it and he knows the importance of it. Any young returner is going to go through a learning process and he's going through that process now. We've just got to get it to happen a little bit quicker than it's happening right now."
On whether he thinks Maclin's struggles have been a result of rookie mistakes, nerves or anxiety: "(It's a) combination of all. I think the very first one against the Patriots, I think he was just flat out nervous and misjudged the ball, took his eyes off of it and that caused that ball to get loose. I think he's trying to press and make a play. I think every young returner, the young returners I've been around (like Cleveland WR/KR) Josh Cribbs and (CB/KR) Chris Carr in Oakland, they all want to make a play. You just have to make good decisions. That's the single most important thing in the return game. Your returner has to make good decisions, he has to secure the football and then his natural skills will go on in helping him make a play."
On S Quintin Demps and CB Ellis Hobbs' performance in the return game: "I was pleased with the way Ellis Hobbs looked and Quintin Demps. They hit it quick, they did a nice job of getting vertical, finding seam; they both are natural returners. (Head coach) Andy (Reid) will make that decision as we go along, but it was good to get them some reps and see them have some solid returns."
On whether he could use both Demps and Hobbs returning kicks: "You could."
On whether he would rather have one of the return men be a better blocker: "You could (use both of them) because you always want to have guys that are secure with the football back there, good decision makers. That will all be based on how much they are playing on defense and what their role is with the team. Andy will let me know and we'll just kind of go from there, but I am very comfortable with both of those guys."
On whether he would like to see WR DeSean Jackson take at least one rep at punt return during the preseason: "I would love to see him take a rep and hopefully that's going to take place this Thursday night. That was the plan (last week). He only plays a certain amount of plays in the game and it got to the second quarter before we had a punt return. It's just the way it worked out, but there was a plan for him to take a return last week."
On finding the best returners from the talented crop he has to choose from:"I think we do (have a talented group). We are very blessed to have several guys that can return the ball that have skills, but again it will all be based on what their role is with the team and what's best for the team as far as who's going to be back there. It will work itself out."
On the improvement of the coverage teams from the first preseason game to the second: "Our ones have been doing a good job of covering punts and kicks. Our twos have struggled. They're not in lanes, they're not doing a lot of little basic fundamental things right that we have to get corrected. We need to be better as a punt unit. That cannot happen. You can't have that once, much less two weeks in a row. Our kickoff coverage has been very solid. We've been disciplined, doing the right things, closing to the football and I'm pleased with that, but the backups on punts have to get better."
On Maclin's two fumbles in the preseason: "It's a huge concern and we can't have it. I met with him yesterday and he's aware of it. Jeremy is a very self-accountable guy. He knows that he can't do that and it's a combination of things. (He is) a young man that's pressing, trying to make a good impression, trying to do too much. He's got to secure the football in traffic and he's got to make better decisions. Being a young returner, it is a process. They have to learn to make good decisions and he's going through that process and he'll be fine."
On what he sees as Maclin's role on special teams going forward: "That's a work in progress right now. Andy is going to decide where all that goes once we get done, who's available, who's not starting on offense and defense and we'll go from there. I think he has potential. He's a young guy that's learning how to be in the NFL and you'd just like to see him be more sound in making decisions and securing the football, but it's a process. I coached Josh Cribbs with the Cleveland Browns two years ago and he had never returned a punt basically in his life, high school, college or pro and he became our punt returner. It took him well into the season before he was a good decision maker and doing the right things all the time. He did end up third in the league in punt returns because he was a gifted returner, but it's a process and we've just got to get Jeremy through it."
